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Please can anyone ID this precious plant?

dani.sheaddani.shead Posts: 3
in Plants
Can anyone out there ID this plant for me? It if of huge sentimental value as it belonged to my mum who was given it by a great friend. Both my mum and her friend have since passed away. The plant wasn't regularly watered while my mum was very poorly and it almost died. I removed the dead and dying leaves to give it a fighting chance and fortunately it has sprung back. If anyone can ID it for me I'll be able to care for it properly. Many thanks everyone. (Sorry if it's an obvious plant - I'm a beginner gardener!)
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  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,404
    Don't be misled by the 'cactus' bit. These are plants which need a fair bit of water, but you can easily see when the pads start to shrivel a little and give it a drink then. Don't overwater it though, wait till it tells you !
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,244
    Also worth mentioning that they need something like 10-12 hours of darkness per day to induce flowering, so best not kept in a brightly lit room.
    I've had one forever - It lives on a south facing windowsill behind the curtains (so it gets enough dark to trigger flowering around Easter)

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • ERICS MUMERICS MUM Posts: 577
    Once buds appear, don’t turn it around.  The buds try to move to the light and can drop off.

    (apologies if this is an old wives tale - my Mum always grew them and would say this).
  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    My mother used to grow these. They are forest cacti as opposed to desert cacti I believe. 
  • Fran IOMFran IOM Posts: 2,410
    My mother said the same @ERICS MUM. She had a beautiful one at Christmas time and covered in flowers but warned us not to move it. It used to spend the summer in the garden.
  • dani.sheaddani.shead Posts: 3
    Thank you so much for the info everyone, I'm well armed now to keep it alive. Many thanks!
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 9,335
    My mum has one of these and she could kill a pet brick so they've got to be pretty hardy.
    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • dappledshadedappledshade Posts: 982
    They are pretty hardy. I've got one and it flowers red at Christmas. Sometimes I take bits off, stick them in the soil to grow another and pass to friends. Very easy to propagate (if I can do it, anybody can!)
    Sorry to hear about your mum and friend  :/
  • dappledshadedappledshade Posts: 982
    edited September 2018

    ...oh and whomever said about not turning them whilst buds appear - absolutely. I touch mine as little as possible when it's in bud. Sometimes I give it a mist. I water it about once a week in Summer (very little) and less in winter. Soil is very gritty and free draining. I feed all my succulents very few months or so.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 11,411
    wild edges said:
    My mum has one of these and she could kill a pet brick so they've got to be pretty hardy.
    This made me laugh out loud ! Agree with the "no turning" advice. 
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