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floridabear

Heirloom Christmas Plant ????

floridabear
17 years ago

I would post this in the exchange section...but I figure this way I may at least get an answer first before I try to get what I am looking for. Long story short. I HAD a Christmas Cactus in my family for nearly 100 years! It was my great grandmothers, and made it to me several years ago. It is not one of the new big hybrids,obviously, it was nearly 100 years old. Its main stem kept rotting off big branches one by one and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get any part of it to root. So I ended up killing the oldest plant I ever heard of. At least in my family. It had slender stems, and a light pinkish long bloom, and it was so pot bound it was all roots! It did wonderful, until one day it fell off its 'perch' and broke an arm off. From there on it just started dying, 1 branch at a time. Till I had nothing left. And I couldn't root any of it no matter how many times I tried and different ways. So...I am trying to find out..if ANYONE has an OLD OLD Christmas Cactus, I assume an heirloom? And would be willing to talk to me about getting some to me somehow. I want this to post HERE so I don't want to make it sound like it belongs in the other part of this forum. Does anyone have a super old one? And have some small stems they would be willing to part with, and tell me how to root and let me??? I really miss it and it is the only time I am glad my grandmother is not here anymore. It would make her so upset to know it is dead. But I want to get it one up and growing and start a new heirloom...but I just cant find it. Anyone have one like I am talking about? thank you.

Comments (2)

  • floridabear
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    I found and bought 7 small cutings of my old christmas cactus. They are all the soft stem cuttings. No thick hard 'trunks',so I need some rooting advise. I have asked in the cacti forum,but I need as much help as possible. I couldn't root any stems from my own 100yr old cactus as it slowly died in my care over 25 yrs:(. So now I dont know if I should do them in water. Only plant the bottom tips into soil,or plant up to the first segment?? I'm open to any tips to get them to root. The biggest is only 6 segments. I dont have much to work with...and they cost a small fortune to buy. I dont want to have to buy more.

  • decolady01
    17 years ago

    floridabear, when I have rooted Christmas cactus I just put the bottom tips in the soil. Good luck!

    Becky