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puglvr1

How's your Easter Cactus doing...any blooms?

puglvr1
9 years ago

I only have 2 EC...one is a very woody cutting that I received 2 years ago that I almost lost but it survived, rooted and though a small plant and chugging along has a few buds on it. My other one that I received about a year ago has grown a lot but sadly NO buds not sure why one is budding up while the other nothing! Same vicinity and care...

Here it is when I got it last year April 9, 2013

Comments (48)

  • puglvr1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Took this today...you can see its grown quite a bit...just NO buds :o(

    Any tips on what I can do to help it along? Thanks!

  • puglvr1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Here's my "chugging along" woody cutting that's budding up...

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    9 years ago

    Beautiful...!
    I don't have one, so I can't compare....however, I must say that's a nice amount of growth! Could be that the bloom will just come later this season.

    Josh

  • puglvr1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi Josh thanks! I'm hoping it will still bud up this year late will be fine. I too am amazed at the amount of growth of that red EC in just a year!! Thanks to you and your great suggestion of the 5-1-1 potting mix for these guys :o)...they've been doing much better...

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    9 years ago

    In a fit of boredom a couple months ago, I snapped apart my EC into about 15 pieces. Two of the 'cuttings' have bloomed but the mama is in total new leaf mode. Placement was different this winter also, kind of starting from scratch again here, and just put plants outside for the on-season. Really glad I did that, already more new leaves than in the previous almost-2 years, but I have pics of a heavy bloom from last Jan/Feb, and just the 2 flowers so far this year. Traded them for more future blooms.

  • Laura Robichaud
    9 years ago

    No buds on any of mine yet. This is the first year for them all (I have 4), so I have no point of reference. I bought them all in bud last Easter, repotted them in the bark mix and they spent last summer outside. One is in an east window and the other three in a west window this winter. My TCs and my CCs all bloom with no problem, so here's hoping!

  • lii_sama 6
    9 years ago

    I bought 3 new ones this year so they already finished the blooming. My red one and 2 others are giving out new leaves, but no buds. I almost lost 2 others due to some unidentified problem, so started from scratch. But my "weird" one have buds so I think he will bloom sometime in April.

  • puglvr1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Slow start but my red EC is finally starting to get a few buds... won't make it by Easter Sunday but my small pink one should open by then...

    Red EC buds...

    This post was edited by puglvr1 on Sun, Apr 13, 14 at 12:01

  • greenman28 NorCal 7b/8a
    9 years ago

    There we go! :-)

    Josh

  • Sundewd
    9 years ago

    I have three reds and two pinks. My reds have flowered and are about to open more but here is my pink one now.
    {{gwi:512003}}

  • succulentlife
    9 years ago

    Got a cutting few weeks ago. Wasn't checking for roots yet, but it somehow managed to produce a gorgeous flower?! That was a nice surprise!!

  • Desirai
    9 years ago

    is an easter cactus and christmas cactus the same thing?

  • nomen_nudum
    9 years ago

    The flowering on CC is different than EC, segements on foliage vary as well.

  • Sundewd
    9 years ago

    Christmas cactus is Schlumbergera. Easter cactus is Rhipsalidopsis.

  • puglvr1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Very pretty Sundewd and Nik23!!

    Hubby brought home this very pretty white EC for me last night :o)...

  • teisa
    9 years ago

    Very nice EC everyone! They are all very pretty!!!
    I've always liked these but I never see them around here! I've been looking for the last few weeks but no luck yet. TFS!

  • nil13
    9 years ago

    Here are mine.

  • puglvr1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Teisa, my husband bought it at Kmart of all places...I haven't seen them in my area for several years. Last year NO one had them for sale around here, imagine my surprise when he brought one home yesterday :o). Never thought to check Kmart...

    Very pretty Nil13...my small pink one should be opening soon...

  • petrushka (7b)
    9 years ago

    i'll be looking for one too :). i love them! they do look like cactus blooms.
    my xgiving is very late with spring rebloom this year. it would be really nice to have smth for sure and with abundant blossoms! my local nursery or HD do not carry them, have to try supermarkets next.

    This post was edited by petrushka on Wed, Apr 16, 14 at 23:06

  • rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
    9 years ago

    nil13

    Are those hanging pots plastic? They look like terracotta. Why so deep?
    Your plants are really healthy, and beautiful flowers.

    Rina

  • lii_sama 6
    9 years ago

    I bought a new one
    {{gwi:512004}}
    {{gwi:512005}}

    And here is one I am not sure which species it is since it doesn't look like a usual EC
    The flower:
    {{gwi:512007}}
    The whole plant:
    {{gwi:512008}}

  • greenclaws UK, Zone 8a
    9 years ago

    Lii-sama, hi there. Your mystery cactus looks like a Rhipsalidopsis rosea to me. It's one of the 2 varieties of Easter Cactus and has those typical pink flowers and much thinner segments. The other one you have is the more common variety....namely Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri and it has many colour variants. Hope this helps.

    Gill UK

  • lii_sama 6
    9 years ago

    Gill UK, thank you. It did help since browsing over the net for information it isn't always very reliable that's why I was confused in the end.

  • kathi_mdgd
    9 years ago

    My biggest pot of them that bloomed at xmas,has a few buds on it again,so I don't know if I have a piece of easter mixed in with the xmas or what.I'll take a picture of it when it opens.
    kathi

  • Colleen E
    9 years ago

    H. rosea. A stunner. I should have taken an overhead shot of it as well, because it's chocked-full of blooms up there too... not to mention the other sides and angles. Great plant.

    {{gwi:512009}}

    Colleen

  • kathi_mdgd
    9 years ago

    OMG Colleen,that is beyond gorgeous!! How often and what do you feed it.
    tfs
    Kathi

  • Colleen E
    9 years ago

    I am fortunate to have a little greenhouse, Kathi, and I water when just about dry, but I've honestly never fed this plant. I imagine light humidity helps it out. It came from my aunt about two years ago. She rarely remembers to water her houseplants, and she has a second H. rosea, comprised of cuttings from my original -- it's large and does well with her infrequent waterings, but it and my original have rarely ever flowered for her, and when they have, it has been a small show. It may be a light issue for her, because I know she'll keep a bedroom light on in the late evening and the plant is in her bedroom. Or it may be the lack of humidity. Or both.

    I find it's a finicky plant only in that it's extremely easy to accidentally bump off leaves. When I need to move the plant, it practically loves to spit them out along the ground. And based on my aunt's neglect of hers and her positive results (aside from flowering), I wouldn't be surprised if it would be a simple plant to rot. Cuttings seem to be a little more prone to rotting than with my other holiday cacti.

    It also has a big trailing habit, so when my aunt gave it to me a couple years ago, it was trailing over to one side (you can see cuttings off to the side, flowering, too):

    {{gwi:512010}}

    I don't care for the one-sided aspect of it, so I took cuttings (half the plant's weight, really) and rooted them on the other side of the pot to make it fairly balanced. It worked out! This was last year's show:

    {{gwi:512011}}

  • nil13
    9 years ago

    Rina, yes they are terracotta. They are that deep for a few reasons. The most important being they look cool. They also hang better with the minimal steel cable hangers. They also come with or without drainage holes. So, when I use one inside or over the patio furniture, I use the ones without drainage holes and fit a plastic pot in the top. That makes a pretty decent sized reservoir in the bottom. Since the pots are terracotta that water evaporates pretty quickly.

  • puglvr1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Wow!!! Amazing ECs Lii-sama and Teatree!!! Just gorgeous...

    That's a very pretty Rhipsalis Lii

  • rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
    9 years ago

    nil13,
    thank you for the answer. It make sense, and I like the pots too.

    Colleen
    that is a beauty! One really needs a GH...want...

    Everyone's EC are beautiful.
    Rina

  • lii_sama 6
    9 years ago

    puglvr1, thank you.
    H.rosea (as it turned out) is the less fusee plant for me. Yes, it might loose his segments rather quickly, but it's fine as long as it isn't over watered. That's how I managed to kill the Mother plant unfortunately. At the moment I have problems with my 3 ECs which suddenly got root rot, that's how I discovered too much care can hurt as well.
    Terracotta pots I use for those of my lovelies who hang over the rim (TC) otherwise I have discovered it is better to use plastic pots in place where I live (the Northern Europe).

  • Enterotoxigenic00
    9 years ago

    A few bloomers so far.
    Seems that the other EC are just thinking about blooming.
    Everyone's pics are great. I keep looking for a white EC.
    Karen

  • camellia1_gw
    9 years ago

    OMG! You all are such bad influences!

    I went to Kmart and found them. I thought about waiting until the end of the week to buy them at a better discounted rate but an employee had watered them to the point that they were waterlogged in their plastic wraps. So, they jumped into my arms asking to be saved...and I did.

    Hong

    Gosh, I'm so weak!

  • lii_sama 6
    9 years ago

    Camellia1, LOL I know how it feels. They usually just jump in my arms as well. I decided not to count how much money I have already spent on them knowing that in the Autumn I am going to buy Schlumbergera again.
    Now you just need to post photos, I am curious about how many and which colours.

  • camellia1_gw
    9 years ago

    They had these 4 colors.

  • puglvr1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    SO Pretty Karen!!

    As weird as it is...I have one little bud on my yellow Thanksgiving Cactus!! I've never had any buds on my TC this late in the year...not sure what's going on with this plant,lol...

    Camelia, glad you found some at Kmart!!

  • kathi_mdgd
    9 years ago

    Those are all gorgeous.We no longer have a k-mart,it closed last year.

    I need to go shopping!!
    Kathi

  • Laura Robichaud
    9 years ago

    Nancy, I had my yellow TC just get done with a second round of flowering. It did that last year too. Go figure.

    None of my 4 EC are getting buds. Not sure if they're just late bloomers.

  • lii_sama 6
    9 years ago

    Camellia1, thank you. Three of them look like what I bought in Latvia this year, but I was lucky to get orange one as well.

    puglvr1, one of mine TCs has 3 buds.

    LauraRobichaud, 2 of mine EC don't want to bloom for me as well. I am not sure what's the problem :(

  • puglvr1
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Laura, maybe yours will be late? I only have a few on my Red EC but my small pink one has several opened blooms, I have NO idea why the difference?

    Good to know other people's TC's are blooming late too. In FL its rare for them to be blooming this late in the season since by March its usually too warm for them to rebloom but its been a little "cooler" than normal for April...but that's ending,lol...we're suppose to be 90 degrees this weekend!! Not ready for summer yet...

  • Laura Robichaud
    9 years ago

    Patience is paying off. I also have some blooms coming on my magenta one. Nothing so far on the orange one though. I'll post some more pics as the flowers open more.

    This post was edited by LauraRobichaud on Thu, Jun 19, 14 at 12:57

  • pirate_girl
    9 years ago

    Gosh Laura,

    Those open blooms are just spectacular!

  • Laura Robichaud
    9 years ago

    Thanks Karen! I have to say, I think I like the EC flowers more than the TC and even the CC flowers. Can't wait to see them all open.

  • Laura Robichaud
    9 years ago

    This is the only flower That grew on my orange Easter cactus. My fave color is orange...like my Jeep

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    9 years ago

    Very pretty!

  • Laura Robichaud
    8 years ago

    My four EC are going to be blooming big this year. My red has an insane amount of buds!

  • puglvr1
    Original Author
    8 years ago

    Wow! That's amazing considering its June!! Very Cool!!!