Question
I have an Xmas cactus that is on my front porch facing east. It is covered in heavy bud, but each year when I bring it into the house all the buds fall off.
How can I save the buds so it will flower?
Madeleine McTaggart by email
Answer
Your Christmas cactus is suffering from low humidity in your house and the buds fall because they dry out.
If you have a cooler room to put it in and can mist it once a day with plain water the buds will hold better.
Once your Christmas cactus begins flowering, you can bring it into a warmer area where you should mist it twice a day to give it extra humidity.
If the buds still fall, increase the number of times you do the misting.
If you don't have a cooler room for your plant, just do extra misting from the outset.
Putting a Christmas cactus by an open window also helps because outside air is much more humid than warm house air.
Question
I have an indoor azalea that I planted outside for the summer.
What is the procedure for bringing it inside and making it flower?
Christine, by email
Answer
Indoor azaleas don't tolerate frost so it should be brought inside immediately and potted up in some acidic soil.
This should be half to one-third peat plus a handful of perlite or grit.
The reason indoor azaleas drop buds and leaves is because regular house temperatures are too hot, the air is too dry and people don't usually water and mist them enough.
These azaleas also need bright light but not sunshine. A cool basement or unheated porch would be a good place for it.
The soil should be kept moist but not swampy and fed with an acidic fertilizer once or twice a month. In a cool spot, daily misting might be enough.
Keeping it outside for summer is a good first step towards flowering. But last year's bloom may have been forced and, if so, the plant could be exhausted and need to rest for a year.
Young shrubs often focus on stem and leaf growth. Just prune for shape where needed.
My parents kept a pink-flowered indoor azalea for years in an unheated, cool and drafty storage area.
They didn't fuss over it. But conditions resembled the frost-free woodlands where these azaleas originated.
It grew huge and bloomed every year.
Anne Marrison is happy to answer gardening questions. Send them to her via email a [email protected]. See www.burnabynow.com for her past columns.
