Many of us have family heirlooms that are valued sentimentally rather than financially. My own such heirloom is the Christmas Cactus (Schlumbergera x buckleyii) that my sister presented to me in my cramped kitchen a few years back when we were living in east Vancouver. It consisted of two sad-looking little stems in a foil wrapped 4" pot, and I thanked her and very carefully placed it in the window. This was a cutting that my sister had taken from her cactus, which had come from a piece of our mother's, whose plant had come from a piece of my grandmother's, who started hers from a piece of my great grandmother's plant, which itself had bravely flowered every year on their homestead in the lonely foothills of Alberta. I can only assume that my great grandmother had started her plant from a cutting of her own mother's, and so on.
Which is precisely why the small, cheerful plant in my windowsill means so much to me. Since its days in green foil wrap five years ago, it has grown consistently into a sweet little plant on its own, flowering now for the third time (albeit rather modestly). When my own kids move away from home, I plan on presenting them each with their own tiny cuttings (a meager inheritance to some, I suppose!)to take care of.
The reason all of this is possible, I believe, and why these little cuttings make it at all, is that the Christmas Cactus is dead easy to care for.
It is actually native to the mountainous rainforests of Brazil, where it grows high up in trees with very little soil--just whatever has gathered in the crooks of the branches. Their 'leaves' are actually stems that act as photosynthetic organs, taking whatever nourishment they can.
Here in our homes, the Christmas cactus will do best with a very well-drained acidic soil, high in organic matter. A good mix is one part sterilized loam, two parts peat and one part perlite. Sit your cactus near a west-facing window where it will get indirect light, preferably in a relatively cool location.
After it flowers it will need a period of rest in which it has less water, no fertilizer, and coolish temperatures (18-20 degrees Celsius is fine).
When spring and summer hit, the plant will enter an active growing stage, which is the perfect time to take cuttings. Just break off a few stem pads where they join another, then set the cutting to dry for a day or two. Next, place it into a potting mix in a small pot, and water it. Keep it evenly moist, and it will begin to grow roots before you know it.
During the summer you can give your plant a little taste of its roots by hanging it in a tree outside where it will be mostly in the shade. This makes a great addition to the summer garden.
All in all, this is a great plant that if nothing else, brings some cheer and colour to the darkest days of our long winter.