Sunday, August 29, 2010

Cactuses on Vacation in the Grove

Sitting on a white, thrift-store, wrought-iron plant stand, a gift from June earlier this summer, my cactuses are thriving outside in the filtered shade of the grove. They are captured clearly in the top photo, and through the criss-crossed fronds of the large potted palm in front of them.

I N D O O R   P L A N T S — Glimpsed through one of the large potted palms, my Christmas and Thanksgiving cactuses love being outside all summer. They must be in the shade though, with only minimal filtered sunlight. They acclimate quite quickly from their other three seasons inside, and the beneficial insects keep them clean and healthy all summer. They can't seem to throw off enough new leaf segments. In the fall, they'll go in the guest room with the sheers closed, giving them around 7 hours of low-light. I don't use that room much, and the lights are never on at night, the perfect setting for these plants to set lots and lots of buds for their season. The Thanksgiving cactus usually blooms throughout the month of November and the Christmas cacti bloom from late November through February, with occasional new blossoms in April. These plants live forever, almost. They were given to celebrate births in my family, so their ages are well-known. I lost my grandmother's last year, which was 114, but had been in declining health for about five years. The stems eventually get so woody and so thickened that no amount of care, short of cutting the newest ones off and rooting them will help. Which is exactly what I did. I have one that is 92, which is the age my mom would be, and one that is 53, mine. I've given several away, and have started several more. The rest of mine are only 4-5 years old. The Thanksgiving cactus is approximately 35 years old, and was gifted to my mother from a former patient of hers.

The Thanksgiving cactus has points on its leaves, as opposed to the Christmas cactus's rounded lobes. Here it is shot looking down at it in the photo above. All of the brighter green leaves on the plants are new growth from this summer. This plant is a young 35-or-so years old.

For more on these plants, click here.

For how to care for these plants, click here. The photo illustrated on this site shows a plant with pointed leaves, which I would call a Thanksgiving cactus and they identify it as a Christmas cactus. I'd bet that the terms are probably interchangeable, and passed down from family member to family member as well, but I've used the ones I was taught. They have slightly differently shaped, and colored, flowers.

12 comments:

  1. It must take a great deal of care to move those, they are huge! I like the photo peeking through the fronds shot.

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  2. MY MIL HAD ONE OF THESE CHRISTMAS CACTUS FOR OVER 40 MAYBE 50 YEARS. I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT CACTUS OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS. I DOUBT IT'S STILL ALIVE. I WISH I HAD IT IN MY HOUSE. CASEY, IT WAS HUGH LIKE YOURS.

    GRANNY

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  3. You know I've got both types in my house and always knew they bloomed at different times, but never looked close enough to notice the leaves. Thanks for that !

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  4. thanks! the 114 year old one, in its heyday, was more than 4 feet across and about 3 feet deep. it started more than 25 new plants I think through the years. I almost thought the Thanksgiving one was a goner this winter, but now look at it!

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  5. WEll, we have found a common ground from the classy coast to the middle of mid-America. We don't have the thanksgiving cactus, but we do have the MONSTER Chrimstmas cactus that is umpteen years old...think it came from my great aunt that my sister is named for. We have taken TONS of clippings from it. I will have to see if I have a photo of the big one at my parent's house. It is HUGE and was (or IS) supposed to be mine, but I live in a small house, so not sure what will happen to it...would still like to find it a place with me. We have never taken it outside..always afraid we'll kill it and the grasshoppers this year would have picked it clean (they WILL eat Christmas cactus won't they??)
    Loved the pics a LOT...thanks for sharing...
    mare

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  6. we don't really have very many grasshoppers, but i don't think they'd eat a cactus. the rest of the bugs seem to leave it alone. the leaves never get eaten, or spotted, and it really seems to go well. they just don't like bright sunlight, since they're indoor plants. They're always put under the trees.

    I'm glad you have an ancient one too!

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  7. My mom kills outdoor plants but she's got a green thumb with African violets and Christmas Cactuses. Such beautiful blooms on all of them!

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  8. OK...

    I was told by a Prof of Horticulture at ASU that the only acceptable plural form of cactus is Cacti. And since this Wiki moment is coming from Arizona... I'm pulling rank! [truth be told, Wikipedia actually says both is correct] Sorry I haven't been posting Casey... got a job last month and after 2 years of solid employment, it feels good! But don't worry... You are still #4 on my favorites! Loved the last Town Car btw!

    -RW
    Scottsdale, AZ

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  9. Hi RW!
    Glad to see your comment this morning! I thought about you with all of my recent Aston Martin posts—you 'defended' the Rapide here a while ago I think. Well, after reading the magazine they gave me, devoted to the development of the car, and with scads of photos of it in every setting possible, I'M A CONVERT, lol. I now find it one of the best looking, if not best looking, 4 door available. It's truly stunning.

    And duly noted about the cactuses/cacti! I've grown up calling the desert plants near you, Cacti, but when paired with "Christmas" or "Thanksgiving" I've always said "cactuses." Odd I know! I'm probably too old to change! thanks, and again, good to see your comment today.

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  10. When my mother worked for a florist in the 1940s, she actually had people phone in to order an arrangement with "gladioli."

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  11. I am the same way Casey, when I talk of our Christmas Cactus in plural form I always say "cactuses" but otherwise, cacti..
    Actually, the same is true with Gladioli. Grandma had all colors of gladiolas, BUT you order gladioli...
    Love the "sameness" of different humans everywhere. :)

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