Zygo Cactus (Schlumbergera)

[Wild Orchid]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

I have mine potted in various orchid media, including a couple in straight sphag.

And in my experience these do not require much light at all. I have a couple rooted cuttings that have been all year in a bathroom window (thick, frosted glass) on the shady side of the house (no direct sun) all budded up now. - That said, they CAN take more light. None of mine get Catt light, however. The one that gets a few hours of direct morning sun in summer does get red ...

A colleague of mine had it in the office and NOT near the window. And yes, this plant bloomed profusely, something visitors would frequently comment on.

The person had the proverbial green thumb making everything grow and bloom like magic. He also used some desktop humidifiers that distributed exotic aroma. I kind of wondered if it was the trick or what exactly constitutes the "green thumb"?
I'm also wondering now after reading previous comments if staying in the dark office for at least 12 hrs also contributed to such abundant blooming?

[NYCorchidman]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

I have mine potted in various orchid media, including a couple in straight sphag.

And in my experience these do not require much light at all. I have a couple rooted cuttings that have been all year in a bathroom window (thick, frosted glass) on the shady side of the house (no direct sun) all budded up now. - That said, they CAN take more light. None of mine get Catt light, however. The one that gets a few hours of direct morning sun in summer does get red ...

How is the budding on that one? lots and lots of buds or just so so??

---------- Post added at 10:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:55 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Wild Orchid

A colleague of mine had it in the office and NOT near the window. And yes, this plant bloomed profusely, something visitors would frequently comment on.

The person had the proverbial green thumb making everything grow and bloom like magic. He also used some desktop humidifiers that distributed exotic aroma. I kind of wondered if it was the trick or what exactly constitutes the "green thumb"?
I'm also wondering now after reading previous comments if staying in the dark office for at least 12 hrs also contributed to such abundant blooming?

Good to know!
I guess artificial lighting in the office is good enough for the good growth and blooming then.

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by NYCorchidman

How is the budding on that one? lots and lots of buds or just so so??[COLOR="Silver"]

They're both small - for the size they are budded very well, I think.
Buds at each 'end', one with two buds.

Don't know how well you can see them in the pix - very dark and rainy out today, so tried in the garage... Some buds are still very small.

These are two broken off bits I had found in the pot (squirrels sometimes dig in it) - one from a couple of years ago, the other last year.

These are also the ones in straight sphag.

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by Wild Orchid

A colleague of mine had it in the office and NOT near the window. And yes, this plant bloomed profusely, something visitors would frequently comment on.

The person had the proverbial green thumb making everything grow and bloom like magic. He also used some desktop humidifiers that distributed exotic aroma. I kind of wondered if it was the trick or what exactly constitutes the "green thumb"?
I'm also wondering now after reading previous comments if staying in the dark office for at least 12 hrs also contributed to such abundant blooming?

Cool! I've had them bloom in low light windows - so long as they aren't being exposed to much artificial light at night starting late summer. But - once in a window under a light that I had been using a lot - I realized rather late (all my others had started to bud - I moved it to a window in a room where it wouldn't be getting light after dark, and it budded fairly quickly afterwards!

[Wild Orchid]

Here's an interesting discussion from a cacti/succulent forum re the difference between Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus, and its ability to change colors from white to yellow!

CactiGuide.com • View topic - Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti

[MattWoelfsen]

Thank you Wild Orchid for linking that article. I now know I have a Thanksgiving Cactus. My two plants are in bud setting and will probably open up by Thanksgiving, if not a week sooner. I did have a Christmas Cactus but it died when I inadvertently forgot to bring it in from the porch. Now that I know the difference, I'm going to look for a Christmas Cactus.

[Wild Orchid]

Originally Posted by MattWoelfsen

Thank you Wild Orchid for linking that article. I now know I have a Thanksgiving Cactus. My two plants are in bud setting and will probably open up by Thanksgiving, if not a week sooner. I did have a Christmas Cactus but it died when I inadvertently forgot to bring it in from the porch. Now that I know the difference, I'm going to look for a Christmas Cactus.

Love to share!

[Skycat]

Last time we went to visit my sister at her college, she showed me her dorm room and I noticed that her roommate has a Christmas cactus. First time I've ever seen one in person. So I was pretty excited about that.

[Paul]

While they can indeed take lower light, I am surprised office lighting was good enough. Over the years, I've never had any that would bloom with only that type of lighting.

WR, with regards to catt levels, it does depend on the plant as well as what one considers "catt level" lighting. [As with so many things, there is no hard dividing line. I have catts that can sit and bake all summer in unobstructed sun on my balcony. (SW exposure, direct sun 8am-2pm.) But I have many other catts that would be "crispy critters" under such conditions and instead desire considerably less intensity.] As with catts, I suggest letting the foliage be the guide. Medium to light green for Schlums seems to be ideal -- at least for the summer months.

[NYCorchidman]

The article is rather confusing.
I can see the difference in the shape of flowers. That point is clear.

The comparison of how Christmas cactus hangs down while Thanksgiving cactus stays erect is really terrible because one picture is a large specimen and the other is very young plant.

They are both erect when young and over the years as they grow out longer and branches out, they all arch over and hang down with its own weight.

By the way, both of these are now just sold as "Holiday cactus" but accordingly to the flower shape, I guess all mine are Thanksgiving cactus.

but what's strange is that while some of mine look like the asymmetrical flowers in the article, which I'm not terrible fond of, but my bright fuschia (I prefer electric pink) colored ones look like something in between Christmas and Thanksgiving, which I really like.

---------- Post added at 11:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:02 AM ----------

I believe higher light bring out the better flowering just like orchids or other flowering plants that thrive in bright condition.

Sonya- Four of mine bought at TJ are in 4 in pots, and they are about the size of yours, two or three segments. These are loaded with buds, 2 to 6 on each end! Some of them have many "joints" (those green segments of the plants) coming out of the older segments and I'm not sure if that's fertilizer or hybrid vigor. hmmm