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ByJudyPaul With the holiday here, it seems timely to write about a Christmas cac- tus, second to the Poinset- tia in popularity of holiday plants. The Christmas cac- tus, Schlumbergera bridg- esii, also known as Zygo- cactus, has its origin in the rainforests of Brazil. It is considered a tropical suc- culent rather than a desert cactus. The blooms show off their colors of red, or- ange, pink, white, or yel- low around the Christmas season or sometimes Eas- ter. The Christmas cac- tus grows in a pendu- lous manner making it good for hanging contain- ers. It forms long stems or sections called phyllo- clades with the blossoms at the end of the stems. It doesn't produce leaves. Care is generally low main- tenance, and with proper conditions, the plant is of- ten long-living. Plant this succulent in a well draining soil of one part quality potting mix, one part perlite, and two parts peat moss. Water thoroughly and then let it be until top half of soil feels dry. A good rule of thumb is less water is bet- ter than too much. They do like a bit of humidity so you can mist them or place them on a tray of pebbles with a bit of water. This plant prefers bright, indi- rect lighting and temper- atures between 60-70 day- time, and somewhat cooler at night. To encourage blooming the Christmas cactus does require some special treat- ment. First, reduce the wa- tering in fall and winter. Next, and perhaps most importantly, this plant is thermo-photoperiodic. It requires cooler night tem- peratures and darkness for the blooming cycle. Buds should form in about 8 weeks. Beginning in mid- September it will need 14- 16 hours of darkness to force flowering. You can do this by having the plant in a room where lights don't go on at night, move it each night (which seems cumbersome and hard on the plant), or cover with a dark cloth. At my house, we have our two cacti in our shop where there is relative darkness at night, and this has worked for en- couraging buds to form. I worked in a greenhouse where Poinsettias were grown for sale and they were covered with large black cloths each night. This is only my idea, but it seems logical this could work for the Christmas cactus as well. When the buds form, in- crease the water, light, and humidity a bit. Bud drop is usually because of over-wa- tering, or lack of humidity. After flowering, cease wa- tering for about 6 weeks to allow the plant to rest. When you see new growth, resume watering and fer- tilize lightly. This is also a good time to prune to encour- age branching and denser growth. You may want to re-pot if needed. I read that the cactus will grow to the circumference of the pot; a bigger pot equals a bigger plant. This February time can be a good time to propa- gate also. Simply cut y- shaped sections of the stem (2 or 3 joined sec- tions), allow to dry slightly, and plant half way down to first segment. Water spar- ingly, and rooting should occur in 4-6 weeks. If you desire to move the plant outside in the sum- mer, they will like a cov- ered patio or filtered light. Introduce the plant to out- doors gradually. Too much sun will make the stem segments reddish. The Christmas cactus is really a beautiful bloom- ing plant. Ours are in full bloom right now, boasting brilliant blooms of orange, pink, and white. May these tips encourage you to try one for yourself. The Red Bluff Garden Club is affiliated with the Cascade District Garden Club; California Garden Clubs Inc.; Pacific Region Garden Clubs and National Garden Clubs Inc. REDBLUFFGARDENCLUB Christmascactusfortheholidays COURTESYPHOTO Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera bridgesii, also known as Zygocactus The following informa- tion is compiled from Red Bluff Police Department, Red Bluff Fire, Tehama County Sheriff's Depart- ment, Corning Police De- partment, Corning Fire, Cal Fire and California Highway Patrol logs. Arrest JustinJ.Sallee: 31, of Red Bluff was arrested Tues- day on Sandy Way. He was booked into Tehama County Jail on the felony charges of leaded cane, billy club, black jack, sand club, slingshot, sandbag, possession of firearm by felon, possession of a controlled substance while armed, possession of controlled substance for sale and keeping place for sale of narcotics. Sallee also was booked on a misde- meanor charge of posses- sion of controlled substance paraphernalia. Bail was $88,000. Burglary 3000block Toomes Avenue: a burglary was reported. Disturbance Pine Street: About 8p.m. Tuesday a man was seen chasing a woman who was with another man. The man chasing the woman report- edly yelled he was going to kill her. Missing Corning Road: A man reported Tuesday that his male rottweiler and Queensland mix had been missing for two days. Patrol Colusa Street, Corning: Extra patrol was requested in the evenings due to a suspicious vacuum sales- man in the area. Mooney Court: A woman reported her tire had been slashed by someone known to her and requested extra patrol as time allows. Prowler Cabernet Court: The Cab- ernet Apartments reported about 3a.m. Wednesday a possible prowler near building two a er hearing someone move around in the dumpster area and see- ing flashlights. Byron Avenue: Noises were reported outside as though someone was run- ning around the apartments about 11p.m. Tuesday. Extra patrol was requested. Suspicious Solano Street: A suspi- cious circumstance was reported about 1:45a.m. of a man was in the alley pacing back and forth. The man, who was in posses- sion of a knife, had report- edly approached the person saying someone played him over. The reporting party believed the man was pos- sibly under the influence of drugs. Police contacted the man and gave a trespass admonishment. McCoy Road, near Heit- man Drilling: It was re- ported Tuesday that all the mailboxes had been open and mail scattered on the roadside about two weeks prior in the 14000, 15000, 19000and 20000block of McCoy as well as Quercus Lobata Byway. Edith Avenue: The owner of Rockin' Randy's Laundro- mat reported a suspicious note had been le at the business and requested extra patrol. Walbridge Street: A man in a white shirt and or- ange pants was reportedly walking back and forth and tapping vehicles about 1:45 a.m. Wednesday. Officers were unable to located him during an area check. Toomes Avenue: Someone reported a window screen had been removed and a window was slightly open in a building where the tenants had been arrested the previ- ous week and were believed to still be in jail. The s Madison Street: A the was reported at Reynolds Ranch and Farm Supply. Spyglass Drive: The the of laser lights from a yard Monday evening was re- ported. Beverly Avenue: A the was reported in a Jeep that had the top slit sometime Monday evening. Oriole Drive: A the from a vehicle with a suspicious vehicle seen in the area about 10:30p.m. Tuesday was reported. The suspi- cious vehicle had a red lens missing and one headlight dimmer than the other. An area check was made, but no one was located. Vandalism Fig Street: A Corning woman reported about 11:30p.m. Tuesday that her residence had been egged and her husband had located a youth running through the alley a erward. It was requested the teens be contacted. The youth were admonished for their behavior and advised they would clean up the mess in the morning. Another report was received minutes later on Cassandra Circle in Corning in which a woman said her residence had been egged 20minutes prior by someone in a gray sweatshirt. Someone else reported a car egged. Washington Street: About midnight Monday suspicious activity was reported and a screen door was damaged. Orange Street: A residence vacant for more than a year was reportedly hit with grafitti. 200block Belle Mill Road: Three boys and a girl with blonde hair reportedly vandalized a vacant house around 4:30p.m. The teens, who were last seen running toward a concrete bridge, reportedly broke windows out. POLICE LOGS COOK Keep yOur family safer frOm fOOd pOisOning Check your steps at foodsafety.gov dO yOu want that safe Or medium-safe? use a fOOd thermOmeter tO maKe sure yOu COOK raw meat and pOultry tO a BaCteria-Killing temperature. dO yOu want that safe Or medium-safe? Keep yOur family safer frOm fOOd pOisOning Check your steps at foodsafety.gov The National Weather Service is predicting an- other storm system will move in Wednesday night into Thursday morning, and snow levels could drop as low as 1,000 feet. Take a moment to pre- pare before heading out on the roads. Here are a few helpful reminders from Caltrans District 2. Carry chains. Many stores will let you re- turn them if you don't use them. Take the tire mea- surements or the car you plan on driving when you make the purchase to make sure the chains will fit. Watch local weather re- ports before leaving home. If you must travel in ex- treme weather conditions, let others know your route and when they should ex- pect you. Pack a flashlight, ex- tra batteries, warm blan- kets, food, water and any essential medications in your car if traveling long distances. Make sure your wind- shield wipers, defrost- ers and headlights are in working order. Remember to turn your headlights on in the rain. You can find real-time weather, chain control and road closure infor- mation at www.caltrans2. info. Just click on the One Stop Shop or Quick Map icons at the top of the page to access informa- tion or view our multiple traffic cameras through- out District 2. You also can call the Road Condi- tions Hotline at 225-3452 and follow "CaltransD2" on Twitter after hours for any road closure updates. RESOURCES Holiday travel safety tips The following is a list of houses decorated for Christmas that were sub- mitted by readers as ex- ceptional displays: Red Bluff 1225 Aloha Ct. 1633 Aloha St. Ashmount Avenue 1221, 1209, 1350 Britt Lane Corner of Cedar and Lincoln streets Chestnut Avenue 300 block Christina Drive Corner of Deborah Drive and Aloha Street 1300, 1340 Donita Drive Dumosa Drive Corner of El Cerrito Drive and Aloha Street Franklin and Hickory streets 1335 Franzel Road Corner of Franzel and Luther roads 1400 block Kimball Road Lassen Avenue 300 block Michael Drive 900 block Oak Grove Avenue Oriole Drive 1395 Southpointe Drive 1148 Washington St. Walton Avenue Corner of Union Street and Jefferson Street Corning 263 Rio Bravo Court 1631 6th Ave. 115 McLane Ave. 400 South St. 1903 Taft Ave. 1913 Taft Ave. 343 Edith Ave. 217 Carona Ave. Los Molinos 8470 Sherwood Blvd. CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS Best Display In the role of the waif of the London slums, in "The Dawn of a Tomor- row," the great dramatic success by Frances Hodg- son Burnett, and the five- part photo adaptation of which will be shown at Helton's Princess to- night, Mary Pickford, the foremost exponent of the screen, literally is irresist- ible. — Dec. 24, 1915 100 YEARS AGO... Mary Pickford at Princess tonight Findusonline! Tehama District Jr. Livestock AnnualMeeting Wed., Jan 13 th 6pm held in the Tehama Room @ Tehama District Fairgrounds 736-1389 632 Main Street, Red Bluff RagzToRiches 20% off Selected Items (Must present coupon) Unique Seasonal Gifts Handcrafted Items C O U P O N C O U P O N Open7Daysaweek:4amto10pm (530) 727-6057 •DozenDonuts (mixed) $8.99 "Thebestdonutintown!" Baked Fresh Daily SeniorDiscount BreakfastCroissantSandwich Sausage, Ham or Bacon Includes sm. coffee, or any other drink $ 4.99 218 S. Main Street, Red Bluff FACTORYMATTRESS OUTLET 3650MainSt.inCottonwood 347-3646 Open7Days(since1920) • FREE Delivery • FREE Take-Out SAVEFROM $ 100 $ 250 OFF With This Coupon TO QUALITY 2-SIDED FLIPPABLE MATTRESSES STOVEJUNCTION The TheNorthState'spremiersupplierofstoves 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff 530-528-2221 • Fax 530-528-2229 www.thestovejunction.com Over 25 years of experience Tues-Sat9am-5pm• ClosedSun&Mon Now Carrying! 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