Selenicereus anthonyanus ("Ric Rac", "Zig Zag") is finally blooming! I've been really surprised at how long it takes for the buds to grow and plump up and bloom! I thought I'd show a sequence from the beginning of the buds to the open bloom.
Nothing special, the first teeny buds appeared on May 2nd.
This thing sure is a slow poke, the buds on May 19th:
edited to correct the date.
This message was edited May 24, 2010 8:46 PM
Buds on May 21st:
A view of the whole plant on May 21st:
Finally blooms last night May 23rd @ 10:30 p.m.
The blooms are fragrant, perfuming the air. It's just overpowering if you are up close.
One more ...
Hi Lin! May I ask how old your ric-rac is? I have had mine forever and no flowers to date. My oxypetallum and hookeri bloom for me. Tell me your secret...did you bloom boost her? Do tell...
she is gorgeous!!Does your chrysocardium bloom for you? Mine is new. Got her this past winter. She's a pretty good sized plant. Was wondering if she blooms more or less than the ric;rac(selencereus) Curious minds want to know. Thanks! Melanie
Thanks Melanie! I hate the thorns on the Ric-Rac, but the zig zag stems are so interesting, I think that's why I bought the plant when I first saw it years ago. I don't have a Chrysocardium, only a large Hookeri, Oxypetalum and this Selenicereus. I still have a couple of small unknown Epi's received in trades a few years ago that made it through the winter but they no longer have tags so I have no clue what they are.
The Ric Rac I've had for a long time, I purchased it as a small plant in a 4" pot from Albertsons grocery store many years ago. I didn't know what kind of plant it was, had no idea it was a cactus. I'd never seen it bloom, but it was out under a tree in the backyard for years and I was working long hours at the time and never paid much attention to it, especially at night ... so if it did bloom in the past I missed it!
A couple of years ago I had moved the plant onto the pool deck and noticed an ugly mushy growth that I thought was some sort of fungus or something, worrying that it would kill the plant. I posted a photo on here asking for advice and LOL, I was informed that it was a spent bloom, and someone identified the plant for me as the night blooming Ric Rac Orchid Cactus!
The plant is in a plastic hanging basket sitting down into a wrought iron hanging basket. It's needed re-potting for awhile now but I hate the thorns so I haven't dealt with that job yet! It is totally root bound, not much (if any) soil left in the container, I think it's all roots. I googled recently and read somewhere that they will bloom when root bound so I guess that's why mine is blooming so well all of a sudden. It's not one of my favorite plants but it sure is interesting looking and the flowers are really pretty. The fragrance is nice unless you get right up on the plant, then it's a bit overpowering.
Lin
Congratulations on your blooming rick rack. The flower is beautiful. You may have hit the nail on the head when you said that it's very pot bound. I will put mine in a smaller pot to see if it will bloom. Did yours not bloom since I suggested a couple of years ago that "the mushy part was a spent bloom from the previous night and that you'd missed the show" ? Up until that post, I didn't think that they made a flower. Thanks for the eye opener.
Deborah
Thanks Deborah!
Aha, so it was you who identified my plant and the spent bloom! This is the first time I've seen this plant bloom in all the years I've had it. When I posted the picture a few years ago of what you told me was the spent bloom, there was only that one bloom on the plant. I haven't seen any sign of buds or blooms again until now, but it could be that I missed them when I was working or out of town ... or it could be that they are happy because I'm now fertilizing them once in awhile. I have been so bad about fertilizing my plants over the years and am trying to get better at it but alas, I probably still don't do it enough, it's sporadic at best. This one usually gets fed bloom booster (11-35-15) fertilizer when I remember to feed my few orchids. I also put pieces of banana peel in the pot and let them rot. I throw banana peels on the Epiphyllum oxypetalum and hookeri as well because I've always heard that the potassium is good for them.
I understand about the fertilizer part, I'm still working on that and not doing very well. It's still hit and miss. I was just thinking to myself this morning that maybe I should do the weekly weakly method. LOL. It beats trying to remember when I last fertilized a plant and how often. Now banana peels, potassium . . . that's a thought.
Deborah
I've heard some folks say they use the banana peels on roses too but so far I've just used them on my Epiphyllum.
You know... I have given banana peels some consideration. However, I had my first experience with fungus gnats this year and was skeptical about using them for fear they might add insult to injury. I think I will give it a shot. I fertilize rarely and inconsistently. My ric-rac is not very pot bound. It was up until a year ago. Still, no flowers. Instead it just started looking anemic. My hookeri is so root bound there is NO soil left. Just roots that have cracked original pot and escaped. I have it in this pot within a larger pot so she doesn't fall over. Lin, for some reason I thought that you had posted a picture of a chrysocardium. Well if you decide you would like to have this one, I'd be happy to share a cutting of mine.
I would use bananna peels on plants kept outdoors and be sure to treat the soil before I bring them in from the cold. Or, I may just use a systemic insecticide so that I don't have to worry about them at all, I think. Now, I don't know the difference between Epiphyllum oxypetalum and hookeri. Can someone direct me to some info on this? I have one, but I don't know which it is, and I'd like to get some cuttings of the other.
Deborah
locoluna: My Epi's stay outside year round. When it gets cold I just throw old blankets over them. I lost many plants in our horribly cold winter but the Epi's weren't fazed by the low temp's. Usually fungus gnats result when the soil is kept too wet. I had a problem with those little buggers on some indoor plants years ago ... I used to have a habit of over watering. Nowadays everything gets pretty dry between watering.
Deborah: Epiphyllum hookeri foliage is thicker and more succulent than oxypetalum, and hookeri does not have fragrance but E. oxypetalum has extremely fragrant blooms.
E. hookeri: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2100/
E. oxypetalum: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2443/
my hookeri has a sturdy upright growth. Thick succulent leaves that are slightly scalloped. The oxy is pretty sturdy at the base that is upright. But the leaves are wider, wavy and less succulent. I will post pics later. ;) Melanie
Okay. Then I have E. oxypetalum. Does anyone have a cuttings of e. hookeri that they would be willing to share for postage?
Lin, I think you were the person that told me a while ago to cut off the weak thin growth that I get when I keep my plants indoors during the winter as it will not be strong enough to support the leaves. And that I should keep the plant cool. You're in zone 9b and said that you simply cover your plants outdoors when it gets cold. I'm in 8a and it gets below freezing several times during the winter, sometimes into the teens. So I can't do that. But, I should be able to keep my plant in the garage which generally does not get below freezing. I overwintered geraniums & some other frost tender plants last year. What do you think?
Lin, That ric rac is gorgeous! I hope mine will bloom this year too.
I'm wondering if anyone has a slip of the zig zag they would be willing to part with? Thanks so much!
Lin Congratulations
sandy
I do, amandac. Just D-mail me your address.
plantladylin,
Hookeri is very fragrant. So fragrant it's intoxicating.
