Schlumbergera truncata - Christmas Cactus - Cuttings

Description

• Cactaceae Caryophyllales
• Southeast Brazil
• H 50cm x W 80cm
•  Z9 
• Perennial Epiphyte
• Synonyms: Epiphyllanthus, Zygocactus, Zygocereus, Opuntiopsis
• 4 Unrooted Cuttings
  (1 cladode each, magenta, red & pink color at random)

-

Detail

Tropical Cactus grown as an indoor ornamental plant for its vegetation and spectacular winter flowering

Schlumbergeras are renowned as easy flowering plants contrary to orchids

Leafless vegetation, composed of chlorophylled Cladodes, fleshy, flattened, shield-shaped
(5cm long x 2cm wide x 3mm thick)

The cladodes attach in chains forming poorly branched stems with a spreading and drooping habit, reaching 80cm long in the oldest plants, and lignifying over the years to form a real trunk and strong, rigid branches

Growth is slow, with an increase in stem length of 3 to 5 cladodes per year

The root system is adapted for Epiphyte and Litophyte life

Flowering occurs in winter

The flowers bloom at the end of the stems, at the end of the last cladode, 1 to 5 flowers per cladode

A flower measures around 10 centimeters long and 3-4 cm in diameter, is fragrance-free, hanging downwards to ease pollination by Hummingbirds

Petals and Sepals are very brightly colored in pink-red and orange-red tones
(all colors from yellow to magenta including white in modern hybrids)

It is followed by a small berry, pink when ripe, which contains a few seeds scattered by birds

The Genus Schlumbergera contains 9 Species
(S. bridgesii, S. kautskyi, S. lutea, S. microsphaerica, S. opuntioides, S. orssichiana, S. rosea, S. russelliana, S. truncata)

Schlumbergeras originate from the coastal mountain forests of Southeast Brazil
(states São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and Espírito Santo - latitude ≈ 20-23° south, altitude ≈ 700-2800m)

The Climatic Conditions are particularly humid (regular drizzle and fog) and relatively cool at night

Schlumbergeras often grow clinging to moss-covered trunks/branches and rock crevices, feeding on whatever small pockets of decaying organic substrate they can find there

Nearly a thousand interspecific hybrids were identified in the early 2000s, which are marketed today under the names Christmas Cactus and Easter Cactus
(the latter are now categorized as Rhipsalidopsis)

They are mainly divided into 4 groups: (1) Truncata, (2) Buckleyi, (3) Reginae, and (4) Exotica

Only the species Schlumbergera truncata and some of its hybrids flower around the Christmas period
(other species flower earlier, in autumn, or later in spring, like the Easter cactus)

-

Cultivation

Schlumbergera truncata is indeed a true cactus, but it is a tropical rainforest cactus and not a desert cactus

Therefore, it likes water, humidity, and freshness, and fears aridity, heat, and the sun

It spreads spontaneously by cladode cuttings, when they detach under the mechanical action of an animal or a storm, or by layering when touching a branch or a trunk

Consequently, rooting cladodes is easy and almost guaranteed since it happens spontaneously in nature
(this is how Schlumbergeras are propagated in horticulture)

To root the cladodes that you will receive, you can use one of the following 3 techniques, listed in order of decreasing preference

1. Stick half of each cladode (its narrow part) vertically in non-calcareous sand kept moist
2. or: Wrap the lower half (narrow part) of each cladode in a sheet of towel paper kept moist and place the cuttings in a transparent jar that you can close to keep the towel paper humid
3. or: Stick half of each cladode (its narrow part) vertically in potting soil for houseplants kept moist
   (this technique works very well, but it is not our preference: if the potting soil you use is infested with sciarid larvae, they will attack the cuttings and young roots, and you will have no success, whereas with the 2 previous techniques the problem will not exist)

Place the cuttings in the light near a window, avoiding direct or too bright / too hot sunlight
(especially in summer)

The ideal temperature for rapid rooting is 20-25°C

Keep the substrate always moist but not damped to avoid rotting

After 3 weeks, roots will have grown, and the cladodes will begin to bud

If you have chosen cutting techniques (1) or (2), it is time to place your rooted cuttings in potting soil for houseplants, carefully so as not to damage the young roots

You can plant all your cuttings together in a single pot and get a pretty clump of flowers more quickly, or plant them alone or in pairs

Next, grow your Christmas Cacti as follows:

• Substrate
  Soil for flowering plants or indoor plants
• Pot
  High
  (allows the vegetation to fall back)
  Narrow
  (epiphytic plants do not require a large volume for their root system)
• Watering
  Substrate always moist, never waterlogged and therefore draining well
  Like Desert Cacti, Schlumbergera truncata survives drought without problem, even if it lasts several weeks
  However, this will put the plant into dormancy: It will not grow or it will lose its flower buds
  If you want to put your Schlumbergeras on a dry diet without negative effects on growth and flowering, do it in September after the Growth period, or in February-March after Flowering
• Exposure
  Bright with a little subdued sun
  If the Cladodes turn red or become chlorotic, it is because your Christmas Cactus is getting too much sun
• Temperature
  Tolerates and appreciates cool temperatures in winter
  (always keep frost-free though)
  During the growth period which goes from spring to autumn, Schlumbergera truncata needs heat to grow
• Fertilizing
  Feed your Christmas Cactus regularly from April to the end of August
  Use Liquid Fertilizer for Orchids every 10-15 days, which you will dilute in water
  It is possible to also use Liquid Fertilizer for flowering plants, diluting it a little more than the recommended dosage
• Repotting
  Every 2-3 years in March for adjusting the size of the pot to the growth of young plants
  Every 4-5 years in March for regenerating the soil (adult plants)
  Carefully take the root ball out of the pot
  Remove as much old potting soil as possible without damaging the roots or breaking the rootball, in order to have room to put new potting soil in the same pot
  Be sure to properly introduce the new soil between the roots
  Do not pack too much so that the roots can breathe

If you have a garden, Schlumberegra truncata will appreciate 3-4 months of vacation in the shade of a tree, from mid-May to mid-September

Bring indoors as soon as night temperature gets too cold

Disease-free, pest-free

-

How to Make Schlumbergera truncata Flower

If you have followed the growing tips above, your Schlumbergeras will grow a little more each year until, after a few years, they become magnificent plants capable of producing cascades of flowers

The flowering of the Christmas Cactus is triggered by the reduction in day length and by cooler temperatures

Usually, the flower buds begin to form in mid-October, and slowly grow bigger until blooming between the beginning of December and the end of January

A second flowering often takes place in February-March once the first one has finished, but only if daily light duration stays low

Making Schlumbergera truncata flower is really easy, this is a beginner's plant

However, if your Schlumbergeras are not flowering, make sure of the following points:

• If the plant did not grow during the summer season
  Review your Growing Method by referring to the Cultivation Tips in the previous section
  If all is good, explore what's going on in the pot - roots may have rotten or some bug eating them
  A plant that does not grow cannot flower
• The plant receives too much artificial lighting and still thinks it's summer
  Find a darker location in your house
• The plant gets too much heat and still thinks it's summer
  Find a cooler location in your house

-

Good to Know

The duration of Schlumbergera's flowering depends directly on the temperature

In an overheated apartment, it will not last more than 10 days

In a cool room at 15°C, it will last 4 to 6 weeks

You can get this result by putting your Schlumbergeras in a cool room at night and lowering the heating when you're not at home