I'm embarassed to show you

Winter did not do this pretty lady well... I have pretty much been growing this epi blindly and without bothering to ask much help.

It appears to be happy with me - putting out new leaves and growing lots of new shoots. But it's getting pretty leggy. What do I do? Should I just snap off the newer growth and stick it in the dirt? See the reeeeallly long one that goes up the right side of the picture- what should I do with that? I love this plant...but it's looking a little strung out right now- any help would be appreciated. Susanne

One more shot of the top growth.

Mind you this survived a hail storm this past week.:) lol trying to make myself feel better.

Please don't snap off the long shoot on your Epi oxypetalum. New pads will grow from that and will give you lots of flowers. Your plant looks fine!!

I agree, it's looking great! I think it just needs a big tree to climb like it would find in the jungle.....but I bet a trellis or other garden structure would do just fine. :-)

Yeah it looks just fine. Most of therm start out that way. You bring it in for the winter, I presume?

I agree that it looks wonderful. It will fill out in time. I put tomato cages around mine to support the taller growth, but you can use stakes if you like. The long growth is a natural growth pattern for these plants.

Suzanne, here is a picture of some of my Epi oxy's which have tomato cages around them. Eventually, the cages will become hidden by the leaves.

I should have done that to my big epi when I re-potted it last summer (had I even thought to do so) but now I'd never get enough of it in the cage without damage, LOL.

Darius, even as small as mine is, I did knock off a couple of leaves getting it in there:-( I just stuck them back in the container. You could try bamboo stakes placed every couple of inches along the rim of the container and then tie them at the top like a teepee.

That's what I did last summer! My bamboo stakes are over at my aunt's house on the lake where I lived last summer. I guess I need to ride over there and fetch them. Got some perennials that will need staking soon too. Thanks.

Clare,
you have an excellent way of containing the big sprawling oxypetalum! I only started last Fall to slowly bend the long shoots to a more managable shape. By that time it was 3 yards wide and flopping all over the place...I should have used your tomato cage idea years ago!!

Darius, a house on a lake sounds like a lovely place to spend the summer:-)

LOL! Thanks, Ursula! I wish I could take credit for the idea, but I think I got it from Candy! LOL!

Ok well now I feel much better. Thank you Ursula, Candy, Clare and Darius! Clare thats a great idea with the tomato cage- I think I might just go buy one of those today. Do they naturally climb up trees? I had no idea. Are the pads/leaves used to do the climbing, or is it the stems?
I love this forum already! :)

I put it into a more full sun spot today (not completely full sun but for about 2 hours at about 3) and now the ends of the new leaves are a little floppy and shinier. Did I mess up?

art,
No you didn't mess up, surely they will look and feel sturdier again tomorrow as long as they don't look charcoaled.....
If you look closely, those long shoots develop roots, more so when needed to hold on. I have seen Epi phyllanthus growing in a tree and on roof tops in Guyana. They hold on with those long shoots first and then grow the pads on those. I would think oxypetalum does the same.

Art, I have mine in filtered sun, and they do just fine. Three of them have buds! I'm not sure I would let yours be exposed to that full hot Texas sun, but I'll defer to the experts here.

I love this forum too!

I believe that these epiphytic plants produce air roots from the leaves which cling to trees if I'm not mistaken. These air roots take up water and nutrients in the jungle. If the epipytic plants are receiving water and nutrients in the soil, they won't grow them (or many of them) from the leaves...I think.

Here is a picture of a Selenicereus climbing a Palm tree. It is not my picture but belongs to a fellow gardener. Unfortunately, I forgot to note who it belongs to.

This message was edited Jun 7, 2005 3:40 PM

I posted at the same time as Ursula and read her advice. I would listen to her advice over mine:-) She's the expert, not me!

Please please don't say that!!
I am anything but an expert. We all learn!!

Lol! Well yall are both experts as far as I'm concerned! And since the advice was complementary, not contradictory I'll listen to both of yas. I went back out and check on them and they are looking more turgid already...no charcoaling OR frying here.

I have pretty much 3 spots I can put my outside potted plants at my apt (no balcony unfortunately) so I moved my epi's to the spot that has full sun from 10-12 and we'll see how they like that. There's not really any filtered light...so I hope the cooler mid morning light will be better for them.

That's really interesting how they climb- I had no idea! Although I had seen the root nubbies and wondered. That's a great picture Clare, thank you for sharing it.

I'll just add a note here about bright shade, full sun......I think we all learn what little micro-climates exist in our individual gardens. My hot sun on a day that's 85-110F is going to be different than in someone else's garden. Is there a breeze, humidity, softscape or hardscape nearby?

My Epis are grown "hard"....meaning they are not all green and supple with perfect leaves. The sun can be hard on them, but that's where they seem to do best in my garden and they do bloom. Full California sun would not be advised if you want your "leaves" to be a lush jungly green. Full California sun will give you yellow/dark green/w red margins and a "weathered" look. Kind of like an old cowboy that has spent a lot of years out on the range. :-)(Some of the hybrids I have do stay a wonderful lush green in full sun....am still sorting out what makes them different.)

Suzanne, I bet that morning full sun will be just fine. Thanks for the compliment.

Candy, of course, you are so right about microclimates and about how full sun one place may not be at all like full sun in another place. Humidity probably plays a role as well.