My dad just gave me this Christmas Cactu.... It was started by my Sister, who sadly passed away almost two years ago. She was staying with Dad, so he has continued to water the cactus. It does bloom, beautiful even, but the leaves are starting to look pale, there is even moss growing on the top of the jar. It is a nice heavy jar, about 4 inches high and 1-11/4 opening. I could slide the roots out, but think it would break a big part of the lower portion off. I could break the jar. What would be the best idea? What size pot should I replant it in? Maybe I should make a new start from it? I do want to get more house plants, and this will be my first "saving" attempt in many years. I love Christmas cactus so I am hoping it will live and be one of many indoors plant to come. Really love the Hoya if anyone has info on them.
@JMTKMS: You can make new plants from cuttings. To make talking about this a little easier, I'll stick to calling some parts of the plant "pads" (the individual flattened leaf-like segments) and other parts "stems" (an entire string of pads). On a Christmas cactus a cutting is two or three pads. To be ultra precise, two or three pads that are still joined together.
To root the cutting, start with a 4 inch terra cotta pot and ordinary potting mix. Sink the bottom pad of the cutting halfway into the potting mix and keep the mix slightly moist until roots form.
Your photos show a plant that will yield four cuttings, at least.
Now, what to do about the roots and the narrow-necked container. It looks to me that the cactus plant has two woody pads at the base, choking the neck of the pot. If you're willing, try this. Run a knife between the two pads to separate them. This will leave you with two plants and their roots out of sight and no doubt tangled together in the container. Try easing up one of the two plants. Grip is as close to the roots as you can and poke down into the tangle of roots with the knife as you lift the plant. If the roots won't budge, slice downward through them with to divide them in two. By the way, attempt this only after your cutting have rooted. Then you'll have more freedom to cut and tug.
One more thing, when you take the cuttings, leave the bottomost pad on each stem so the roots will have a partner.
@Groundskeeper: Thank you for your help. I sure appreciate your expertise. I will get a start going today, I hope, and when it starts rooting and I am sure a have a "survivor" I will attempt to separate the main plant into two and work the roots out. It sure seems that since you can start a plant with no roots, that if a rooted one lost a few it would be okay, but my history of trying to transplant plants often ended in failure and people always ... it was because I disturbed the roots to much?
@JMTKMS: I doubt your transplant failure were your fault. Most often the parent plant is not healthy enough to have children. All the same I wish you good luck with the Christmas cactus.By the way, mine has lived in the same pot and potting mix for ten years and bloomed every winter. In fact, if I keep watering it after the first flowers it keeps blooming. It has several flowers right now.The key is to keep it growing because the new pads have new flower buds and buds for new pads. Hope that makes sense.
@Groundskeeper: The plant is looking a bit wilted, I think it is not liking the change from my dad's house to here. Is there anything I can do to help it adjust? I am going to get my new starts going tonight, but I would really like to save the original plant. Should I get a plant food? Thanks!
@JMTKMS: Wilting seems normal after a tussle with the roots. They're not yet ready to keep the top primed with water. Fertilizer won't help. Best to keep the potting mix barely moist until the roots revive and the top plumps up. You can put a baggie over the top to keep it in moist air. This helps a little. But no baggie if the plant is in sun. Oh, there's another thing. Keep the plant out of the sun for a few days. Hope this helps.
Marcy I put a post on the ground keepers site for this page....Maybe he can help. I will also put one on the Queen of Greens....she also knows her plants.
Marcy, Groundskeeper's advice is very good! That's about the same thing I would tell you to do. They are really easy to root and I have one that belonged to my Grandfather, who passed away in 1984, and I have never re-potted it. It would probably be happier if I give it some new soil, so I may re-pot it this year in a pot just one size bigger and use a cactus mix or good quality potting soil. They like to be root bound, and will bloom better that way, if that makes sense. Let me know how it goes... or if you need any more help with it.
@Queen_of_Green: My Christmas cactus has been in the same small pot for ten years. Root bound? Yes. One of these years I'll move it to a slightly bigger pot and tease the roots open if they need it or can stand it. Maybe this Fall.
@Queen_of_Green: I did not realize they like to be root bound. I was probably trying to give them too much room. I guess with the internet available is should be easier to do things correctly... and with you and the groundskeeper there to assist! :) Thanks. Do you happen to have any Hoya's??
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