stuck a piece in the ground and here is a bud

it was a gift. i didn't even know what it was so placed it in the hot sunlight untill i learned better. it had a bloom while in the harsh sun. but i still don't know the name. xuling

If I survive the test tomorrow I will try to do some research.

Good night

Sandy

What test Sandy?

MRI on my blasted shoulder. Wont know the results until next week.. Everyone keep their fingers crossed that they find out what is wrong and it can be fixed.

Sandy

Oh, I'm so sorry ... didn't know you had hurt your shoulder! I will keep good thoughts and prayers that it will be something minor that can be fixed easily!

Thank you. Have not been able to do much in the yard or with the epis. Hope to get everyone repoted and the benches finished. And the shadehouse redone and some solar panels for fans. Get way to hot out there. But everything just needs to wait.

Sandy

get better fast Sandy :)
maybe these pics, on the epi's 3d day of blooming will help. it shows sign of fading so probably won't be much tomorrow. but if there is i will take a pic. xuling

and the 2d get well pic

and the 3d pic

Wow, 3 days! That is wonderful to have those gorgeous blooms last so long! Amazing color and really stunning bloom!

Thank you

I think I found it. Does this one look like it.
http://www.gotepis.com/cart/cuttings/all/million-dollar-red/prod_188.html

Sandy

I'm not good comparing photo's but it sure looks close! Million Dollar Red is the perfect name for that one too!

i don't believe so.bof course i have the advantage of seeing it live and seeing the color change throughout the day. that million-dollar-red has too much red in it. mine has more scarlet/orange/coral type colors. xuling

I found this one and the growth matches. Orange with red to light cerise edge. Medium, double wide form. Thick flat and triangular growth.
http://www.epigalleria.com/images/LMarlborough.jpg

Sandhy

the color is really good,maybe a little light, but mine has no edge. it is a solid color that changes constantly with the light change. xuling glad you are looking, it would be fun to know what it is. but i suspect it is fairly common because my friend gave it to me and while she likes to garden, she is no specialist in anything. it was probably given to her. xuling

well it took a long time to finally bloom, and after 3 full days of bloom, it was time to rest.
xuling

Yes, time to rest and store up lots of energy for the next time!

Thanks for sharing your lovely bloom!

my pleasure. or more likely something like the flower's pleasure. xuling

xuling--

Your red Epi looks the same as mine.....
It really bloomed well for me this Summer! I have had this plant for about 5 years.....In the last 3 years--it started blooming. First it had 2 blooms---Next year it had about 5---This Summer it just dazzled me wit a lot of blooms....

Here is one of the pictures....

Here is another---
I took so many! They were just beautiful!

The plant you see behind it is my Ric-Rac cactus (Selencerius anthonyanus)....

Now I have a serious question.....PLEASE tell me what you think!

I KNOW this Epi i have is miserably root-bound! It is in a small,6" pot and I really feel I need to transplant it next Spring.
It seems to me that the long fronds have become very dessicated (dried out) towards the end of the Summer.

There are dried, woody sections on the stems near the soil. Lots of brown. Almost papery.
One big piece broke off as i was getting it ready to bring inside. Even the ends of the fronds seem thin--dried out---as if there is no "flesh" there.

I do not really know what is happening--except that I blame muself for, maybe, not watering it enough during the Summer--OR--that it seriously needs re-potting in maybe a 10" pot.

I took a couple of pictures of it once I brought it in. Do you think it is just getting old????

Here is one of them....

In this picture--I hope you can see how dessicated the leaves look.
It is like there is nothing inside--just the ribs and the outer skin.

I cannot believe how bad it looks--after the amazing flowering show it put on in June and July of this Summer.

What is wrong? What can/should i do??????

Thanks, Gita

Repot and keep up the watering and feed it this month, do not feed it for the next 3 and then start feeding it again in Feb. The watering is the most important, some new soil is the second.

Sandy

Sandy--Thanks..

I admit, because it is so root-bound--that it has gone dry for most of the Summer.

The fronds on this Epi are SOOOO long! It will be hard to re-pot....Would you suggest I jump from this tiny 5"-6" pot to a 10" HB?

I have had another Epi--as old as this one. Slightly different leaves--a bit more triangular.
It has NEVER bloomed yet!

THEN--I have an Epi Oxy--all the same age. it is pretty huge and I HATE those long, stick-like stems it grows 4' in the air!!! I end up cutting them off.
t is in a big enough pot--but I really do not know what to do with it! It has never bloomed either.....
Maybe it needs better light? I have kept it in a fairly bright shade all these years.

This was "IT" this Summer....Here is the whole plant.....

And--here is the rest of it! That TALL, skinny stem growing up the side of my house.

Now that it is inside--i have already cut it off. I do have small, rooted cuttings of this and they are also growing this tall stem.
WHAT is the purpose of it????? I have these! Maybe I am NOT in a zone that is destined to grow Epis?

Gita

The reason for them is epis are tree growers and they are trying to increase the plants territory.
If possible I would leave them just stake them up
The long "leaves can be cut and potted up them self.

My rule of thumb is place them in a pot big enough to be stable. Remember there are no pot walls in nature. Others think they should be root bound to bloom.

The experts say to feed monthly with 10-10-10 for 9 months and Nov, Dec, Feb feed 0-10-10

I did not water very good this summer either or feed as often as I should do to health problems. Besides it was way to hot to be out side.

sandy

And--I had read that one should stop watering them in Jan. and Feb. to give them a dormancy.
Here, of course, they are inside already--until the very end of April. Does that make a difference? With the feeding you suggested--I mean?

I just do not have room in my LR for these big plants. IF it does not flower next Summer--i am giving it away!

G.

I am not an expert but I think it is more a sunlight thing, short days less growth so less feeding.
I could never bring all mine inside, so I had my DB build my shade/green house. Next year we are going to start on the second one. LOL

Sandy

Gitagal, I'm no expert but I think your epi deffinately needs repotting into a 10" pot! As to light, the pros grow them under 50% shade cloth, and I believe I have read that they are photo-sensitive...won't tolerate light at night. Here, I grow mine under a lemon tree year round, but I noticed that my biggest one, that gets light from the church parking lot next door, only gave me one bloom. As to the watering in winter; they need less but not to where they are desicated. The lack of feeding gives them the dormancy.
As to the Epi Oxy: mine is in deep shade and only got 1 bloom this year, whereas the mother plant (in a neighbor's yard) is in full sun, and bloomed like crazy! It looked terrible with yellow leaves from too much sun, but it blooms for them every year. Some of mine will take a lot of sun and some burn. To sum it up; fresh, fast draining soil, filtered sun, less water and no feeding in winter. A good website for month by month instructions is " www.episbypat.com." Hope this helps! they are worth the wait!
Carol

Carol,

Thanks for some down-to-earth advice.
i DO have a patio light on a pole that stays on all night and day. It is only a 40W bulb--but it is there and sheds some light on the nearby plants.

My red Epi bloomed beautifully this Spring. Buds and blooms all over. This was it's 3rd year of blooming. It has had more flowers each successive year.
Now I worry as the fronds look all dried up and dessicated. This is to such a degree that I doubt those fronds will recover.

I will try to re-pot the two I have with fresh soil and all that. That will be hard--as the fronds are 3' long and have little thorns on them. I may shrink-wrap the top and pot away.....

The Epi Oxy has been re-potted already last year. I think it is OK for now.

Here's the red Epi blooming....

Another shot.....
You can see the light on the post i was talking about in the back.

This was the last cluster of blooms for this year...

edited to remove double post of the below.

This message was edited Oct 23, 2009 10:27 PM

This was the last cluster of blooms for this year...

So healthy! So green! And--then it just went pfffffttt! Perhaps it simply could no longer absorb any water as it is so pot-bound....and--we had a pretty hot summer as well.

Try spraying the "leaves" daily with water with a little tiny bit of food in the water. Do not keep the soil wet. The leaves may put out new roots and then you can cut off and pot up these and maybe save the plant.

Sandy

Sandy--

I will see if re-potting will do the trick first. Don't really want to cut it back and start new plants. If i do--I will have to wait at least 3-4 years before it blooms again. I DO think they like to be a bit pot-bound to bloom--like many other plants...

I have several Brugs---My "Maya" went bonkers this Summer! It had 4 HUGE bloom flushes. It was HUGE itself--and I had not re-potted it for 3 years. Look!
The whole plant had gotten so big--I donated it to an Arboretum.