Green Thumb Gazette, December 2024

Learn to Grow Native Plants with Winter Sowing!

Interested in growing native plants from seed this winter? This class is perfect for you! Buying native plants can be costly, even when your goal is to support native pollinators. That’s where winter sowing comes to the rescue—saving both your wallet and the environment.
Winter sowing is an easy, low-maintenance method to grow many native plants from seed at a fraction of the cost.

Join us on December 12th at the Alexander County Services Building for this hands-on workshop. Choose from two convenient time slots: 2–4 PM or 6–8 PM. Spaces are limited, so call our office to reserve your spot and pick your preferred session. Don’t miss this opportunity to grow your garden and your knowledge this winter!

Holiday Cacti

Identifying Your Holiday Cactus
Over the last couple weeks, many of you have already seen your holiday cactus blooming! For those of you who don’t already have a holiday cactus, THIS IS YOUR SIGN to purchase one! They are almost everywhere for purchase because many are in full bloom. Holiday cacti are super easy to care for and can last for years. Many families pass them down from generation to generation or divide and propagate them for friends and neighbors!

First, you should know the differences between the holiday cacti. I have a white-ish pink Thanksgiving cactus that, honestly, blooms right on time with its name! It has the more upward pointing leaf tips. The Christmas cactus looks very similar to the Thanksgiving cactus, especially their flowers, but their leaf tips are a little more blunt. The Easter cactus has the most rounded leaves of them all with a more star-shaped flower, rather than tubular.

Caring For Your Holiday Cactus
All three species of holiday cacti are short day plants, meaning they need days that have less than 12 hours of light in order to set buds. Short days and cooler temperatures help this bud making process.

It is perfectly acceptable to place your cactus outdoors in the summer when it is nice and warm, they actually love it as long as they don’t get full, direct sunlight! Part shade (3-6 hours of indirect light) is where they are most happy. You can leave them outside through fall until there is a danger of frost or a freeze. This will help the plant naturally go into that short-day mode. Once you officially bring in your holiday cactus, place it in a cool dark location until it sets buds (it doesn't have to be a basement… just somewhere out of the heat you will have probably turned on in the house at that point). When your buds form on the plant, you can bring it back upstairs or out from the cooler room it was in. All you have to do then is wait for the MAGIC!!

The Christmas and Thanksgiving cactus bloom around the same time, requiring six weeks of short days and cool temperatures. Don’t worry when your Easter cactus does not bloom with the rest of your holiday cacti, it isn’t supposed to. It takes almost double the amount of time in that cool period/ short days (hence the Easter time frame)!

Too much water, too much direct sunlight, and too warm temperatures in those short days can cause buds to drop. So once you pull your cactus out to start blooming, don’t place it right near a register blasting heat!

As with many plants, try to wait until the plant is actively growing again (in the spring/after frost danger has passed) to repot and fertilize.

Watering Your Holiday Cacti
Holiday cacti like to dry out on the top 1-2 inches before they are watered again. You can easily use your finger to check for moisture depth. Overwatering your cacti can result in yellowing leaves, leaf drop, or fungus gnats (yuck!).

If you have any questions about holiday cacti, please give me a call at 828-632-4451 or send me an email at cari_rosenbalm@ncsu.edu.

2025 Brushy Mountain Tree Fruit Meeting

Welcome to our Regional Tree Fruit Meeting! This event is tailored for commercial tree fruit producers across the mountains, foothills, Brushy Mountain region, and Piedmont of North Carolina, as well as neighboring areas and states. Join us for an engaging day with specialists from NC State University, as we explore the latest research and management practices to enhance the success and sustainability of your orchards. Let's work together to tackle challenges, embrace innovations, and strengthen our tree fruit industry!

Blueberry Pruning Field Day 2025

NC Cooperative Extension-Alexander County Center is excited to announce the return of our annual Blueberry Pruning Field Day! This year, the event will be held on Saturday, March 1st, at Campbell's Berry Farm in Hickory, NC. We invite all blueberry enthusiasts to join us for this hands-on learning experience led by Dr. Bill Cline, NC State Blueberry Specialist. To participate, please call us at 828-632-4451 to register. Participants are encouraged to bring their own pruning shears, lopping shears, gloves, and water. Be sure to dress appropriately for the weather and the occasion.

Pruning is an essential practice for maintaining healthy, productive blueberry bushes. Regular pruning improves fruit size and taste, makes the plants easier to manage, and promotes new growth by replacing old, less productive canes. During the field day, you’ll learn expert techniques to optimize your harvest and ensure the long-term health of your blueberry plants. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and practical skills—come ready to learn and prune!

2025 Alexander Extension Small Fruit Plant Sale

It is time again to start ordering your fruit plants and trees! The N.C. Cooperative Extension - Alexander County Center is now taking orders and will until sold out. There are some new items this year as well as some we have offered previous years.

Please know that the earlier you place your order the better chance we will be able to complete your request. Plants will be available for pickup on March 13, 2025.

To check current availability or to place your order, please call our office at 828-632-4451 or email Cari Rosenbalm at cari_rosenbalm@ncsu.edu.