Question: What are some good choices for living Christmas trees in Cochise County? How should they be cared for?

Answer: Living Christmas trees add to the holiday season. Their freshness, scent, little needle drop, and the opportunity to plant the tree after the holidays make them very attractive. Trees that will do well include Eldarica pine, Allepo pine, spruce, and some firs. After the holidays remove the ornaments and lights and move the tree to a cooler but sunny location. This will allow the tree to acclimate slowly for a couple of weeks to outdoor conditions. Water to maintain health and growth, but do not water so much to cause root rot. If weather permits, meaning warm days during the first weeks of January, planting can be done. If the wither is poor wait until the cold weather of January, February, and the first weeks of March is over. Plant the tree as recommended and water to establish. Planting recommendations are available at the Cooperative Extension Office.

What's in a Name? In the Cypress family, "Cupressus; symmetry (the conical shape). In mythology, Apollo turned Kypressos into an evergreen tree." (Don't mess with the gods!)

Source: The Names of Plants. D. Gledhill

Question: My Christmas Cactus did not bloom this year. What happened?

Answer: There are several "holiday" cacti. They are Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii) with smooth leaf margins or edges; Thanksgiving Cactus (S. truncata) which blooms earlier and has saw-toothed leaf margins and two oppositely pointed tips at the end of each leaf; and the Easter Cactus (S. gaertneri) which blooms naturally in the spring and has smooth leaf margins. These cacti species originated from the Brazilian jungle and grow naturally as epiphytes (in the air) in the branches and bark of trees.

These plants are short-day plants like poinsettias. Flowering is initiated by cool temperatures (45 degrees to 55 degrees F.), drier soil, and the naturally shorter days of spring or fall. The Christmas Cactus in question did not bloom because one or more of these conditions were not met.

To induce flowering, determine what type of cactus species you have. Ten weeks before blooms are desired, place the plant in a cool closet or dark cupboard from sundown to sunup, never letting any light reach the plant during seclusion. Keep the soil drier than normal. Once flower buds are set you can cease this practice and increase watering.

Source: Houseplants. The American Horticultural Society, 1980, pp. 81-85