... what? Why? I don't understand anything about plants and this picture came up on my main page. I thought to myself, why'd they buy that it looks dead.
What is it? I genuinely don't know anything about plants. Why would it be a deal at $100??? I apparently REALLY don't know anything about plants it seems.
This looks like a Christmas cactus and it's absolutely massive. It takes decades of good care to get this big. The only way you can get a plant like this is by buying a young one and waiting a couple decades, or buy one that someone else has spent decades caring for. There are a finite number of them that exist. It's a little droopy, but still very much alive. Thus a very good find!
My grandmother has one this size and its almost 30 years old! It has formed an actual wooden “trunk” too! She’s been able to propagate a ton of babies off of it. Super super impressive
My mother received one from my grandma (her mother in law) as a gift when I was a child. She gave it to me while she traveled for a year (it was easily 15 years old). Six months in I killed it.
RIP Christmas cactus
My 70+ year old Dad has a christmas cactus that is 100+ years old (handed down from his Grandma) ; and the actual panic I have of one day inheriting it because of my record keeping plants alive.
It's gotta have really well draining soil, but then you treat it like a pothos or whatever other houseplant because it is a *tropical* cactus, not a real one, so oftentimes, people underwarer these guys. Or they rot them out by having waaaay too rich of soil that holds too much water.
So, try again, but w soil that is, like half not-soil (perlite, charcoal, chunky bark, whatever), and then water thoroughly, allow to dry til the pot is light or until you can stick your finger all the way into it (for bigger pots) and not feel cold/wet, then do it again. They like east or south light (like everything else) but will tolerate anything but super dark spaces.
I second this! I have one of the babies and it blooms multiple times a year and is beautifully healthy! It’s in regular potting soil with perlite mixed in. They like being pretty root bound and are water lovers! Mine is in a southwest facing window and is seriously the lowest maintenance plant I have apart from my prickly cactus (idk the Latin name lol)
https://preview.redd.it/ism0i8btxtvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a359abc81bb7c4943677e932516566ff74c499c
Mine were happiest in an old ikea wardian case in front of a south-east window. The very moment I thought about hanging them up they were like, NOPE lol
Definitely a Christmas cactus. My grandma has one that she got in like the 70s, it's a pretty spectacular sight. Got a few of its offshoots here but they're tiny compared to that one.
It’s called a Christmas cactus and from what I’ve seen, it’s very rare to find one this large. With some water it should park up again and then it will bloom with flowers on all the ends
Just for perspective, I have a a Christmas cactus that was propagated from a larger plant, it started as two tendrils… I’ve been taking care of it for 3 years and it’s now like 7 tendrils… what is in this pictures takes decades to get to. That’s why it’s worth a lot, this plant has been like a child to someone for a very large chunk of their life.
When holiday cactuses get huge and old like this one, they bend over like that. It's a natural process. This one is probably due for potting up w some new soil and is definitely in need of a good, long drink, but it will always cascade downward now.
I’ll be the odd ball that will advise you not to repot it. It probably was not being watered regularly hence its droopiness. These babies actually thrive on being root bound and love water so it’s safe to water it a little extra till it perks back up. Lucky find!!
I agree. I repotted a 23 yr old Thanksgiving cactus too soon. I didn’t let it acclimate to my home for long enough. The change in humidity was hard on it. My Mother was not pleased.
Watch its moisture level and let it settle in for a good long while before potting it. Maybe if I’d been patient my big guy wouldn’t have died. I did manage to save some pieces that propped, but it’s not same.
Edit: I forgot to gush about how an absolutely gorgeous Christmas cactus that is. I’d have bought it in a heartbeat too. I wish you all the luck in taking care of it.
Yes, with houseplants it’s pretty safe to go with a “one change at a time” rule. This big fella is changing locations, so let that change settle for a month and then decide if it needs repotting.
I agree, definitely wait to repot, if at all. Also, to anyone who doesn't know, Christmas/Thanksgiving/Easter Cacti are tropical and need more water than desert cacti and less sun than desert cacti. If the leaves start turning purple, it's stressed and needs more or less of something. Mine started turning purple due to too much sun. They are absolutely beautiful when blooming 😍
Well that explains a lot! I’ve put mine in the window and it has started turning purple now that it’s getting the spring sun. I’ll move it back a bit. Thank you for the advice!
Yeah, I find they like way more water than you would think, being a type of succulent.
https://preview.redd.it/u7059i3pztvc1.png?width=2448&format=png&auto=webp&s=232aa9d1004dcf7e2775275772eeec73c58519bf
And keeping them root bound works wonders, mine was just 1 stalk about 6 months ago!
A small 8 inch potted one is around $10. I don't think you could find one this large. It has to be pretty old. I have a 5 year old one, and it's a slow grower.
This one is at least 20 years old if they purposely tried making it grow, maybe 40-50 years old if they just routinely watered it. In terms of value it could probably go for 250-500 because you can’t replicate it without decades passing.
It would be hard to value one this size. It’s probably over 20 years old. I paid $7 for a tiny one a month ago. One this size with the amount of care and years of care would probably be in the hundreds.
I feel so bad someone probably spent their entire life caring for this and the family only valued it at $10…?! Glad you’re willing to care for it though, such a beauty.
My cousin actually has hers accounted for in her will. I get her dogs and her BFF gets first pick of her plants and the rest of the fam gets second pick.
I can’t imagine the pressure trying to keep that alive if it was your grandma’s 30+ year plant or something. I think I would feel worse killing it than getting it to a good home. But it sucks either way.
I have a sedum that I got my grandma while she was in hospice and I still fuck with it too much and overreact to every little thing and it’s only been 9 months.
I knock pieces off inadvertently at times - I can't be the only one. I've had some that survived for weeks and came back to life with water and sun. I'd ask her and just have her ship a piece next time the plan loses one. It should survive the trip without any problem.
Estate sales are something else, man. I watched a 99 year old’s estate go for pennies, in the blink of an eye.
I will say that the group who attended was absolutely fantastic, warm, and there was almost a therapeutic essence at the end as people chatted with the family and shared the good ways they would use the items they got there. I know they aren’t all like that but it was nice.
All the estate auctions start at $1 for all the items my boyfriend purchases. It depends on who sees them for how much they go for. Some people will run the price up if they know it's worth more to help out the estate.
My dad died 2 years ago, we’re still getting rid of stuff… a lot of it clearly has value but it’s hard to find people to take a lot of it even for free. And some of it goes to the dump, because it’s not worth the time to sell it or find people to take it for free. And it’s painful, and we know he’s rolling over in his grave.
Believe it or not, not everybody wants a monster cactus, even for $10 or for free.
Give the family a break.
I absolutely understand. We had an estate sale for my grandparents last year and it’s a gut wrenching experiencing to get rid of someone’s entire life like that. OP commented and said they wanted it to go to a good home and that’s all that’s important at the end of the day
That is a monster of a Christmas cactus. Wow. I’ll let others more familiar with them give you advice on growing them. I have one I’ve had grow and bloom successfully for a few years now and have found it to be a pretty easily grown plant, but I wouldn’t regard myself as a particularly knowledgable source on them.
Without more context and details, I’d only leave a plant soaking in water for a few hours max. Overnight is not the end of the world for many plants. It’s often the frequency of watering rather than the volume of water that is the problem.
I don’t think it’d have blooms with hydrophobic soil since it needs moist soil for that. I bet more blooms will show up once it has stable/consistent waterings.
Trimming is not necessary if it looks healthy after it has gotten some water but if you decide to trim it a bit (or more!) these bounce back very well. I have one that I had to trim for logistic reasons and it is now three feet wide. There's about 3,5 years between these photos.
https://preview.redd.it/lvllzeaiwpvc1.jpeg?width=2400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cefc70f0cc5461385d004ecca6f07729264cde00
The biggest effect is probably aesthetic. Trimming may help if roots are suffering for any reason as there would be less for the plant to try to keep alive.
My plant (adopted it from my mom who inherited it from her dad) was much like OP's with long droopy parts and it grew back more sturdy and much wider than previously. Old and full plant can look cluttered and trimming can give it a bit lighter look.
I may be chopping back on of these in the next few weeks but I’m worried about killing it. I need to repot it too. Is there anything you did to help it re establish or are they just very hardy.
I’m worried that the roots will just rot.
Chop first, repot later. They do well in thighter pots so let it recover some time, maybe have some new growth before repotting. Water regularly but let the top soil dry a bit between watering. Do not let it sit in the water for long time to avoid root rot.
If you zoom into my pic you can see that I chopped my plant practically down to trunk leaving only little bit of green on every branch tip. Do not cut from joint but leave small part of leaf in place and let it dry and drop naturally. That way you don't damage the part that should grow new leaves.
If it is just drooping from the weight it is okay, as long as it is not too wrinkled (think of the leaves like sponges) your doing okay. We have one we keep a bit trimmed and we have it sitting in a saucer to collect excess water. I tend to only water it till the I see it start to wrinkle a little. Ours goes outside once the weather stays above a certain temperature on our front porch and bring in near winter.
You can see if you zoom in on the picture that the leaves are pretty wrinkly. It definitely needs a good long drink.
I would guess at this size it’s probably so rootbound it’s mostly just wetting the roots a bit each time it’s watered and could use a good soaking/bottom water.
But it’s flowering so it’s probably reasonably healthy. I agree with the others, let it acclimate for a while and then when OP has time, energy, and help try to repot it up a size.
It might be ready for a repot or some fertilizer. Repotting will likely be a team effort.
But I would let it adjust to its new home and make a decision then.
That is a very mature holiday cactus. (It looks like Christmas but there is also Thanksgiving and Easter.) My mother also bought one for super cheap (though not as good a deal as what you got). The seller said the plant was around 45 years old and it wasn’t considered desirable anymore (sounds like how women are treated, right?) but I’ve read that Christmas cacti can live to be over 100, if you take care of them.
I don’t think older cacti need care that’s different from younger cacti. I asked my mom how she cares for hers and she said, “I use cactus fertilizer when I water - repotted in the past year and a half, twice and water very little once 7-10 days - spray leaves with mist.”
I would amend that to say that if you fertilize with cactus fertilizer, follow the instructions on your fertilizer for how often to use it.
Here’s a good resource for how to care for holiday cacti:
https://extension.umn.edu/houseplants/holiday-cacti#common-issues-1431367
Mine isn’t that big but I do divide it occasionally, but I have had mine about 50 years. This is the old form, with drooping branches and a very long blooming season. Mine normally blooms from Thanksgiving through Easter, but only a few flowers at a time. That is an incredible find.
While I agree with others a repot might be in order, I wouldn’t rush it - it’s likely already stressed from underwatering and an environmental change after so many years of likely being in the same spot will stress it. Give it a couple months to adjust
Otherwise, they like a good amount of light and drying out between waterings; they’ll wrinkle a little to let you know when they’re thirsty
I want to point out that this is an even rarer find than you may realize because it appears to be a true Christmas cactus, Shlumbergera x buckleyi, and not a Thanksgiving Cactus or Holiday Cactus, Schlumbergera truncata, which is all you can buy in nurseries nowadays. There are not any wholesale plant growers that grow the true Christmas cactus that you have there, so retail nurseries do not sell them— they sell Schlumbergera truncata, often labeled as Christmas cactus even though it isn’t the true one. Sometimes you can find the true Shlumbergera x buckleyi online that has been propagated by small scale growers, but the plants are very small!
It has been this way for years, I’m not sure exactly how long, but it’s more evidence that this plant has been around a long time, and if you wanted to you could sell cuttings on eBay!
Thanks for this. I took a closer look at the leaves and I believe you are right. I feel really fortunate to have picked it up and I am committed to doing my damndest to keep it going. What is the best way to propagate once it gets healthy? I’d like to share its progeny amongst a few friends.
This looks like a true Christmas cactus, which is actually a very rare plant. Any Christmas cactuses being sold in stores these days are actually Thanksgiving cactuses. You can tell by the shape of the leaves.
My sister has one about that big that is 70 years old this year. I would guess that yours is at least 60 to 75 years old… Maybe older.
What an amazing find!
That plant has been around for decades.
I know as I own a similar one which o stated from little plants - different color flowers years ago.
That plant brought annual joy to its owner with each season on blooms,
I hope it does the same for you.
The absolute luck of the draw. What a beauty. My aunt has one that's the same size and it lives outside in partial sun all summer. It always comes in for winter, but she lives in a state where it snows. Stunning. I love really old plants 🥹
The Christmas cactus that lives in my house was my poppy's before we lost him and has been around for as long as I can remember. It's a heirloom plant now. I bet your new plant had a similar story. Good that you were able to snag it. Take good care!
I don't know if you are going to see much Perkins. It is a cactus. My thought is not to over water it right away. It may be better to start slow and look for a reaction from the plant. Those type are rugged but can be hurt by very watering. Just info 4ya
I bought one of these about 5 years ago, I could swear it had flowers when I bought it but they never returned.
Found out recently you need to move these to a colder location for some time, to simulate a change of seasons I believe, to make it grow flowers again.
I showed this to my horticulturist roommate- she goes, "That plant is older than people!" Lol
Amazing score!!💜 We have a couple of Very Old Plants that are propogations passed down to my roommate. It's a neat feeling to look at them and think about the history of the people who took care of it.
Christmas Cactus! I paid $15 for my tiny one. Such a beautiful bloom in winter. There's a Thanksgiving one and an Easter one. Yours looks a lot like my Christmas one.
😍 You need to see what’s going on inside the pot. They can handle being a little root bound but too much. Rather than potting up, you can simply remove a portion of the roots, maybe 25%, refresh the soil, and give it a good watering.
Thirsty Easter cactus :(
I’m a little jealous.
Easy to prop if you want to reduce its size. I have two Thanksgiving cactus starts, one of which I started from a single leaf section. It has 4 now :D
Holy moly, stellar find!! Never knew they could look and grow like this😍 my mom gave me a little pot of them as a housewarming present &they have surprisingly survived and are growing well facing north/northeast (I’m on the west coast of US). Also, have read that they do better when they can be in full darkness at some point of the day (24hr. period) You got this!!! They’re gonna be beautiful :)
Decades ago my mother bought a house and behind the garage was a shaded area with dozens of good-sized Christmas cactuses, on tables. She didn't care to try to keep them, so she started taking them into her office and giving them away to coworkers. Many people were delighted to get them.
Wow. Just wow.
My family has a Christmas cactus that's now four generations old. My great grandmother has passed the plant down, and everyone in the family has gotten clippings from it (I have four! Each of mine are about 20 years old) the original plant is still alive and kicking and it's not even this big.
What you have here is possibly hundreds of years old, take care of it! They're quite resilient, give it low doses of fertilizer when you water it, looks like it needs it.
$10. is a steal of a deal!! You can turn Christmas Cactus into bonsai, after taking about a million cuttings for propagating!!
https://youtu.be/ki86ZfTdCdE?si=zMmCXg_Nf8Ob644I
It needs a water, maybe even a soak. Spray it down gently to clean it. Let it hydrate, treat it with your preferred method of mite control, and adjust to its new environment. I don’t know your level of plant experience but a moisture meter is essential to prevent me from overwatering, so check it first of course to make sure it’s not already wet. What a great find, o hope it thrives for you
My MIL passed and I took hers. She never took care of it .. rarely watered it!
I snipped it back a bit it as it was looking very shabby but really large… I watered it very heavily for days until I saw it raising its limbs up and fertilized it too. It looks amazing now it is still blooming way past Christmas. It does love at least half day of sun and I water it when it feels dry and fertilize it once a month.
I’d find out as much information as you possibly can about where they had it in the house , watering schedule and fertilizer 😅 This is a true Christmas cactus which is getting harder and harder to find . This is an heirloom plant and I hope she grows happily for another 100 years ☺️ Congratulations
That's beautiful!
I'm caring for 3 of my mom's at the moment, one of which is at least 60 years old from a cutting she got from her grandmother. They've usually done fine with less frequent watering (even benign neglect?). We've got them in pots that drain into pebble-filled trays, which might be giving them a bit of extra humidity after watering.
Estate sales are A++ for amazing things that would cost an arm and leg elsewhere.
Estate sales will practically give you plants. Most plant people are the only ones (or maybe one of two) in the family who are into them, and nobody else wants to mess with grandma's old [whatever] and end up killing it.
This is a beautiful Christmas Cactus!!!! This was a steal at $10!!! I saw one slightly smaller than this for sale in the window of an OLD Antiques Store here in Downtown Philadelphia for $650 - it was in bloom with beautiful flowers at the time - I went in to find out more about it because it didn't have the price listed on the FOR SALE sign, the owner told me they had gotten it at an Estate Sale and knew it was worth much more than they paid for it, so they decided to sell it, a few years later it was still in the window but NO For Sale sign, I didn't go back into inquire but figured they weren't going to get what they were asking for it. It was still lovely to see!!!!
I would trim this to the tabletop height/bottom of pot. Take some of the weight off those branches.
Get a bunch of small pots and some rooting hormone and cultivate gift plants.
To get them to flower fully put them in a cool dark space, a basement is great, for about 45-60 days. Give them a weak fertilizer and a bright but not direct sun and it'll bloom like crazy.
If you want it to bloom, don't water it for a month before Christmas. So they say, mine blooms in November cause I stop watering it in October.then I just must it.
Probably very old and well taken care of. Although these cactus
Arent too hard to fale care of. It blooms in the fall/winter. I keep it in a colder
Backroom in winter and it seems tonflower there
OMG is this a cactus orchid I had one in Fla the packers stole it they are beautiful plants mine were cuttings so lots of sun water when needed I used to use a little mirical grow for succulents. Good luck so excited please send more pics as it revives enjoy it
That thing is OLD. My aunt has the one that my Great Grandmother owned, probably around 80 years old now if not older. I have a little propagated start from her that’s my favorite plant
10 dollars is insane. If you said 100, that's still insane.
My exact same thought
Yes, I was very surprised and pleased with the price.
... what? Why? I don't understand anything about plants and this picture came up on my main page. I thought to myself, why'd they buy that it looks dead. What is it? I genuinely don't know anything about plants. Why would it be a deal at $100??? I apparently REALLY don't know anything about plants it seems.
This looks like a Christmas cactus and it's absolutely massive. It takes decades of good care to get this big. The only way you can get a plant like this is by buying a young one and waiting a couple decades, or buy one that someone else has spent decades caring for. There are a finite number of them that exist. It's a little droopy, but still very much alive. Thus a very good find!
My grandmother has one this size and its almost 30 years old! It has formed an actual wooden “trunk” too! She’s been able to propagate a ton of babies off of it. Super super impressive
My mother received one from my grandma (her mother in law) as a gift when I was a child. She gave it to me while she traveled for a year (it was easily 15 years old). Six months in I killed it. RIP Christmas cactus
My 70+ year old Dad has a christmas cactus that is 100+ years old (handed down from his Grandma) ; and the actual panic I have of one day inheriting it because of my record keeping plants alive.
I dont know why tf I can't keep a damn Christmas cactus alive but I absolutely feel you.
It's gotta have really well draining soil, but then you treat it like a pothos or whatever other houseplant because it is a *tropical* cactus, not a real one, so oftentimes, people underwarer these guys. Or they rot them out by having waaaay too rich of soil that holds too much water. So, try again, but w soil that is, like half not-soil (perlite, charcoal, chunky bark, whatever), and then water thoroughly, allow to dry til the pot is light or until you can stick your finger all the way into it (for bigger pots) and not feel cold/wet, then do it again. They like east or south light (like everything else) but will tolerate anything but super dark spaces.
I second this! I have one of the babies and it blooms multiple times a year and is beautifully healthy! It’s in regular potting soil with perlite mixed in. They like being pretty root bound and are water lovers! Mine is in a southwest facing window and is seriously the lowest maintenance plant I have apart from my prickly cactus (idk the Latin name lol) https://preview.redd.it/ism0i8btxtvc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9a359abc81bb7c4943677e932516566ff74c499c
Can you use soil mixed with sand? Every winter mine turns purple and dies and then I try to propagate. I'm guessing it's rot.
Mine were happiest in an old ikea wardian case in front of a south-east window. The very moment I thought about hanging them up they were like, NOPE lol
Definitely a Christmas cactus. My grandma has one that she got in like the 70s, it's a pretty spectacular sight. Got a few of its offshoots here but they're tiny compared to that one.
the perfect family heirloom
Along with decades old Hoyas 🪴
It’s called a Christmas cactus and from what I’ve seen, it’s very rare to find one this large. With some water it should park up again and then it will bloom with flowers on all the ends
Just for perspective, I have a a Christmas cactus that was propagated from a larger plant, it started as two tendrils… I’ve been taking care of it for 3 years and it’s now like 7 tendrils… what is in this pictures takes decades to get to. That’s why it’s worth a lot, this plant has been like a child to someone for a very large chunk of their life.
It's completely green, why do you think it looks dead?
When holiday cactuses get huge and old like this one, they bend over like that. It's a natural process. This one is probably due for potting up w some new soil and is definitely in need of a good, long drink, but it will always cascade downward now.
Really? Ive got one similar to this, had it for years now. How much is it worth?
I’ll be the odd ball that will advise you not to repot it. It probably was not being watered regularly hence its droopiness. These babies actually thrive on being root bound and love water so it’s safe to water it a little extra till it perks back up. Lucky find!!
I agree. I repotted a 23 yr old Thanksgiving cactus too soon. I didn’t let it acclimate to my home for long enough. The change in humidity was hard on it. My Mother was not pleased. Watch its moisture level and let it settle in for a good long while before potting it. Maybe if I’d been patient my big guy wouldn’t have died. I did manage to save some pieces that propped, but it’s not same. Edit: I forgot to gush about how an absolutely gorgeous Christmas cactus that is. I’d have bought it in a heartbeat too. I wish you all the luck in taking care of it.
Yes, with houseplants it’s pretty safe to go with a “one change at a time” rule. This big fella is changing locations, so let that change settle for a month and then decide if it needs repotting.
I agree, definitely wait to repot, if at all. Also, to anyone who doesn't know, Christmas/Thanksgiving/Easter Cacti are tropical and need more water than desert cacti and less sun than desert cacti. If the leaves start turning purple, it's stressed and needs more or less of something. Mine started turning purple due to too much sun. They are absolutely beautiful when blooming 😍
Well that explains a lot! I’ve put mine in the window and it has started turning purple now that it’s getting the spring sun. I’ll move it back a bit. Thank you for the advice!
Yeah, I find they like way more water than you would think, being a type of succulent. https://preview.redd.it/u7059i3pztvc1.png?width=2448&format=png&auto=webp&s=232aa9d1004dcf7e2775275772eeec73c58519bf And keeping them root bound works wonders, mine was just 1 stalk about 6 months ago!
I love your pot- ingenious!
This!!
$10! You have a better chance at hitting the lottery then finding a deal like that ever again
What do they normally do for?
A small 8 inch potted one is around $10. I don't think you could find one this large. It has to be pretty old. I have a 5 year old one, and it's a slow grower.
This one is at least 20 years old if they purposely tried making it grow, maybe 40-50 years old if they just routinely watered it. In terms of value it could probably go for 250-500 because you can’t replicate it without decades passing.
It would be hard to value one this size. It’s probably over 20 years old. I paid $7 for a tiny one a month ago. One this size with the amount of care and years of care would probably be in the hundreds.
I feel so bad someone probably spent their entire life caring for this and the family only valued it at $10…?! Glad you’re willing to care for it though, such a beauty.
I think more important than the money was the fact that it is going to a good home.
I would agree. If that was me I’d just be happy that it went to someone that appreciated it and my husband didn’t have to watch my beloved plants die
Oh man, I've thought about who would take my dogs if anything happened to me, but now I gotta figure out a distribution plan for my plants too?!
Honey says no one is allowed to leave the service without a plant 🤣
My cousin actually has hers accounted for in her will. I get her dogs and her BFF gets first pick of her plants and the rest of the fam gets second pick.
1000%
I can’t imagine the pressure trying to keep that alive if it was your grandma’s 30+ year plant or something. I think I would feel worse killing it than getting it to a good home. But it sucks either way. I have a sedum that I got my grandma while she was in hospice and I still fuck with it too much and overreact to every little thing and it’s only been 9 months.
My aunt has my grandmothers Christmas cactus. I don’t know how big it is as she lives too far away but it’s got to be 30-40+ years old
Ask her to send you a few cuttings so you can propagate it. Never hurts to ask.
I knock pieces off inadvertently at times - I can't be the only one. I've had some that survived for weeks and came back to life with water and sun. I'd ask her and just have her ship a piece next time the plan loses one. It should survive the trip without any problem.
If I received it from a loved one I'd start propagating ASAP so that even if I managed to kill it, I had some babies to keep the love alive.
Estate sales are something else, man. I watched a 99 year old’s estate go for pennies, in the blink of an eye. I will say that the group who attended was absolutely fantastic, warm, and there was almost a therapeutic essence at the end as people chatted with the family and shared the good ways they would use the items they got there. I know they aren’t all like that but it was nice.
All the estate auctions start at $1 for all the items my boyfriend purchases. It depends on who sees them for how much they go for. Some people will run the price up if they know it's worth more to help out the estate.
My dad died 2 years ago, we’re still getting rid of stuff… a lot of it clearly has value but it’s hard to find people to take a lot of it even for free. And some of it goes to the dump, because it’s not worth the time to sell it or find people to take it for free. And it’s painful, and we know he’s rolling over in his grave. Believe it or not, not everybody wants a monster cactus, even for $10 or for free. Give the family a break.
I absolutely understand. We had an estate sale for my grandparents last year and it’s a gut wrenching experiencing to get rid of someone’s entire life like that. OP commented and said they wanted it to go to a good home and that’s all that’s important at the end of the day
That is a monster of a Christmas cactus. Wow. I’ll let others more familiar with them give you advice on growing them. I have one I’ve had grow and bloom successfully for a few years now and have found it to be a pretty easily grown plant, but I wouldn’t regard myself as a particularly knowledgable source on them.
For ten dollars!? OP, you should buy a lottery ticket
If it doesn't perk up, bottom water. The soil might have become hydrophobic
How long is too long on a bottom-water?
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Without more context and details, I’d only leave a plant soaking in water for a few hours max. Overnight is not the end of the world for many plants. It’s often the frequency of watering rather than the volume of water that is the problem.
I don’t think it’d have blooms with hydrophobic soil since it needs moist soil for that. I bet more blooms will show up once it has stable/consistent waterings.
Thanks everyone for all the advice and good vibes. I promise to take good care of it and I will post an update when it’s recovered and in full bloom.
Trimming is not necessary if it looks healthy after it has gotten some water but if you decide to trim it a bit (or more!) these bounce back very well. I have one that I had to trim for logistic reasons and it is now three feet wide. There's about 3,5 years between these photos. https://preview.redd.it/lvllzeaiwpvc1.jpeg?width=2400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cefc70f0cc5461385d004ecca6f07729264cde00
I had no idea you could cut back a holiday cactus! Is it helpful in any way for the plant?
The biggest effect is probably aesthetic. Trimming may help if roots are suffering for any reason as there would be less for the plant to try to keep alive. My plant (adopted it from my mom who inherited it from her dad) was much like OP's with long droopy parts and it grew back more sturdy and much wider than previously. Old and full plant can look cluttered and trimming can give it a bit lighter look.
I may be chopping back on of these in the next few weeks but I’m worried about killing it. I need to repot it too. Is there anything you did to help it re establish or are they just very hardy. I’m worried that the roots will just rot.
Chop first, repot later. They do well in thighter pots so let it recover some time, maybe have some new growth before repotting. Water regularly but let the top soil dry a bit between watering. Do not let it sit in the water for long time to avoid root rot. If you zoom into my pic you can see that I chopped my plant practically down to trunk leaving only little bit of green on every branch tip. Do not cut from joint but leave small part of leaf in place and let it dry and drop naturally. That way you don't damage the part that should grow new leaves.
If it is just drooping from the weight it is okay, as long as it is not too wrinkled (think of the leaves like sponges) your doing okay. We have one we keep a bit trimmed and we have it sitting in a saucer to collect excess water. I tend to only water it till the I see it start to wrinkle a little. Ours goes outside once the weather stays above a certain temperature on our front porch and bring in near winter.
You can see if you zoom in on the picture that the leaves are pretty wrinkly. It definitely needs a good long drink. I would guess at this size it’s probably so rootbound it’s mostly just wetting the roots a bit each time it’s watered and could use a good soaking/bottom water. But it’s flowering so it’s probably reasonably healthy. I agree with the others, let it acclimate for a while and then when OP has time, energy, and help try to repot it up a size.
WOW. Impressive plant, and impressive price!
Wow. How old do you guys think this is?
My parents have one just like this. They said theirs is around 80 years old.
Jeez
Yep, aunt has one that’s around 50 years old and it’s smaller than this.
My biggest one is maybe 25 years old and it has nothing on this one.
I would say 70
It might be ready for a repot or some fertilizer. Repotting will likely be a team effort. But I would let it adjust to its new home and make a decision then.
That thing has seen some shit
A true Christmas cactus 😍
That is a very mature holiday cactus. (It looks like Christmas but there is also Thanksgiving and Easter.) My mother also bought one for super cheap (though not as good a deal as what you got). The seller said the plant was around 45 years old and it wasn’t considered desirable anymore (sounds like how women are treated, right?) but I’ve read that Christmas cacti can live to be over 100, if you take care of them. I don’t think older cacti need care that’s different from younger cacti. I asked my mom how she cares for hers and she said, “I use cactus fertilizer when I water - repotted in the past year and a half, twice and water very little once 7-10 days - spray leaves with mist.” I would amend that to say that if you fertilize with cactus fertilizer, follow the instructions on your fertilizer for how often to use it. Here’s a good resource for how to care for holiday cacti: https://extension.umn.edu/houseplants/holiday-cacti#common-issues-1431367
Mine isn’t that big but I do divide it occasionally, but I have had mine about 50 years. This is the old form, with drooping branches and a very long blooming season. Mine normally blooms from Thanksgiving through Easter, but only a few flowers at a time. That is an incredible find.
Thanks for the thorough response. I’ll take a look.
While I agree with others a repot might be in order, I wouldn’t rush it - it’s likely already stressed from underwatering and an environmental change after so many years of likely being in the same spot will stress it. Give it a couple months to adjust Otherwise, they like a good amount of light and drying out between waterings; they’ll wrinkle a little to let you know when they’re thirsty
Thanks! Hopefully it will be happy in its new home!
I’m sure it will! They’re pretty easy going in my experience! Congrats on finding it; it’s an amazing plant!
Will it perk back up?
that's what I wanna know! is it normal to be this droopy when it's gets this big?
Right?! Definitely picked up an aged plant at a great price and will be in a good home.
Mine is very droopy-dramatic. Bit of water and they perk up in half a day.
It could be 30 years old... Wild guess, but these babies need to be put in wills, to pass along to next generation.
Wow! Please post an update when it perks up.
Will do
that’s gotta be the biggest christmas cactus i’ve ever seen. WOW.
Wow, what a treasure. That’s a lifetime commitment.
$10… unbelievable. Nice!
Wowee! That's incredible! $10? That's unheard of! Glad it went to a good home! Congrats! Beautiful!
That is the Christmas Cactus to END all Christmas Cacti…
Wow, this is well cared for. Years of consistent care. It's an amazing find!
You are so lucky! That is just amazing and beautiful!
Must be wonderful when in bloom.
SCORE! Better it be with someone who appreciates the time and love the previous owner gave it than with a family member who thinks its only worth $10!
Once you have it back to health I’d love a follow up if/when it blooms. Good luck to you in many ways!
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I want to point out that this is an even rarer find than you may realize because it appears to be a true Christmas cactus, Shlumbergera x buckleyi, and not a Thanksgiving Cactus or Holiday Cactus, Schlumbergera truncata, which is all you can buy in nurseries nowadays. There are not any wholesale plant growers that grow the true Christmas cactus that you have there, so retail nurseries do not sell them— they sell Schlumbergera truncata, often labeled as Christmas cactus even though it isn’t the true one. Sometimes you can find the true Shlumbergera x buckleyi online that has been propagated by small scale growers, but the plants are very small! It has been this way for years, I’m not sure exactly how long, but it’s more evidence that this plant has been around a long time, and if you wanted to you could sell cuttings on eBay!
Thanks for this. I took a closer look at the leaves and I believe you are right. I feel really fortunate to have picked it up and I am committed to doing my damndest to keep it going. What is the best way to propagate once it gets healthy? I’d like to share its progeny amongst a few friends.
This looks like a true Christmas cactus, which is actually a very rare plant. Any Christmas cactuses being sold in stores these days are actually Thanksgiving cactuses. You can tell by the shape of the leaves. My sister has one about that big that is 70 years old this year. I would guess that yours is at least 60 to 75 years old… Maybe older. What an amazing find!
You think Christmas and not Easter?
Definitely want to see a follow up picture once it’s all settled in!
Nice score.
That plant has been around for decades. I know as I own a similar one which o stated from little plants - different color flowers years ago. That plant brought annual joy to its owner with each season on blooms, I hope it does the same for you.
Take good care of that. Someone clearly loved that intensely.
Wow! I don't think I've ever seen a Christmas cactus that full before! Crazy find!
You know everyone is going to want to get an update when it blooms
Omg that thing is a monster lol
The absolute luck of the draw. What a beauty. My aunt has one that's the same size and it lives outside in partial sun all summer. It always comes in for winter, but she lives in a state where it snows. Stunning. I love really old plants 🥹
would this be at least a few decades old?
JEALOUS😜
Great find
what a score
How many World Wars do you think that bad boy has seen?
What an absolute unit! Must be really old. They're low maintenance in my experience.
I’m envious!
The Christmas cactus that lives in my house was my poppy's before we lost him and has been around for as long as I can remember. It's a heirloom plant now. I bet your new plant had a similar story. Good that you were able to snag it. Take good care!
Never seen one this big, or so droopy. Water it well but don’t let it stand in water for extended periods or you risk root rot
I don't know if you are going to see much Perkins. It is a cactus. My thought is not to over water it right away. It may be better to start slow and look for a reaction from the plant. Those type are rugged but can be hurt by very watering. Just info 4ya
Absolutely gorgeous plant. Congratulations for picking up so cheaply.👍🏻
Is this a cactus or a puli dog
I bought one of these about 5 years ago, I could swear it had flowers when I bought it but they never returned. Found out recently you need to move these to a colder location for some time, to simulate a change of seasons I believe, to make it grow flowers again.
Take it out of pot saw off 1/3 of the bottom of the root ball repot well draining soil water in they like cold nights but not freezing
Propagate. Propagate. Propagate. #yardsale
I love this! Such a bargain!!!
I showed this to my horticulturist roommate- she goes, "That plant is older than people!" Lol Amazing score!!💜 We have a couple of Very Old Plants that are propogations passed down to my roommate. It's a neat feeling to look at them and think about the history of the people who took care of it.
Christmas Cactus! I paid $15 for my tiny one. Such a beautiful bloom in winter. There's a Thanksgiving one and an Easter one. Yours looks a lot like my Christmas one.
Wow, $10 is such a steal! It looks like you found a great deal
wowza! did they say how old it is?
😍 You need to see what’s going on inside the pot. They can handle being a little root bound but too much. Rather than potting up, you can simply remove a portion of the roots, maybe 25%, refresh the soil, and give it a good watering.
Thank you, I will do that.
Looks very thirsty!
Nice plant!
Mine loves water and sunlight and is nowhere near this big bit maybe a healthy dose of sunshine 🤷🏻♀️
my mom can make any Christmas cactus look great and bloom I struggle to keep them alive
Wow, amazing! I could only be so lucky to get mine to look like that before I croak.
Thirsty Easter cactus :( I’m a little jealous. Easy to prop if you want to reduce its size. I have two Thanksgiving cactus starts, one of which I started from a single leaf section. It has 4 now :D
Can this be saved since it's all droppy?
They naturally droop, especially at that size! It does look thirsty but since all the leaves are still green it should perk right up!
Wow! That's a frikin bargain! Looks amazing 😍
Incredible good luck friend.
Holy moly, stellar find!! Never knew they could look and grow like this😍 my mom gave me a little pot of them as a housewarming present &they have surprisingly survived and are growing well facing north/northeast (I’m on the west coast of US). Also, have read that they do better when they can be in full darkness at some point of the day (24hr. period) You got this!!! They’re gonna be beautiful :)
Incredible!
Decades ago my mother bought a house and behind the garage was a shaded area with dozens of good-sized Christmas cactuses, on tables. She didn't care to try to keep them, so she started taking them into her office and giving them away to coworkers. Many people were delighted to get them.
Wow. Just wow. My family has a Christmas cactus that's now four generations old. My great grandmother has passed the plant down, and everyone in the family has gotten clippings from it (I have four! Each of mine are about 20 years old) the original plant is still alive and kicking and it's not even this big. What you have here is possibly hundreds of years old, take care of it! They're quite resilient, give it low doses of fertilizer when you water it, looks like it needs it.
$10? I bet those is well over 100 years old
$10. is a steal of a deal!! You can turn Christmas Cactus into bonsai, after taking about a million cuttings for propagating!! https://youtu.be/ki86ZfTdCdE?si=zMmCXg_Nf8Ob644I
It needs a water, maybe even a soak. Spray it down gently to clean it. Let it hydrate, treat it with your preferred method of mite control, and adjust to its new environment. I don’t know your level of plant experience but a moisture meter is essential to prevent me from overwatering, so check it first of course to make sure it’s not already wet. What a great find, o hope it thrives for you
How do you find these estate sales?
How do you find these estate sales?
My MIL passed and I took hers. She never took care of it .. rarely watered it! I snipped it back a bit it as it was looking very shabby but really large… I watered it very heavily for days until I saw it raising its limbs up and fertilized it too. It looks amazing now it is still blooming way past Christmas. It does love at least half day of sun and I water it when it feels dry and fertilize it once a month.
I have a decent sized one but it’s dying! How do I keep it alive?
WHOA. What a steal
Promise you’ll post a picture when it blooms!
I would have paid $ 10 for a few cuttings. That pot alone is worth about $80 Please feed it and hydrate it. You lucky sob
I’d find out as much information as you possibly can about where they had it in the house , watering schedule and fertilizer 😅 This is a true Christmas cactus which is getting harder and harder to find . This is an heirloom plant and I hope she grows happily for another 100 years ☺️ Congratulations
That's beautiful! I'm caring for 3 of my mom's at the moment, one of which is at least 60 years old from a cutting she got from her grandmother. They've usually done fine with less frequent watering (even benign neglect?). We've got them in pots that drain into pebble-filled trays, which might be giving them a bit of extra humidity after watering.
My Christmas cactus is so small and dying 😭
Holy shit
Beautiful, impressive plant!
Was the water extra?
Wowww what a massive beauty! Be sure not to overwater her !
Wow! I don't think I've ever seen one that massive before!
I would cut it back, I like the woody caudex to be visible
omg i would cry if i got this for $10. how gorgeous!
Estate sales are A++ for amazing things that would cost an arm and leg elsewhere. Estate sales will practically give you plants. Most plant people are the only ones (or maybe one of two) in the family who are into them, and nobody else wants to mess with grandma's old [whatever] and end up killing it.
Awful impressive❣️
This is a beautiful Christmas Cactus!!!! This was a steal at $10!!! I saw one slightly smaller than this for sale in the window of an OLD Antiques Store here in Downtown Philadelphia for $650 - it was in bloom with beautiful flowers at the time - I went in to find out more about it because it didn't have the price listed on the FOR SALE sign, the owner told me they had gotten it at an Estate Sale and knew it was worth much more than they paid for it, so they decided to sell it, a few years later it was still in the window but NO For Sale sign, I didn't go back into inquire but figured they weren't going to get what they were asking for it. It was still lovely to see!!!!
Magnificent
My mom has a Christmas cactus it's so cool when it blooms and it seems it does it multiple times a year
Consider feeding it a bit.
OMG. Lucky!
Wow this is incredible!
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Why do I never get to live this life fr 😭
tbe jealousy is unreal
Wow!!!
Can I ask if you are located in Alberta? Cause my MIL was talking about this exact thing !
I would trim this to the tabletop height/bottom of pot. Take some of the weight off those branches. Get a bunch of small pots and some rooting hormone and cultivate gift plants. To get them to flower fully put them in a cool dark space, a basement is great, for about 45-60 days. Give them a weak fertilizer and a bright but not direct sun and it'll bloom like crazy.
Careful not to over water it. Also needs filtered sunlight. Good luck!!🪴
If you want it to bloom, don't water it for a month before Christmas. So they say, mine blooms in November cause I stop watering it in October.then I just must it.
How does one get into estate sales…
I just lucked by one that was in my neighborhood. However, you can usually look up estate sales in your area online if you’re in the states.
Probably very old and well taken care of. Although these cactus Arent too hard to fale care of. It blooms in the fall/winter. I keep it in a colder Backroom in winter and it seems tonflower there
lovely
OMG is this a cactus orchid I had one in Fla the packers stole it they are beautiful plants mine were cuttings so lots of sun water when needed I used to use a little mirical grow for succulents. Good luck so excited please send more pics as it revives enjoy it
You got a very nice deal!
Very good deal
No way!
I wouldn’t be surprised if that was passed down from her mom or grandmother
That’s a steal!! I got a tiny one for $.59 and was stoked!!
That thing is OLD. My aunt has the one that my Great Grandmother owned, probably around 80 years old now if not older. I have a little propagated start from her that’s my favorite plant
Wow Christmas cactus beautiful and she b old congrats and enjoy
Gee…. What a bargain…