help with id of flower and care

I posted this on another page of cactus but they thought this forum might help me. My mom passed away oct of this year and she had the plant for 5 years and never seen it bloom well it was caught after the bloom was spent. I need help with the care I do not want to loose this plant. Right now it has something shooting from the older leaves that looks like a long stem turning into somehting. I have been getting up the past wk at 2-3-4-5 to catch if it is a bloom. Can anyone help me it is in a small pot and I water very little and it sits under a south window.

Your plant looks like Epiphyllum oxypetalum: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2443/

You might want to consider removing it from it's current container and take a look at the root system to see if it's possibly root bound, and re-pot in fresh medium in a larger container.

I grow mine in a chunky mix of Orchid Bark and potting soil and during the summer growing season I fertilize with a bloom booster orchid fertilizer. The buds will begin turning upwards before opening. This photo was taken August 23rd at 9 O'clock in the morning. By 10:30 that night the blooms were completely opened.

Almost forgot ... the long stem you see on your plant is just that, a new stem probably looking for something to cling to. This isn't the greatest photo but my large Epiphyllum has two new long shoots that were growing upwards and once they hit the roof they turned and are now hanging at an angle downwards. On the stem on the right you can see the little adventitious roots ... if they were near a tree these little roots would attach/cling to the tree for support. I've talked about planting this in the yard for years so it can naturally climb a tree but still haven't gotten around to it. It's in a container with a trellis but it has outgrown the trellis.

thank you so much plantladylin, I really want to take the best care of the plant. I will get a wider and deeper pot and the soil mixture it is okay to do this now? I live in tn and was wondering if I could report now. The last few years of my mom life was not easy for her and she has planted all kind of plants with the orchid. I found another shoot coming out closer to the soil so I guess it wants room!!. I thought about going out in the woods and gettin a tree trunk for the orchid to cling to so far that is the message that I am getting that it likes to climb. Thanks so much.

oldbat2008: The Epiphyllum is actually not an orchid, but does have the common/nickname of "Orchid Cactus". It likes the same type of environment as many orchids, requiring bright light, good air circulation and warmth.

Before getting a wider/deeper pot, I'd remove the plant from it's current container and look at the size of the root system to try and gauge what size pot to move it to. You don't want to get something too large, the general rule of thumb is to go one size larger than the current container. An old tree branch would make a nice trellis for the cactus to climb on as long as it isn't harboring insects that would attack your Epiphyllum. When watering, water enough that it runs through the entire plant and drains thoroughly out the bottom, and empty the saucer so it isn't sitting in water which can cause root rot. I grow everything on the dry side, watering thoroughly each week during the summer months but only every two weeks or so during the winter. My plants stay outside year round so they get a lot of moisture from our humidity. Plants that are kept inside during winter months can dry out much faster due to heat in the house, so you will have to decide how often your plant needs watering.

Keep us posted on how your Epiphyllum responds ... maybe next summer you will get to see those beautiful, fragrant blooms!

From your Message ID I assume you are somewhere in the northern US. This plant will do better with a rest in a cold room between 55 and 45F at the coldest. At that temperature it will only need a bit of water monthy and light is less important. I would not unpot the plant until next spring, when its actively growing. If it is E. oxypetalum it has a large night blooming flower of pure white, and needs the cool rest to set the buds.

If its rotting off its roots or having other problems it can be repotted now and the new repots rested, as the roots will regrow during the rest.

Currently my Epis (and a few other plants) are in my garage in a wire shelf 6 feet high, with two fluorescent fixtures providing 8 hours of light daily. Apparently many say the lights are not necessary. Temp in the garage varies from 40-60 this fall and winter and I can cover and place an oil heater under the shelf to keep it more like 60F than 40F.

Rob

Ok the plant seems to look okay and I do not water it very much and it does drain out the bottom so I think I will watch it until maybe March and then re-pot It has really started new leaves and these shoots since it bloomed in late Oct which I missed. It seems to be holding more upright now than when I first started taking care of it so maybe its happy did not think about insects so I think I will get a metal trellis. None of the leaves are dying or falling off so if we all agree I will repot in March.

I would get a trellis or cut back in the spring. They can be huge plants without pruning.

It appears that you have inherited a beautiful healthy plant. Some night this summer you will probably be rewarded with beautiful, fragrant blooms and you will falll in love with this plant.