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Q: I have read your columns for years, including the ones on Christmas cactus, and enjoy them very much. I must have a 鈥淭hanksgiving cactus鈥� since it seems to bloom in early November, and sometimes (again) in the new year. I have transplanted into larger pots several times. It is currently starting to bloom. The room it lives in is cool, with only indirect lighting that isn鈥檛 separately lighted at night very often. I never had to cover it with a box and probably wouldn鈥檛 go through the effort. I am wondering what type of fertilizer I should add and when? 鈥� J.S., Tijeras

A: I have done some poking around about Christmas cactus because I think the variety available now showing bloom are, if I鈥檓 correct, actually the variety known as crab cactus.

They are a smidgen different looking than the true variety Christmas cactus. The difference being the Christmas cactus segments have a smooth, scalloped edge, and the crab cactus has teeth protuberances along its segment edges, two teeth especially where the next segment grows from the one behind it.

The crab cactus is noted as coming in several color choices of blooms, too. You can find them in salmon, pink, orange and white.

Now going through life being called a 鈥渃rab鈥� would get old quick, and since they seem to bloom, usually in November, I have heard them called Thanksgiving cactus more times than not. The Christmas cactus, if triggered properly, usually blooms at Christmastime.

Also, Christmas cactus blooms are typically a rosy-purplish red color. The Christmas variety doesn鈥檛 seem to offer the myriad of bloom color choices the Thanksgiving cactus does.

All that being said, I think that your cactus is triggered naturally. You say the room it lives in is cool and the light is indirect. With the change of seasons, that indirect light has lessened, the room is cooler and voil脿, the plant has sensed the time to set bloom and show off has arrived. It鈥檚 doing everything so naturally that you should be pleased.

I don鈥檛 know how often you are watering this treasure. I have learned that they come from the jungle in nature, so they are to never dry out. Think of both the Thanksgiving and the Christmas cactus as succulents. Depending on the size of the pot, the warmth of the room and whether or not the air in the home is terrifically dry, you might water every ten days or so. But yours looks good. You can stick your finger in the soil a knuckle deep, at least, and see if the soil is dry. If it is, water. If it鈥檚 soggy, then don鈥檛.

Also know that they prefer a rich, yet porous, soil. The soil they live in best wouldn鈥檛 compact. Any good potting soil, like the brand Happy Frog, with the addition of a bit of clean sand to keep the soil from compacting and continue draining properly, would make a perfect environment for growing. From the picture you sent, I didn鈥檛 notice any calcium or salt build up on the rim of the pot, so that鈥檚 really good. I just don鈥檛 know how often you do water, but the segments look plump, not wrinkly skinny, so that鈥檚 good too.

I did want to ask if you 鈥渢ake the plant for walks?鈥� I suggest a quarter to half turn of the pot every week, so the plant gets equal light. Don鈥檛 move it to a new locale, just get in the habit of turning the pot so the light absorption is more equalized. Seems like most of the blooms are more on one side of this guy than evenly distributed, so get in the habit of 鈥渢aking it for a walk.鈥�

Now for fertilization, once it鈥檚 finished blooming, wait a couple of weeks to fertilize it. Depending on when the plant was repotted you might even wait until spring to feed since the soil might still contain all the nutrients the plant needs. A liquid fertilizer, following manufacturing suggestions, will work. You want to remember to have watered the plant just before fertilizing because you NEVER fertilize dry soil or roots. Miracle-Gro makes a liquid that鈥檚 easy to find and use.

One more suggestion, I wouldn鈥檛 go up in pot size, since the Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus like to keep their roots snuggly. Too much room in the pot for the plant to have to fill with root, usually the above ground plant suffers a bit and this one looks pretty darn good.

Keep enjoying the bloom, get in the habit of taking it 鈥渇or a walk鈥� and it seems that you are on the right path to having it for a long time.

Happy Diggin鈥� In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Digging In, sa国际传媒官网网页入口, 7777 Jefferson St. NE, sa国际传媒官网网页入口, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.