Hi Toni, I fertilize all my plants at 1/4 to 1/2 strength all year and that includes my Thanksgiving Cactus. 1/4 strength in the winter when its not growing as much.

I use Foliage Pro (Dyna-gro) most of time and have also used an all purpose fertilizer like Miracle Grow. I've had great results doing it this way for several years now.

Hi Toni!

I do exactly what Pug does:-)

Mike

Hi Toni,
Okay..this is what I do(Im' going to atart my time line around spring.). I put them all under a large maple tree in my back yard. I put them there because it is just enough light to keep them growing but not enough to burn the sensitive leaves.

Now I feed them FP and honestly, I give them whatever I have on hand. I have found that alternating between general purpose ferts works best.

Once they come indoors, I put them into a cool basment where the temps are consistently in the 50's and 60's. I keep all of them on a ledge in front of block glass window. I also think that the temps in front of that window are cooler.

All I can say Toni is that I can keep my holiday cacti blooming almost non stop from the day they started flowering.

If you have anymore questions, please email me Tomi! I am so tired and after taking my pain meds, I feel like I am "sleep typing"! LOL!

Take care,
Andrew

HEY Nancy!!! Surprised see you..thought you'd be busy preparing for Thanksgiving :)

Location confuses me. Since you're living in a fantastic part of US, great climate, 'sunny, etc' I wonder if fertilizing plants throughout the year, opposed to living in cold, dry, GREY climates, make a difference.
Do you understand where I'm coming from??

Dyna Gro..Is DG a fertilizer or stimulent growth hormone or some such thing?
I read the label several years ago. I don't remember if it said to use w/o other fertilizers or hormone stimulaters. Like Superthrive.

Mike, how long do flowers last on your TC?

Andrew!!! How are you feeling? Did you see the doctor? If so, what did he say? Stay off your feet?
I wanted to ask if any stitches broke..hope not. God, that would be a pain, especially so soon after your surgery.

Don't go running around, fertilizing plants, lol. Or even Walmart.

Andrew, what is FP? I've seen it mentioned before. Flower Power, Foliage Plant Food, Feeling Poor? lol..Seriously, what does FP stand for?

Does your block window prevent sun rays? If any to begin with? lol. Which direction?

Sleep Typing..been there, done that, lol.
When I see,
Andrew, 'Hello all, how are 'snore snore,' you'all doin'?"
Snore, Zzzz. "what was I saying?" 'Zzzz.' "Hello All," Zzz, we will know you're quite tired and in dreamland. lol

So you don't fertilize your TC's when they're budding/flowering? Toni

Hi Toni,

Well I only have one now & I hasn't ever bloomed for me (just got it last year). I stop fertilizing when it starts to bud, let it bloom & then after the flowers drop, I withhold water for 3-4 weeks, usually resuming when I see new growth start back up (that includes fertilizer too). The suggested rest period is AFTER blooming, not before (I think of it as recovering after the tremendous effort it made in blooming).

Hi Toni,
I want you to know that it warms my heart to have you ask if I called my neurosurgeon. I did call my neurosurgeon yesterday morning. The neurosurgeon's nurse told me to keep an eye on the swelling. I cannot for the life of me remember the name of the condition I have. Basically it is a build up of access fluids underneath the incision. I was told that the fluids would drain on there own, and also my body absorbed will absorb the rest.

Since I have no fever now and the swelling has gone done significantly, there was no concern at this point.

Toni, to make you feel better, the swelling has been reduced by more than half all ready!! I am relieved(to say the least) that I don't have to be treated for this condition!

I am pretty sore today but again, I know I over did it. Before my surgery, I had put a bunch of my plants in the basement. One of them was my Keylime. The morning I went to Buffalo, I brought up the plants that I knew needed to come up, but stupid me, I forgot to bring up my Key lime! After surgery I was told that I couldn't go up or down ANY stairs for at least 2 weeks.

Today was my first shot at getting my Key lime, even though I knew I wasn't supposed to use the stairs. I am sure this probobly made my back hurt. I was VERY concerned that my keylime was dead but to my surprise, not only was it alive, but it was budded up and blooming.

The only light that comes into my basement is from the plate glass window. Now I do get light but it isn't good enough quality for growing my tropicals.

Well Toni I hope I answered most of your questions. If I Didn't, let me know and I will try again tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving and take care,
Andrew

Andrew, did the doc call your medical condition, Edema?

Wow, you went to the top, lol.

Andrew, you're doing way too much work, shame on you! :)

Hope that citrus wasn't the one I'm thinking about..

Oh, were you perscribed antibiotics?

Take it easy, the swelling should go down. If it continues, you may need to see your doc so they can drain the fluid. After draining, it should be dianosed, but that's up to your doctor.

Try not to add new plants until you're all healed. hugs, Toni

Andrew, the swelling you mentioned sounds like a seroma, which is an accumulation of serous fluid in/under an incision. Usually will resolve on it's own, sometimes will have to be drained. Just keep your neuro updated on the swelling and watch for a fever. Hope you feel better soon, give yourself time to heal up.

I don't have anything to contribute to the questions about holiday cactus. I bought one recently but haven't had any experience trying to grow them.
Tami

Hi guys,
Luvi,
Your 100% right. That is EXACTLY what I was told but this was by the nurse over the phone. I go tomorrow for the 1st follow up after my surgery which will have been 2 weeks tomorrow. I honestly think it iws inflammation because it seem to only happen after exerting myself.

Okay now for my holiday cactus follow up. All of mine except 1 has bloomed and finnished blooming. They all have new growth on them all ready. Now what I did was to feed them foliage pro fert, and then they go back to the cool basement in front of the block glass window. They have been there for about 2 weeks all ready and the largest one has new growth hardening off all ready. Now usually within about 2 weeks they will bud up again and bloom.

I have been doing this for years. I got this info from a large greenhouse/flower shop in Erie PA. All of my holiday cacti are nice and healthy. In fact, I have 2 that need repotting. One my nice yellow, has been repotted all ready, the other I have had for about 3 years now, I got in a 4 inch pot, and now it is in a 6 inch pot. It has been in that pot for about 2 years. Now it will go up to an 8 in. pot. I knew it was time when I watered it and the water was sitting on top of the soil. Also, when I stuck a wooden stick in and hit nothing but roots. I couldn't even hit the bottom of the pot!

Now this spring, it will go outdoors when all chances of a frost are gone. It will go under a large maple tree where it will get bright indirect sun. I will keep it there right up until temps dip into the 40's and then it will bud up. I then bring them in and feed and ENJOY!

Take care everyone,
Andrew

Toni, I keep my Christmas Cactus (one red, one white) outside in the shade until it gets too cold. I brought them indoors yesterday because we had a cold front. I fertilize every now and then if I think about it, and usually use fish emulsion, but did give them a shot of a bloom fertilizer a couple of months ago. It was also organic. Both are loaded with buds, and need to be repotted after they've finished blooming. They'll stay indoors until they are finished blooming, then will go outside when it is warm enough.

I've had these two for several years and they're really easy to keep and get to bloom.

yes me too.

Hey Andrew!!! How's it going? Feeling any better? Did the swelling go down?
Hope you're following doctors orders... :)
I know it's hard to do, especially when we have plants and pets to care for.

Funny, you said you ferilize when flowers fade. Doesn't Holiday Cactus go dormant after the last flowers' demise?

Also, doesn't your Thanksgiving/Christmas Cactus ever rebloom soon after the first flush?

There are times my TC blooms fade, then more pop up. Sometimes in July, lol.

Since you're TC's bloom, your way works too.
I never cared for placing a black cloth on a TC, everyday, the exact same minute, to force blooms..Keeping out until first frost is much easier.

On the other hand, I'd like to try growing Yellow TC on the warm side, next autumn, to see if the flowers is/are truly yellow.

Hamel..I care for Holiday Cactus exactly as you..lol. They're outside till first frost, brought indoors in a cool room/bright spot. Usualy, most are in bud when they're brought indoors.

After the last flower dies, they get water when soil is completely dry, and withhold fertilizer till spring.

Your idea feeding w/FE, then flowering is a good idea. All my succulents and Epis are fertilized w/FE. Something I've been doing for years. Since many succulents are slow-growers, they only get two feedings per year...
Holiday Cactus should get fed more than twice though.

What brand of bloom booster is organic? Toni