Christmas Cactus – Coloring

Q: I have several colors of Christmas cactus that I am experimenting with in a planter. I was told these cacti will all be the same color after a period of time. Is this true? Is there one color or variety that is dominant? Can I mix the colors in one common container or should I keep separate containers?

A: I guess the blooms could all become one color if one of the plants was more vigorous than the others. I collected thirty leaf segments from a dozen different Christmas cactus plants belonging to my friend Mimi Holcomb last year. I stuck them in one big container and most of them rooted just fine. Now some are much larger than others, even though they were all treated the same. I could see how, in a few years, the larger plants would dominate the smaller ones and a single color would emerge. Perhaps you’d better separate the plants you have.