I don't know if I can leave my one unknown epi outside under the olive tree for the winter or bring it into the house. is it a dangerous plant if cats were to knibble on it? i don't want to hurt my cats if they chew on it if I bring it inside. what is the acceptable cold range for epis? thanks for the help. xuling
are epis dangerous to pets?
I do not know if they are dangerous to cats, but they may be distasteful so I would not worry to much.
I think as long as they do not freeze they will be ok. A couple of my Epi Oxy's where out unprotected all winter and we get down to freezing a couple of times. they where under a overhang and only get a little damage.
Sandy
that sounds good. too much rain water doesn't hurt them?
xuling
If they do not stay wet they will be ok, remember they come from the tropics, where there is a rainy season, I like to use clay pots as they dry out faster.
Sandy
it is in a clay pot with very fast draining soil, so hopefully it wil be fine. hopefully. thanks, xuling
From what I have read Epis are good to about 40F. I don't think that any toxins have been found in Epis, and most other cacti.
Rob
40 degrees? oops i better make some in house arrangements. xuling
How many do you have?
You could do as I have and build a PVC pipe frame and cover it with plastic, if it gets to cold you can put a group of lights in there or a small heater.(I have a round 200 or so. LOL)
Sandy
i have just the one. and really don'tknow anything about the epis, other than the blooms on this one were fabulous. i better figure out how to bring it indoors for the winter though. xuling
My epies are fine down to the 35 degree range though I try to keep them above 40. We have had a tremendously cold winter thus far but they all seem to be fine. At night, the greenhouse has been as low as 39 degrees with my epies and orchids in it---no damage thus far. In prior years, as long as I stay above freezing and keep plants from touching the glass, I am fine. bob
Beaufort mini-cat "Elizabeth"
This message was edited Feb 1, 2010 11:03 AM
There is a sticky for toxic plants at the top of the plant identification forum you might want to look through.
Carol
xuling,
Don't know if this will help you at all but I have a few eppis. I also have 10 cats and many other plants. My cats are always willing to chew/play/nibble/sometimes shred my plants. The only plants they NEVER touch are my eppis and they are all within easy reach for any of them. LOL I'm not sure why this is but that's just my own experience with cats and eppis.
If you're worried, another good thing to try is a product called "Bitter yuk". It makes plants taste (and probably smell) bitter to pets. I spray it on all my plants and it doesn't seem to harm them at all (I do avoid flowers). I've got four cats and a dog and none of them have laid a tooth on a single leaf since I started using it.
thanks for all the advice. i put it in an upstairs room and giving it a little water now and then and it seems to be doing fine. the kitties are locked up in a bright bedroom due to some heavy spraying activity, so they ca n't reach the plant even if they wanted to chew on it. Xuling
I have 3 cats and 4 different epis. I put wax paper in mine because cats don't like the feel of wax paper on their feet. Then when spring comes I put'em outside to grow. :)
I can't wait to put mine outside. As odd as it sounds I don't like indoor plants, as they are just more work. And the older I get the lazier I become. But then I was born lazy and have had several relapses since. Xuling
I love my plants. I get the ones you can neglect. I love'em. My house is a jungle. My epis get neglected in the winter and then I put'em under a shaded area where they get rained on and they bloom. They love the rain or to be misted. For some reason that promotes mine to bloom. It's cold here and mine are in the basement. I watered mine twice since November. They do great. If I pay too much attention to those. I'll kill it. Mine is 30 years old. My great grandmother had it. I've trimmed it down quite a bit. It's still alive. I really don't know how. LOL