365Caws is now in its 14th year of publication, and was originally intended to end after 365 days. It has sometimes been difficult for me to find new material, particularly during the winter months, but now as I enter my own twilight years, I cannot guarantee that I will be able to provide daily posts. It is my hope that along the way I may have inspired someone to a greater curiosity about the natural world. If so, I can rest, content in the knowledge that my work here has been done.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Low Maintenance, Huge Rewards
Day 31: Although my potted-plant collection holds some rather exotic species (Sarracenia and several rare varieties of Hoya specifically), the good old Zygocactus is one of my favorites. It gives amazing rewards in exchange for casual care, and several of my plants have been with me for over thirty years. I keep them pruned to fit pots four to siz inches in diameter, taking slips as the parent stem becomes rough and woody. As these so-called "Christmas cacti" readjust from the conditions which force them to bloom during December, their flowering period transitions to early or mid-November at this latitude, dependent on hours of exposure to sun. My plants are happiest in the cooler back bedroom where they have a southerly exposure and are set back a foot or so from the window occupying a dedicated shelf. When flowering begins, I transfer the pots to the living room where they can be admired.
Labels:
houseplants,
picotee,
Zygocactus
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