Christmas Cactus and Kalanchoe

(above picture from Paul Parent Garden Club)

Hello again,

Good gardening friend Paul Parent of the Paul Parent Garden Club (http://www.paulparent.com/) sends out a great newsletter every week with pertinent gardening topics. I encourage you to go to his website (www.paulparent.com) to sign up for his newsletter. Paul can also be heard every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 10 AM at his website or at WBACH (104.7 FM) every Sunday morning from 6 AM to 9 AM.

Here is some of what Paul had to say this past week:

The Beauty of Christmas Cactus

While the poinsettia remains the most popular of the holiday plants, a healthy Christmas cactus in full bloom is a great gift idea for that special gardener. It is easy to care for and can be grown indoors throughout the year. The flowers range in color from yellow, orange, red, salmon, pink, fuchsia and white to combinations of those colors. Its pendulous stems make it a great choice for hanging baskets.

The "Christmas cactus" is a closely related species of forest cacti that grow as epiphytes between 3,000 and 5,000 feet above sea level in the Organ Mountains north of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil, South America. Epiphytes need structural support from the trees where they live to survive, not nutrition, since they make their own food. Similar plants are orchids, ferns and mosses. That is why their slender stems weep over, filling your pot.

We typically think of cacti as being heat tolerant, but Christmas cactuses will keep their blossoms longer in cooler temperatures, 55 or cooler. It is important to keep plants in a well-lit location away from drafts of heater vents, fireplaces or other sources of hot air. Drafts and temperature extremes can cause the flower buds to drop from the plant before they have a chance to open. Over-watering turns the stems purple.

So, if you have a plant without flowers put it in the basement window for about a month and the flowers will soon appear. Christmas cactus, if put outside for the summer, will set flowers for you. As the weather changes in September the cactus will set flower buds all by itself. Cool temperatures, around 55 degrees F., are the trigger, along with short days. If it is in a room that the lights stay on until the 11:00 o’clock news, that could also inhibit flowering. The day never gets short enough to change from vegetative growth to flower bud production. Move it to a north-facing window.

The Christmas cactus is a tropical-type plant, not quite as drought tolerant as its desert relatives and, in fact, may drop flower buds if the soil gets too dry. Water thoroughly when the top inch or so of soil feels dry to the touch. The soil, should be kept evenly moist for best growth. I water about every 2 weeks.

Christmas cactuses will do best in bright indirect light. They do not need to be fertilized while in bloom, but most gardeners enjoy the challenge of keeping the plant after the holidays for re-bloom the following year. When they finish flowering, fertilize every 2 weeks with Miracle-Gro fertilizer, while the plants are actively growing. If taken care of properly, a single plant can last for many years, providing many seasons of enjoyment. If you repeat the cold process in the basement or cool room, it will flower again in February.

Kalanchoe

Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana) is a naturally blooming succulent that offers up an array of blooms in many festive colors. Kalanchoe [kal-an-KO-ee or kal-LAN-cho] is a perky little plant that is easy to care for. Whether planted in a decorative basket or grouped together in a basket on the kitchen windowsill, kalanchoes will not disappoint you. In Florida, they are also called "Palm Beach Bells."

Kalanchoes, become increasingly popular as a gift plant, feature dark-green succulent leaves topped by masses of miniature, brightly colored blossoms in shades of red, orange, yellow, or salmon-pink. In their native Madagascar, the plants bloom only during the spring months, but with a little attention, they can produce blooms in any season. Bright light all year, and warmth during the summer, cooler during the winter.

Kalanchoes are similar to poinsettias and chrysanthemums, which initiate their flowering in response to short days. Growers pull opaque shade fabric over their plants for 14 hours each night until the plants initiate flower buds. You can accomplish the same thing by placing a box over your plant for the same "short day" period. I put them in the basement window like the Christmas cactus and they will bloom again. Normal flowering time is 6 to 8 weeks if kept cool.

Kalanchoes prefer to be watered deeply, but like to dry out between waterings. Keep moist in the spring to fall, and almost dry during the winter. Feel the soil with your finger and if it is moist leave it alone.

If leaves start to yellow, you are overwatering. If they look like they are shriveling up, your plant might be dehydrated and in need of water. If this happens, remove spent foliage and water thoroughly. Kalanchoes look best when fed every two weeks with a water-soluble plant food, like Miracle-Gro or Neptune Harvest.

Mike Skillin

Skillin's Greenhouses

November 30, 2009

Think spring – even now!

Hello again,

I found this following article in the Worcester MA Telegram Gazette and I think it contains some nice gardening advice for this time of year in Skillin's Country. The writer is Paul Rogers and here goes!:

The New England winter season is long and bleak. Spring is brief and busy. Do we gardeners have the means to brighten the one and extend the other?

Indeed, we do. The key is to start spring activities now. How do we realistically accomplish this enviable goal? With a full understanding that the days begin to lengthen in 35 days, we spend as much time as possible preparing for spring.

Start out by cleaning up all trash and debris from your gardens every day that you can be outdoors. Sanitizing the garden clears the slate and removes untold numbers of potential weeds and pests from the property.

Spread a 2- to 4-inch layer of compost over the vegetable and annual flower gardens. A dusting of ground limestone on everything from boundary line to boundary line would not be amiss.

Dig in the lime and compost in all bare soil areas. Leave the soil rough. You will be exposing grubs, beetle larvae, and other soil pests to voracious birds and other predators. The soil insects will also be exposed to killing cold temperatures.

By leaving the surface unraked, rain and melting snow will penetrate freely into the soil rather than eroding away. In addition, the soil surface will warm and dry quickly in the spring and allow earlier planting than usual.

Perennial beds and lawns will accept a 1- to 2-inch application of compost that will improve nutrient levels and soil structure, which will accelerate green-up in the spring.

Woody plants — trees, shrubs, hedges and vines — that were installed this year will benefit from a layer of compost placed under the pine bark mulch that surrounds these plants. If you planted roses or fruit trees, you have an added task for the former and two jobs for the latter. To deter rodents and rabbits from feeding on the nutritious stems of the rose or fruit trees, spread Milorganite, an organic fertilizer. The odor of Milorganite often keeps animals, including deer, from dining on the plants.

As to the fruit trees, their stems are susceptible to bark damage (sunscald and bark splitting) from the warming sun of February. From the ground up to the first or second tier of branches, the stem should be spiral wrapped using Tree-Wrap — a Kraft paper available in rolls. Apply it now and remove it in March. It is the best and cheapest insurance that you can use to prevent thin-barked trees from winter injury.

Make sure that your windowsills and plant shelves are well stocked with foliage and flowering plants. From indoors, when you are looking at a snow-covered landscape, it helps the view if the outdoor snow is framed by indoor flowers.

Kalanchoes offer long-lasting red, orange or yellow flowers above dark-green firm foliage. Holiday cacti are showing color right now. Pay a visit to your local plant place to augment your winter garden with attractive plants. Harvest or purchase stems of berried shrubs, branches of colored or contorted shrubs and use them in arrangements. Purchase an amaryllis bulb, some paper white narcissus, or a bouquet of cut flowers. Make your days brighter.