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Wait for Christmas cactus to finish bloom before repotting
Q: I just bought two Christmas cactus plants that are blooming nicely. They are both in 4-inch plastic pots. I would like to combine them and pot them into a ceramic pot. Would it be detrimental to repot them while they are blooming so profusely, or should I wait until the blossoms fall off? 鈥� M.T., sa国际传媒官网网页入口
A: I truly believe that it鈥檇 be best for your plants to wait until the blooming is complete before repotting.
I will suggest that you could place both of the 4-inch pots into the new ceramic pot as is. You could run a wide ribbon around the lip of the pot to disguise it through the holiday season until they are done with the bloom.
The reasoning is, that a lot of times when plants that have their roots disturbed while in bloom, the plant gets nervous so to speak and tends to concentrate on itself and will sometimes effectively shut down trying to keep a bevy of flowers intact. Its aim is to survive and get used to the new surroundings.
I do want to ask if the ceramic pot you plan on growing them in drains. If not, please search out a different pot, one that drains. Once the bloom is complete, then do the repotting.
Also, I鈥檇 add a smidgen of clean sand to mix into the potting soil you choose to use. You can find a small bag of clean sand, sometimes called horticultural sand, in any well stocked nursery or garden center. Remember to place a shallow layer of potsherds at the bottom of the pot before filling and planting the babies. A paper coffee filter works great too.
I鈥檇 wait, enjoy the blooms to their fullest and later, next year, do the transplanting. Enjoy!
Q: What should I get, present-wise, for a coworker that just bought her first house where she鈥檒l be able to garden and is looking forward to doing so? 鈥� N.P., sa国际传媒官网网页入口
A: I鈥檒l suggest a basket where you could snug a nice pair of garden gloves, a hand trowel, maybe several packets of seeds, a roll of stretchy green 鈥渢ie things up twine,鈥� a selection of plastic plant markers and a permanent marker.
With those few things, she鈥檇 be well on her way to enjoying her coming gardening experiences. For a terrific reference book, I would certainly recommend Sunset magazine鈥檚 鈥淲estern Garden Book.鈥� With this book in hand, she鈥檇 be able to look up plants to see if what she鈥檚 looking at would work in her world. It鈥檚 the best.
Another good read is 鈥淒own To Earth: A Gardener鈥檚 Guide to the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Area鈥� written by the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Area Extension Master Gardeners. It is chock-full of info. You can find that book at the garden shop at the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 Garden Center on Lomas Boulevard.
For fun things, a waltz through any one of our nurseries will offer you choices galore. You might find just the right wind-sock, statue or wind chime that she could display in her world and think of you fondly for years to come.
You don鈥檛 have to break the bank to come up with things that your co-worker would be able to use, and whatever you choose, she鈥檒l enjoy it.
Q: We鈥檙e new to sa国际传媒官网网页入口 and we want to get a cut tree to decorate with for the holidays, but are wondering what do we do with it after the holidays? 鈥� M.C., sa国际传媒官网网页入口
A: Welcome and rest assured that you鈥檙e covered when it comes to treecycling.
The city has collection spots that you鈥檒l be able to take the tree so that it will be treecycled. Rest assured there is an ethical safe way to dispose of the tree. So go shopping for that perfect tree, decorate to your heart鈥檚 content, and enjoy the scent of having a real tree in the house. The first treecycling date is Dec. 26, and I鈥檒l have more information as the season progresses.
Meanwhile, Happy Holidays while you鈥檙e out there 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.
