I have no clue what your noid is, but it is gorgeous. My strictum only blooms at night. The flowers are gone by about 10 am.
Pics of 2014 blooming season
These are probably the last pictures I'll post of this seasons blooms. Day bloomers taken at night plus the start of the new Epi greenhouse. Just noticed 7 new buds on a yellow and 4 new buds on a night bloomer so there will still be some fun to be had.
Starting to clean up the plants and move into larger pots and, of course, that creates more cuttings and more pots. :)
Look at the size of that flower, wow.
My epi "strictum" has about a dozen little flower buds coming on. It seems to bloom en mass.
It does bloom during the day. I have an Oxy that I have never seen the flowers open, I figure it must be opening at night because all I ever see is buds and spent flowers.
Well, if I ever make it back to Hawaii I'll have to impose on you to show me all of your plants.
microb, Greenhouse, or shade house? I'm confused about why you would need a greenhouse in Hawawaii. Are you up the mountain?
I get this question all the time. We live at 2200 ft level in tropical rain forest on the Big Island Average rainfall during the year is about 150 inches. (Its been raining on and off for the last couple of weeks and has been raining all day today). We once had 30 days of rain totaling 60 inches, and in one day alone about 12 years ago we had almost 20 inches in one day.
So the "greenhouse" is a framework covered with plastic sheeting. Don't need sides although I usually put shade cloth or plastic along the sides to keep the chickens out, just need to control the amount of water getting to the plants. Also nice to have somewhere to work with the plants while it is raining.
(Don't worry we do get plenty of beautiful sunny spells. January is usually our driest month. Most of the time its night and morning showers with partly sunny warm day.)
Probably much different from your environment.
The last of mine with buds bloomed. It was an oxypetalum. The mother of the plant I shared with you. It had twin buds and it stormed the night it opened, so I missed them both.
The heat is taking a toll on mine. I am moving them into as much shade as I can find especially now that I know they probably won't set any buds.
Those flowers are beautiful though.
Enjoy.
I plan to start working on my shade house soon. I will post pics on a new thread.
LOL! I figured you must be a way up the mountain, but didn't think about protection from rain. I'm only at 40' elevation, and we're 10" short of our "normal" rainfall, which is about 13" a year. I spent 7 days on the big island about 9 years ago. They were crying drought when we were there. Wish I was there now! I do realize that the island is like living in a sieve though.
The season is coming to an end. Seems like we all go into forum hibernation until the next blooming season. Here are a couple of late blooms, the first one is Zorina the other two are NOIDS. I missed three Queen of the Night last week. Woke up to droopy blooms. I think there are still four or five buds of various varieties still around but thats about it. Now cleaning up the plants, spraying for some scale, repotting, taking cuttings and ......
cleaning up storm damage from Hurricane Iselle. 14 inches of rain and 70 mph winds. No injuries or house damage. Front third of one greenhouse demolished. Still buried under a giant evergreen tree. Probably a dozen named epi plants crushed. I posted some pics on the weather forum. If I find the remains there may be some cuttings and who knows maybe one or two will be able to grow back.
Disease, cold, heat, storms we all have our challenges.
The new greenhouse which I just finished was unscathed.
Such is life.
Sorry to hear about the greenhouse, but glad to hear the new one is alright, and no damage to your home.
I am also sorry that your greenhouse was damaged.
I bet you will find some cuttings from your epis just hanging around under the debris.
I am glad that you are OK. That storm was dangerous.
Hurricane, that must have been exciting. I am such a weather wimp being a California girl, we rarely even get a lightening storm. I was in Hilo after a hurricane had hit years ago, it's amazing what a mess it was, and the flooding. . .
My Epi's are done. I got lots of bloom this year, especially on that white I posted earlier. All the cutttings you sent are doing fine also. Thanks again.
I am so sorry Mike. I know how devastating the aftermath of hurricanes can be. Hurricane Hugo came through here in 1989 with 160 mph winds making landfall about 60 miles south of me. If I could get there, I would help you clean up.
Digging through the thick evergreen branches and found "Mary Betty". Still in her pot, was able to provide air and will give water tomorrow. Should be able to remove with little damage. Spotted other casualties.
Hopefully you will find many more still in their pots as well.
Maybe this should be on my Blog not a forum, oh well.
A couple of days ago I completed removal of the tree from the front of the greenhouse. Picture of destruction below. Hoping that two thirds of the greenhouse will be saved. Trying to think creatively to rebuild the damaged area. All metal pieces were bent. Might be able to use PVC pipe or even a wood structure on the end. Five or six Epi's succumbed but I have cuttings or they were duplicates.
So now I continue storm clean up but at the same time take pleasure in after blooming season work of potting up from 1 gallon to 1 gallon pots and trimming back long growth which means more cuttings.
I have three lengths of plastic gutter, each 8 ft long, which will take cuttings. Will set them on the slant so I don't have to drill holes for drainage. Also found three plastic window boxes under the potting bench. Will plant those up with three or four Epis, medium size plants.
Pic is of a "Mary Betty" cutting that bloomed and the storm damage
Mary Betty is beautiful. The other picture...not so much. What a shame!
Mary Betty is very pretty.
Here are the last three blooms of the season
Paradise, Wild Acclaim, Wild Plum.
Almost finished trimming plants, repotting etc. Soon just be a case of water, fertilizer and wait until next blooming season. Some scale appearing but treatable.
New Greenhouse almost complete, storm damage to greenhouse cleaned up. Lost one third of a greenhouse but not the bench so that will be outside growing area. Will not rebuild. New greenhouse is big enough (for now).
Gutter pots (8ft lengths of plastic gutter) work well for cuttings. Get 50 cuttings per length and will move to pots when good growth starts. Probably fill three lengths this year as an experiment.
In review it was a good season. Thank you to all who exchanged cuttings and thanks to my wife for being patient with my obsession. Probably won't do much on this forum until next years blooming season.
Will do one more post of new greenhouse interior and gutter pots
(this is like and epi diary)
Aloha.
Mike
Pics of the greenhouse and the gutter cutting pot.
I enjoyed keeping up with this forum and all the pics of epi's.
Thanks so much for the cuttings, they are all doing really well and some already have new growth.
I just had a couple of surprise blooms, I thought they were done. We're finally getting some heat here in California and my epi's are loving it. 'Til next year.
Dee
Thanks to you too Mike, I have enjoyed your flowers and trading with you this year. I am getting a few blooms from my strictum and oxypetalum now. It seems odd, but they waited until fall to begin setting buds.
Hope your experiment works well.
Linda
Still getting blooms. This is Wild Acclaim, still going in October.
One more red NOID has three buds so will have some more blooms in a week or so.
Gutter pot cuttings are now showing signs of rooting and growth. Three 8 ft lengths of gutter with 50 cuttings in each. Looks like I will have some potting to do in a few weeks. But with the new greenhouse now complete I will have the bench space I need.
I wonder if that's the one I sent you. My noid red is blooming too! The ones you sent me have put on some good growth, they may bloom next year. It's been so dry here, I'm sure they like it in Hawaii better.
Hi Dee,
The Wild Acclaim is from a cutting I got from ebay about three years ago. I'm getting some good growth also from your cuttings.
I would be surprised if our cuttings bloom next year. It's normally two or three years before blooms but, hey, you never know.
Last of the red NOID blooms for this year.
I thought Wild Acclaim had finished, now I see two new buds on my front deck plants, a couple of buds on a plant I am giving bench space to from a neighbor and three or four buds on cuttings so looks like its a year round blooming season.
Finished taking cuttings. Now potting the cuttings that were put in the gutters. Lots of roots and growth coming. Will end the year with some spare bench space for next year's growth (cuttings or larger pots)
Hi Mike, your set up looks great. Lots of nice plants :-) The cuttings you sent me are growing well. Can't wait to see them bloom.
Happy gardening :-)
I'm always so jealous of your tropical environs.
I put some of those epi seeds in a baggie on heat so we'll see.
Let me know if yours come up.
This bloomed today for the first time in about 5 years when my sister gave me a leaf. I was about to get rid of it because the "exotic" bloom never showed itself. Now I'm on this forum today totally fixated on the varieties out there of Orchid Cactus. Here are some pictures to hopefully get a name for it.
Very Much like my "Bumpkin".
