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| At work someone left a thank you plant for everyone to enjoy(Hatiora hybrid "Louise"). The poor thing is so root bound and it looks like it's on it's last leg. It just got done flowering (really pretty red flowers) a couple weeks ago. I really wanted to take it home. If it's still there when I go back on Thursday I think I'm going to. Hopefully it won't be too late. Anyways, I took some cuttings and am trying to get them rooted. Any tips? I'm excited to see it grow.
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Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by stonesriver 6B Tennessee (My Page) on Sun, Apr 8, 12 at 20:12
| That isn't scale on the segments to the right, is it? Linda |
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- Posted by JessieC777 Washington State 5 (My Page) on Mon, Apr 9, 12 at 1:04
| Wow, didn't even notice that Linda! I took a flashlight and picked at the brownish white spot in the top right hand corner. I even took a q-tip with alcohol. I don't think it is, seems to be more some sort of a scar. I have never seen scale though. Google isn't helping much either....all of the pictures are up close. How can you tell if it is or not? |
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- Posted by stonesriver 6B Tennessee (My Page) on Mon, Apr 9, 12 at 1:26
| Hi, Jessie: The Q-Tip with alcohol kills them but I've always had to scrape to get them off. Trust me, if it's scale, when you scrape you'll know. Hoping I'm wrong, Linda |
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- Posted by JessieC777 Washington State 5 (My Page) on Mon, Apr 9, 12 at 11:47
| No scale then! It was more like a scar. Whew! Thanks for your good eyes and help :-) |
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- Posted by hopefulauthor z5IL (hopefulauthor@sbcglobal.net) on Mon, Apr 9, 12 at 13:41
| Linda, you do have good eyes. I looked at Jessie's plant a minute or two and didn't see the brown spots. Jessie, Scale can be scraped off, scars can't. Thankfully, the spots are just scars. Otherwise, the EC looks very green and healthy. As for rooting...do your cuttings have roots I've rooted Easter/Thanksgiving Cactus by inserting the end of a leaf in soil w/mom, in opened terrariums, or on the side of an all-together different plant. I prefer using two segments opposed to one, but please do as you feel will work. While leaves are in soil, they're occassionally misted. Those inserted in soil with non-related plants get watered when the main plant does..Seems a little neglect works better. At least that's how it work in my case. Soil should be semi-moist in summer, dry in winter. Never sopping wet. Before seperating, 'when roots are established,' carefully remove and place in a small, semi=shallow container. Plastic is best. When plant is mature, it can be repotted in a permanent container. Good luck, Toni |
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- Posted by JessieC777 Washington State 5 (My Page) on Mon, Apr 9, 12 at 18:19
| No roots yet on the cuttings. I just got them Friday. I dipped them in root tone and then inserted halfway up the first segment in dry soil. I have been misting them almost daily, probably too much lol I have a Thanksgiving cactus that is doing wonderfully. I have heard that Easter cactus' are more finicky. Thanks for the info Toni :-) |
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- Posted by hopefulauthor z5IL (hopefulauthor@sbcglobal.net) on Tue, Apr 10, 12 at 15:07
| Jessie, hope the Easter Cactus is still there, Thurs. :) Oh, you just got cuttings Fri..that would be speedy germination, lol. Sorry about that. BTW, what type of light are your cuttings getting? I added a very tiny portion, (1/8th recommended dossage) of organic fertilizer and Superthrive.. I too heard EC are more finicky...Toni |
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- Posted by JessieC777 Washington State 5 (My Page) on Wed, Apr 11, 12 at 0:07
| I hope it's still there too! I'm just trying to figure out how to sneak it out lol One of my coworkers kept telling me to take it home and split it up into a plant for me, one for her and bring one back to work. The cuttings sit about a foot under a south facing window for roughly 12 hours a day. They get pretty good indirect sun light. We're finally getting some warm weather! It was 70 yesterday and today. It's been a long winter.... On another note I was inspecting my TC this morning and noticed some roots growing in between segments. Makes me want to cut them and stick them in the soil :-) |
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- Posted by stonesriver 6B Tennessee (My Page) on Wed, Apr 11, 12 at 0:51
| Jessie and Toni: I haven't found Easter/Spring Cactus to be finicky. I treat them just like I do my Thanksgiving Cactus (one, by the way, is blooming now...go figure): Set them outside underneath my other foliage plants; bag them for two days with a No-Pest-Strip when I bring them in in October and set them in an Eastern window with overhang. I water them when they're dry and they're in regular cactus soil mixed with perlite. They root easily. When I knock a segment off I just throw it back into whichever pot is nearest; which is why I have a mix of Thanksgiving and Easter Cactus in a couple of pots and one I just removed from a streptocarpus. I've had mine for nearly four years with no problems. But, it could be dumb luck. ;-) Linda |
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- Posted by JessieC777 Washington State 5 (My Page) on Thu, Apr 12, 12 at 16:19
| Good to know Linda! I will do the same as for my TC :-) I decided to gently "dig" up a couple segments this morning and found the start of roots! |
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- Posted by pirate_girl Zone7 NYC (My Page) on Fri, Apr 13, 12 at 9:44
| Jessie, Why would you dig it out like that? As we often say around here at the C&S forum: the surest indicator that something has rooted is the appearance of new growth. IMO, doing this can interrupt the rooting process & break some tiny little roots we've worked to establish. |
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| Not to be adversarial as I'm not the expert of the gardening world, but I have done that once or twice, carefully put it back and it's been growing just fine. It's a good rule, but if you do break it it shouldn't be the end of the world. It's a rookie mistake I think all of us have been tempted to commit or have committed. :) |
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- Posted by JessieC777 Washington State 5 (My Page) on Fri, Apr 13, 12 at 17:24
| PG, This one and the other I "dug" up looked like rot was starting to set in from above the dirt. I wanted to inspect the segments. I guess I should have mentioned that. I must admit though, I was just a tad but curious anyhow ;-) |
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| I looked for one today- could not find any anywhere! I was and still am very disappointed. I really want one. Congrats to those that do have one.. :) |
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- Posted by JessieC777 Washington State 5 (My Page) on Wed, May 2, 12 at 10:58
| Just a little update....a couple segments have some new growth on them! All of the segments seem kind of floppy and wilted. I do not see any rot though. I mist them in the morning....anything else I should be doing?
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