The First Blooms Of My Schlumbergera!
After sharing with you the first buds on my schlumbergera, I'm now happy to share with you some of the first blooms! Of course there are many many buds just waiting to open, so I am happy to say that this shabbat we'll be enjoying a lovely burst of color in the middle of our living room! If you don't own a schlumbergera, I'd highly recommend adding one to your home, as the winter blooms are just stunning, and the whole bud to bloom process is so very exciting.
My plant, who has both red and magenta blooms, is steadily growing had a bit of a set back this past Fall when a curtain rod fell on him thus breaking some major stalks, sigh, so while not symmetrical at the moment, he is still truly lovely and we're so happy to have him as a part of our little jungle. Happy container gardening!
Oh, and just by the way, these cactuses can actually get quite large and live for a very long time. I just read a story about one that is 111 years old! What a fun family legacy, you could even start one yourself with that in mind, just make sure to teach your kids or much younger family member to love plants so that they'll take over caring for that cactus!
2 Comments
wendy werner
is there a trick to making sure they blossom? i have two one is a large plant and very old, and the other is younger and smaller, they have not blossomed yet and i d not see any buds…
Sara Rivka
Hi Wendy,
There is a trick actually, which is that the plant needs to sense the shorter days in order for it to realize that winter is coming.
so if your plant is in a spot where it receives daylight and then lots of light at night too, then that could be a problem.
If you keep your plants indoors all year, they should be somewhere where lights are not turned on at night.
Or, next year do as I do, which is, come summer put the plants outdoors in a shady spot, and bring them in just before the first frost or when buds appear on the plants.
Oh and by the way, there are some schlumbergera that are called Easter Cactuses i believe, so it could be that is what you have?
all the best!