Schlumbergera - Christmas cactus

In stock

Only 57 left

$7.95

Everyone's granny seemed to have one of these that she'd nurtured through the years - and then they disappeared from sale. We're on a mission to bring them back into fashion so future generations can inherit these plants.

They're super-easy to grow if you give them a winter rest; and long-lived - large-size specimens of several years are a fountain of vibrant blooms. These are a mix - most are hot pink, some are coral pink, some are white.

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Description

Schlumbergera truncata - Christmas cactus, zygocactus

APPEARANCE : A fountain-shaped clump of arching stems, made up of individual oval leaves joined in a chain. At the tips of each stem shiny buds appear that unfurl into curled ribbon-like flowers. Not actually cactuses, more like succulents.
USE FOR : Indoor and patio plants, hanging baskets, tall pots. Can be secured into trees in tropical gardens and grown like bromeliads or birds nest ferns, which is how they grow in the wild.
CLIMATE : Frost tender, needs to be kept over 10C. Drought tolerant.
PLANTING : Plant in gritty free draining compost mix or very free draining soil. Place them somewhere with good light but out of direct sun.
CARE : Grow them as you would ferns or bromeliads. These plants like a dormant period after flowering where they have cooler temperatures (below 18C) and less water; when temperatures increase, increase the watering and start to feed, as the plant grows. Water when the soil becomes dry, and a little more frequently during hot weather. You'll see the leaves start to wrinkle if the plant is dry or too hot. They don't like soggy soil but they do like a mist over their leaves. Feed with liquid fertiliser for best results.
HEIGHT & WIDTH: 40 cm H x 40 cm W. May grow up to 2 metres across (send us a photo if it does!)
YOUR PLANTS : These are tubestock plants, healthy young plants with new roots that will establish quickly in your garden. The pot size is 80mm high and 42 mm wide.
You can see an example in the image gallery.
What is tubestock?

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