But it had to be done, as the last re-potting was years ago and without the benefit of my current mix.
So I put together a batch of Fir bark, Perlite, and a very small fraction of Fox Farms Ocean Forest soil
to bind the other ingredients and retain moisture. I added a half-dose of Osmocote 4-month slow-release.

Then the real chore of untangling roots and blasting the old soil out of the substantial rootball.
I know that Pirate Girl (Karen) has been asking for a shot of these roots ever since I began posting
pics of this 33 year-old Christmas Cactus. Anyhow, here they are :-)

A month ago, before taking cuttings for my Aunt:

And today, a shot of the Root-beard, about two-thirds bare-rooted:

Re-potted and watered in thoroughly. And I only broke one piece! :-D

Josh

If she flowers, she flowers...although I won't be disappointed if there are fewer buds
than usual, given the root-disturbance this late in the year ;-)

These plants do love to be pruned, which I do to alleviate some of the weight of the limbs -
and also encourage upright growth and structural branching.

Josh

I love this plant as you well know and I love how you did your repot. Did you cut the root back at all, or think about it?

I just love what the mix looks like! What made you decide to use the Fox Farms instead of peat or turface or pumice?

Thank you so much for showing us and that plant will do wonderful for sure!

Talk to you soon:-)

Hello Linda:-)

Amazing roots. Did you prune them as well?

Inna

Mike, great question! I'm out of Turface, and I've never had any peat moss -
and I didn't want to waste what little Lava rock I have left on such a large
volume of mix (in other words, a mix where it can't be seen and enjoyed!).
I will re-pot within 2 years, so I think the bagged potting soil will be fine -
also, I used much less than would be used in a traditional 5-1-1 mix, and I screened
the fine dust from the bark and perlite, which ought to balance the moisture out.

I was most impressed with the roots. We're so used to hearing/parroting the comment
that these plants have fine or paltry root-systems, that I was excited to share what I knew
was waiting in that old soil. Big healthy plant, big healthy root-system.

Josh

A 33-yr-old, actual Christmas Cactus!

I agree, it's roots are large and healthy. A ton of pretty foliage, too.

What size was its current pot and now new container? What about flower color?

Josh, don't know your area temps, but if you keep it outside for a time, perhaps disturbing roots won't matter, hopefully bloom anyway.

You're lucky...a true CC..Toni

This is the same CC that I've posted many times before :-)
Classic colored blooms.

The container is a large terracotta pot, and I put it right back in the same container.
Give me a moment, I'll measure....okay, the pot is 11 inches tall and 12 inches wide at the top.

I brought the plant in last night since the mix was wet and the temps dropped to 42F.
I will take it back out and let the cooling temps and the longer night stimulate budding.

The plant perked up considerably over night.

Josh

May I ask what size orchid bark do you use? I've been using a mix with fine grade orchid bark as the primary ingredient to root TC/CC cuttings and grow the young plants. Come Spring I'm going to be potting up and I'm considering medium grade orchid bark as opposed to fine. Do you think that's a good plan or would you recommend that I stick with the fine grade bark?

Thanks,
Tim

It's grown quite a bit since.

Sorry, don't know what classic colored blooms are.

12" pot..think it's time to repot my guys. They've been in the same 4" pots, well a long time..The reason isn't laziness..I'm afraid to repot..after reading tight-fitting roots promote flowers, I'm now Schlum-phobic. :(

Tim, I know you addresed your post to Josh, but where do you find larger-sized Orchid bark? Up until 6-months ago, Orchid bark was sold everywhere. Now, all stores sell an ORchid mix w/tiny pieces.

Wonder if bark for outdoors can be used in place of Orchid bark....Toni

I use fine-grade Orchid bark, and I screen out the finest bark dust so that the final mix
doesn't retain too much moisture. I would stick with fine-grade, as the pieces are still fairly
large to my eye - averaging around 3/8 to 5/8 of an inch. If the container were very large,
then I might consider a more chunky bark...and I'd just water more frequently to keep the roots
in the upper layer happy. In a small container, I like the smaller bark for moisture retention.

Josh

The fine grade bark I have is in the 1/4-1/2 inch range. I've finally been able to secure a bag of appropriately sized pumice (a bit of a challenge here in NJ) - my plants are going to be happy come Spring repotting ;)

Toni - I'm fortunate enough to work within a mile of Stony Brook Orchids (http://www.stonybrookorchids.com/default.php). The owner (Susan Gange) was kind enough to show me through the greenhouse and sell me the fir bark I needed.

-Tim

MY GOODNESS JOSH!!!

What a beauty!!!

I can't wait to see this awesome Christmas Cactus in bloom...it looks so healthy right now and i will say how impressive the root ball is in the pic.

SOmetimes we have to repot when neccessary and it is the right thing to do. Your CC looks like it is one happy plant!!

Nice Job!!!

As always... : )

Nice to see you and others here!!

Hope all is well out in lovely CA!!

Take Care,

Laura

My only choice finding bark is either ordering online, 'which will be costly,' or buy bark for outdoor gardening.

Any suggestions?

Tim, yes, you are lucky living near a nursery that sells bark. I'll check out their prices. Thanks.

Laura!!! Haven't seen you for, months?? How are you? Hope all is well.
Are your Plumes ready for dormancy yet, or still green, flowering and beautiful? Toni

Laura,
thanks for so much for stopping in! Good to see you. The weather in California
has finally cooled a bit and smells like autumn. 75F today with blue skies
and a light breeze.

Toni,
bark sold for orchids comes in different sizes - fine, medium, and large (that I've seen).
The fine-grade can be screened to remove the largest pieces and the fine dust. The
remaining bark is excellent for jungle cacti, orchids, hoyas, et cetera.

E.B. Stone, a well-known company, offers many soils and soil amendments. They offer
"Orchid Bark" (which is Fir bark) in various quantities - but it is expensive in small lots.
One of their other products is an outdoor mulch called Greenall Micro Bark. This is the
same Fir bark that they sell in smaller bags as "Orchid Bark." The difference is that the
Micro Bark costs much less and comes in a larger bag.

Here's a pic of the blooms from January 30th of this year, fairly late into the bloom-window.
I've read that three cultivars exist and that their blooms are slightly different, but this is
the only color of bloom that I've seen.

Josh

Josh

Josh

Is there some reason you're going to toss the Mother?

Josh

Josh, I went to several stores looking for bark, but nobody has it.
Guess I'll have to order on Ebay or Amazon.

It's amazing how manufacturers stop shipping items in certain locations. Bark isn't the only product they stopped selling here.

Larry, I cut back to the node, and then the stem usually branches at that point.
Often, I have five or six branchlets emerging from a stem, so I'll thin out two or three
to alleviate the weight at the end of the branch. This helps the plant have a more upright
habit.

Here are some pics of a woody cutting that I rooted to grow as a bonsai specimen -
I prune this plant quite often. When I prune, I leave a stub of the node that I cut,
which will dry up quickly and fall.

Before pruning:

After pruning:

After pruning, closer view:

With judicious trimming, the plant will be strong enough to support its branches.
Once the woody main branches have "set" in position, I will allow the tip-growth to
extend and become pendulous (as most mature plants are).

Josh

Josh

Josh

Thanks for the examples of the pruning into a Bonsai.

Looking good!! ;-)

I also cant believe Toni cant find bark.. that is so frustrating.

Toni.. Thanks for asking about me. I have been around. Had a little grandson which has kept me busy.. Yes, the other treees are being put to bed!! : )

Take care all!!

Josh.. i forgot to mention. Your DR is probably looking great.. Everything you grow does well..

Thanks for the nice comments tho..

Laura

You know how scared I am to make any cuts on my plants, that is until I see what you do and get the confidence. I really appreciate the time you spend here pal.

By the way, I would love it if you got a hnadful of the bark you use and maybe post a close up of it next to lets say a dime, so some can get a better grasp of the size you use and what the bark looks like.
You are wonderful at show and tell and showing the bark you use would surely tell:-)

Beautiful and have a great night all my good friends here.

Thanks again for everything:-)

Mike

If you consider how these plants grow in nature, you'll realize that they are constantly losing
branches to wind, water, and animal activity - and so they tolerate "pruning" very, very well.
Broken segments are probably the plant's primary means of "reproducing" (cloning) itself.

Josh

I took christmas cuttings from my moms plant which is in the starter pot but today is the first time a flower bloomed on easter cactus since I got it on my birthday May 12, 2013 this mothers day, here the flower closed since sun is going down and didnt know they do this NEAT. I was so happy to get one of these, my sister surprised me and got it for me. I have all of these in my cactus room along side desert rose, aloe, Wheeping blue ginger, and a succulent/cacti arrangement I Did. All of them are potted using orchid bark, perlite, very small amounts of soil (logees soil), and only just recently I did the same treatment but started using bonsai soil on the newly potted plants, more orchid bark on top, and top dressed with pebbles. Mix is very fast draining majority only get watered 1x a month but some get 2x a month watering. I keep all my plants on dry side. Its warm here but since this room only gets Morning sun & afternoon sun goes to the back so its reflected light and the plants get used to it.

Josh