My "Original Red" epi is giving me a small show in the greenhouse.
Epiphyllum
And one more
JT Lucky you! Mine are getting put in the garage for a few days. Weather is getting wet and cold for a few days. How many do you have?
Wow! They are gorgeous flowers. Thanks for sharing those pictures:-) I'm just starting to take interest in this wonderful group of plants, and I'm currently rooting several cuttings that my friend Don sent me. I have them rooting in the exact same coco-fiber hanging basket!
Beautiful. I have a peach one that PJ gave me, but I've not seen bloom yet.
That's a beauty! Mine's pink.
MsCritterkeeper
Desert_rose,I have 7 varieties.3 are blooming size and 4 were started last year.I'm hoping those will bloom by fall.I have some good summertime spots fpr them.They do great here in the very filtered shade of Mimosa trees.Very forgiving plants,which is a big plus here.
Desert_rose,I have 7 varieties.3 are blooming size and 4 were started last year.I'm hoping those will bloom by fall.I have some good summertime spots for them.They do great here in the very filtered shade of Mimosa trees.Very forgiving plants,which is a big plus here.
Those are beautiful. I think mine is white, it is in its' 10th year and has never bloomed for me here in Ohio.
gone2seed,
Nice pic. I've got one Epiphyllum that bloomed for the first time last spring. After seeing how gorgeous the flowers are now I want to expand my collection of these wonderful plants.
Here is a pic mine blooming last May.
Ray
Ray, that's a beautiful flower and an awesome color.
Hibiscus, I wonder what you can do to get it to bloom. I have heard that they like to be somewhat rootbound.
If mine isn't rootbound by now, it'll never be. I am wondering if I should just pitch it? I sure do have patience?
well duh...I never knew there was so many different colours!
oh boy...now I'm in trouble cause I want more than the white ones that were given to me a couple of years ago.
Hibiscus, don't pitch, don't pitch! We'll figure something out. Have you tried a bloom booster fertilizer like 10-60-10? Maybe, it's not getting enough light? You've probably tried all these suggestions but don't give up. It's bound to put on a show for you one of these days:-)
Thanks Clare, it's really hard for me to pitch a growing plant, so I'll keep it, but I'd sure like to see that sucker bloom!
Yes, I have fertilizers with high midlle number, use on most of my blooming hibiscus, Passion Flwrs., violets, etc, even on my brugs. Everything else blooms for me. I'm thinking it doesn't like Ohio, long winters, short summers. JT is in Fla., you in Ca. weather is a lot different.
Hibiscus, I've grown mine in PA, LA, AR, WA and here in NC...
one took 4 years to bloom... don't give up hope
Hibiscus, I'm going to send you an email. Yes, don't give up hope!
I haven't given up. It will be 10 yrs. old this September.
Will be looking for that email.
Hibisicus,
Here are a couple of ideas on how to get your plant to bloom. First if the plant old enough we need to look at what environmental conditions the plant is growing in. As with other plants like Amaryllis, Clivia and Bletilla, Epiphyllum likes to be rootbound(within reason). How large is your plant vs the pot it's growing in? I have mine in a clay pot 6" deep by 6" wide at the top. I have found Epiphyllum likes to be dry and cool during the winter and need bright indirect light.
Use a soluble fertilizer at 1/2 strength (10-10-10 or equivalent) once every two weeks and give your plant as much light as possible yet not direct intense sun.
Ray
NCplantsman:
Think you might have hit the nail..........
Clare and I were discussing me growing it all winter in basement GH, two florescent lights, Halide light/fan. It is 78 daytime and 62 nights. I have kept it growing every winter. I just cut off two 6' tall stems/leaves. Sure will have to change my tactics.
Thanks.
JT, Lovely flower.
I notice that mine bloom in cool weather.I had late fall bloom on some and others are blooming now.Daytime temps 70's
nights 40's in the GH.Mine get a shot of whatever I am using on the brugs for fertilizer.Usually a high mid # full strength.
Very pretty color on that one,NCplantsman.
This message was edited Mar 12, 2004 8:14 PM
Yes, Hibiscus, I think you're right that that might be it. I think they like to sleep in the winter and go dormant. They might need that dormancy to flower.
Here are a couple of good links to basic epi care:
http://junglecactus.com/care.htm
http://www.epies.net/cgi-bin/evoque?evoque.id+985411215
Different growing conditions can greatly affect the growth rate and determine whether or not epis bloom consistanatly. My own experience has been that the main element in getting them to flower is that they need a cold weather dormancy period.
Being root-bound has never been an element in mine blooming since they've always been repotted every 2 years whether they needed it or not. I've used a variety of planting mixes from cactus mix to straight commercial planting mix......as long as the pot has drainage holes, it doesn't seem to make much difference.
In California Zone 10a they live outside all year round. They get a good deal more direct sun than many growers recommend. They spend the winter in a sheltered corner of the patio where they get a lot of rain, protection from the wind, and are baited for snails every couple of weeks.
Starting in the early Spring I fertilize them every couple of weeks with a granular all purpose fertilizer alternated with fish emulsion. I follow this schedule until late October.
The one element that I have found which produces consistant flowering is cold weather. Over the years I have experimented with different winter situations in greenhouse, sunroom, garage, enclosed pool and leaving them outside to fend for themselves. Outside works wonders, while all the other situations provided very few flowers.
I don't always follow all the rules, but this has worked for me.
With our current heat wave, I've pulled them out of their protected corner. They receive morning shade, afternoon filtered sun, and late afternoon full sun for several hours.
Here they are in their Springtime colors, with a little snail damage, but not too bad this year.
This message was edited Jun 29, 2005 6:04 PM
And this is one of my favorite epi pics from last summer.
Wow! You have gorgeous, healthy plants. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences. I have bookmarked those two sites you listed for future reference. That last picture is stunning:-)
I was just wondering what the differences are between Epiphyllums and Selenicereus grandiflorus or Cereus grandiflorus?
gone2seed and Ray your epis are beautiful. I started collecting them about 6 years ago. I lost all in a fire in 2002, but I'm getting back to collecting them again. I have about 10 so far.
Cindy
Hi Clare -
I'm definitely not an expert on the subject, but you can get a brief overview on these two pages of desert-tropicals.com:
Selenicereus grandiflorus, Synonym Cereus grandiflorus
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Selenicereus_grandiflorus.html
Epiphyllum
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Cactaceae/Epiphyllum.html
Edited 12/08/04 The link below no longer goes to info about Selenicereus grandiflorus and the image appears to longer be on the site.
One of my favorite images of Selenicereus grandiflorus is this one:
http://www.gardens.co.nz/PlantoftheWeek.cfm?NLID=139
That's one big bloom!
This message was edited Dec 8, 2004 8:16 PM
OH MY!!!!
it could eat someone!LOL
Clare,
Your question: "what the differences are between Epiphyllums and Selenicereus grandiflorus or Cereus grandiflorus?"
was a interesting question so I did some research to find an answer. I paraphrased and condensed the following from a site describing the two genera.
Epiphyllum is a genus of cacti where all species have flat leaflike stems. They are not actually leaves. All species are epiphytic and root in the branch angles of trees. This genus is very closely related to Selenicereus.
Selenicereus mostly have angled stems, but there are species with entirely flat stems or with three angles. They are mainly grow on rocks; however several species grow well as a terrestrial plant as well.
Botanicly speaking, Epiphyllum differs from Selenicereus in spination of the flowers. Epiphyllum has no spines or very few if any hairs on the flower tube. Selenicereus are often very hairy on the flower tube. "Queen of the Night" refers specifically to Selenicereus grandiflorus.
Here is the link to the Plants Database with some good pics of Selenicereus post by ideboda
http://plantsdatabase.com/go/62764/index.html
The name epiphyllum comes for the Greek for "over the leaf" in reference to the position of the flower. Of course epiphyllum 'leaves', are really only flattened stems.
Ray
Happenstance,
Nice plants you have. I can image what gorgeous blooms you will have when they flower. Thanks for sharing.
Ray
NCplantsman, I am in debt to you for doing that research on my behalf. Thank you so much. Now I understand clearly the differences between the two. You can really see the hair on the flower tubes in the link you provided at the Plants Database, and you can clearly see the angles compared to the flat stems of the epiphyllums.
Thanks again for those links, Happenstance. I can't believe the size of that flower!
Okay, I thought of another question. What makes the size of the flowers that large (like the one in the link Happenstance provided)? Is it the maturity of the plant? Thanks, this is fun!
So that's what I should be doing with those 6' long stems/leaves, wrapping them around. I have been cutting them off, that's probably where my blooms go?
Here are a couple of small flower buds just visible now on my Epiphyllum. Notice they form on the edge of the stems. It will be another couple months before they are large enough to bloom.
Neat, NCplantsman. I thought that was where the new growth came from. When you stick a cutting or a piece of a cutting into soil, where does the new growth come from?
Okay... just found this thread. Gone2Seed... is this the same as your 'original red'?? I have 2 photos, one taken inside last fall, and another outside the year before. I'll post them both.
Yhis is the inside photo.
Okay... just found this thread. Gone2Seed... is this the same as your 'original red'?? I have 2 photos, one taken inside last fall, and another outside the year before. I'll post them both.
This is the inside photo.
This is the photo taken outside in better (and natural) light.
That's pretty!