As we embrace the much-needed rain events of the past week, offering relief to our parched landscapes, gardening enthusiasts are turning attention to fall vegetables thriving in the moderate daytime temperatures. While the vegetable gardens flourish, some gardeners face challenges such as snails and slugs targeting favorites like pak choi, tatsoi, Swiss chard, spinach, and Chinese mustard. The solution? Slug bait, a defender against these garden pests.
As cooler weather prevails, gardeners also find themselves tending to their holiday plant collections, especially the Thanksgiving cactus. With limited space in greenhouses during the cooler months, gardening enthusiasts are always on the lookout for unique plants to add to their collections. Thanksgiving cacti, available at various grocery stores and garden centers, are popular choices known for their vibrant blooms and relatively straightforward care.
Thanksgiving cacti, unlike their spiny succulent counterparts, belong to the epiphyte family, originating from treetops in tropical rainforests. With flat, wide leaves featuring serrated edges, these cacti produce stunning blooms in hues of orange, red, purple, pink, and white. Three main varieties fall under the category of holiday cacti: Thanksgiving (Schlumbergera truncata), Christmas (Schlumbergera bridgesii), and Easter (Rhipsalidopsis gaetneri). While similar in appearance, they differ in leaf and flower structure.
When purchasing Thanksgiving cacti, it’s crucial to inspect potential additions, ensuring that the plant’s flower buds are well-developed, with a mix of open and unopened buds for an extended blooming period. The plants require moist soil but are intolerant of over-saturation. Bright morning sunlight is ideal, with caution against direct afternoon sunlight. Humidity supports their thriving, reflecting their natural rainforest habitat where they absorb moisture and bask in sunlight.
Proper care involves pruning during the summer to prepare for the September blooming period, requiring 12 hours of darkness daily. Propagation involves planting stems with attached leaves, allowing them to callus before planting, with a plastic tent to maintain humidity during root development. While it may take a few years for the Thanksgiving cactus to bloom, careful attention and adherence to these guidelines can yield rewarding results.
As we nurture our gardens, let’s continue to cultivate a greener, more sustainable world—one plant at a time.
