The demise of one of my hanging cacti recently left me speechless. This epiphytic hung for years in a pot mounted on the fence underneath a patio. One day the plant was healthy, in full bloom, a spectacular sight. Within weeks the stem segments changed colors, then started falling off.

Hanging Schlumbergera in full bloom. (photos by Launa Herrmann)

Upon closer inspection, I noticed hardened ridge lines running along some of the leaves and thickened growth at the joints, beige in color. From the almost-crystalized corky appearance of the lines and joint growth, I initially thought that the plant had dried out.

Crystalized segments visible.

But the opposite is true. The Schlumbergera had edema. Too much rain and cooler temperatures this fall and winter had taken their toll, especially after the previous four years of mild winters with little precipitation. This South American native was stressed, preferring temperatures 60 to 68 degrees with watering only once a week. Also, I had not considered that the potting mix that had allowed this plant to survive Vacaville's hot dry summer needed the addition of sand or perlite so it could drain quicker.

Here are a couple photos of Schlumbergera illustrating the problem:

Healthy stem segments.

Unhealthy stem segments.