Q. How late is too late to plant daffodil bulbs? They are on sale, but I don’t want to buy them if they won’t survive.
Although right now (late winter/early spring) is not the optimal time to plant them, they will probably bloom next spring. Make sure they’re not all dried up since they’ve been sitting out for a while. If you decide to buy now, go ahead and plant them as soon as possible. I made the mistake of buying a couple of big bags of bulbs and promptly misplaced them. When I finally found them, they were completely desiccated. About 6 months after tossing them into the compost, some of them miraculously sprouted. I relocated them into the garden, and they’ve been fine ever since. Sometimes those “plant by” dates can be surprisingly flexible.
Q. I have a Christmas cactus that has finally dropped all its flowers. I’d like to put it outdoors, but I don’t want to kill it. Can it tolerate outdoor temperatures if there’s no frost?
There are two types of cacti – desert types and forest types. Desert cacti are very hardy and thrive in full sun, low water, and good drainage. Christmas (and Easter) cacti are forest cacti and are completely different from desert cacti.
Christmas cacti (Schlumbergera buckleyi) produce succulent, tooth-edged “leaves” (actually stem segments) on branched arching stems. Their flowers appear between November and January and can be pink, white, red, or purple. Once the flowers fall off, most people like to keep the plant around in the hope that it will re-bloom. Unfortunately, few will be successful.
If you want it to rebloom, wait until late June or early July and relocate the plant to a sheltered outdoor spot that gets part sun. Water regularly, but don’t allow the planting mix to become waterlogged. By the middle of September, bring the plant back inside, cut back on the water, and keep it in a cool spot. Think of this as “naptime” for the plant. By early November, resume watering and move to an east-facing window. By this time, buds should be visible, and the plant should not be moved (except for periodic rotation to encourage symmetrical growth). By late November or early December, it should be reblooming.
Q. I think I may have overwatered my pothos plant. Is there something I can do to prevent the roots from rotting?
You don’t have to wait until your plant starts showing signs of distress. Simply tip the plant out of its pot and nestle the root ball in a large container of dry potting mix. Leave it there for a few days (or up to a week, depending on how sodden the soil was). The dry potting mix will absorb any excess water while protecting the roots from drying out. Once the root ball is sufficiently dry, but still moist, repot the plant.
Los Angeles County
mglosangeleshelpline@ucdavis.edu; 626-586-1988; http://celosangeles.ucanr.edu/UC_Master_Gardener_Program/
Orange County
ucceocmghotline@ucanr.edu; http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/
Riverside County
anrmgriverside@ucanr.edu; 951-955-0170; https://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/
San Bernardino County
mgsanbern@ucanr.edu; 909-387-2182; http://mgsb.ucanr.edu