My 136 year old cactus started blooming in late October, and normally makes it until March or April.
She gets passed down from one family member to another with the room for her, and the desire to care for her. She survived trips from Oregon to Nebraska, Nebraska to Alaska, and then Alaska to Oregon.
Caring for her is easy… She likes about 1qt/1l of water every two weeks, and a small rotation every month. The key is the water, we call it "fish poop water". We agitate the water in the fish tank to get everything moving, and use that particulate filled water.
She lives on an old console sewing machine in a large pot with south and southeast facing windows.
by ima-bigdeal
26 Comments
Holy moly! She’s so big and beautiful! 136 years… The stories that plant could tell…
Banana for scale, nice.
How beautiful, an old soul with forever new blooms thanks to all of you
Beautiful – doesn’t look a day over 135!
136 years!!! Wow! Amazing 🤩
That’s so cool she’s a beauty! My plants loved fish poop water when we had fish. Finally gave the fish away between kids dogs cats the fish were just too much.
I couldn’t keep mine for a week. What’s your secret wizard of the cactus!!
Beautiful! Kudos to your family for taking such good care of her for all these years!
Gorgeous!
She is absolutely stunning
So cool!!!
That’s incredible!!!
Beautiful
omg that is huge!!! gorgeous
Freaking stunning
I’m curious how many times it’s been repotted during its many trips around the sun!
My grandma had one of these and left it in my care when she went to visit her sister…I almost killed it. I had no idea it couldn’t stand full sunlight.
Question, mine is a few years old, I nearly killed it by having it in too large a pot and not enough light. I’ve recovered it. It keeps going floppy though – is it too much water or not enough? I can’t work it out? I water it every couple of weeks like I do my other plants
How ?!
What a stunning cactus! Love the “fish poop water” trick!
I just bought my first Christmas Cactus at Lowe’s a few days ago.
WOW! Show this over at r/matureplants they love this sort of beauty
Do you ever give it a bigger pot?
Wwwwoooah! I didn’t know they get that old or that big! Amazing!
136 years old . wow that is beauty . how did you manage to keep it that long as original owner is long gone and passing for generations in different environments since plants are very fickle about their environment and do not like to be move. i wonder how did you manage to do when i couldn’t keep some plant alive
Damn that cactus is older than both world wars holy shi