I have sent my cousin in Florida some epi cuttings. How do growers in Florida prevent their plants from getting water logged? Since he's a beginner, I've directed him to Pat's web site. Is a good draining mix enough? Or do you keep them under cover in some way?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Kathleen
Growing epis in Florida
Kathleen,
In my limited experience, epis really don't fret too much with a little rain. I do have mine under an overhang so that the watering is a little more controlled, but I've never had a problem with rotting.
Mine are in a cactus/succulent mix for good drainage. And I water them when they look dry - much more often than most of my succulents.
They should love the florida warmth!
Hope this helps a little!
Mary Ev.
Epis in Florida often suffer from root rot and lack of nutrients in the soil, especially in S FL. The sand based soils are the worst because in the wet season, the roots stay soggy all the time. In the normal dry season, folks down there run the sprinklers all the time. In much of the state they can be grown outside in a raised bed of loose soils. I have seen some beautiful specimens growing in small woods like they have around the pocket groves (pocket groves are the small touristy orange groves near the population centers). In shady conditions, if there is enough leaf litter on the ground they will positively thrive.
The most commonly encountered epiphytic cactis down there must be Hylocereus. In the Tampa area there are restaurants with palms festooned with epis, and even as far as Daytona the plants hang snake-like from the fronds. If planted alongside of some Cabbage palms or Date Palms (they grow almost to JAX), or other species that don't get a naked trunk early, they can grow to the crown in no time where they pass unnoticed until they bloom. Epiphyllums are much less common, tending to need bigger trees or deeper soils or something.
If your cousin is close to the coasts in FL, frosts are quite rare, sometimes several years will pass between frosts. Inland locations as far south as 'The Lake' generally have a night or 2 of below freezing temps, but killing frosts are quite rare so only a slight cover is needed for tropicals. So far as the wet/dry regimen, most of FL has the same general weather pattern of the Central American species, and for that matter the Rhipsalis end of the epiphytes too. This means that if your cuz can keep them shaded and draining, they may well make superior plants to those grown in a Mediterranean climate where the wet/dry seasons are reversed.
Pete, your posts are always so informative! You are so knowledgable:-) We are lucky to have you hanging out here with us.
Thanks Clare. I lived in FL for years and was a migrant picking green beans for some years. It allowed me to see much of the East Coast at a slow pace. Never thought that that knowledge would ever be useful to anybody. Funny how life turns sometimes.
That must have been hard work, picking green beans for a living. You must have a green deal of patience. You knowledge that you disseminate will be helpful for years to come now that it is preserved here at Dave's;-)
Thanks Mary Ev. and Pete. Pretty much what I thought, but wanted to give him good advice.
Pete, it's funny, this cousin and I share ancestors that immigrated to Philadelphia at the turn of the 20th century. His family is in Florida, mine in California, and we're getting advice from someone back in Pennsylvania. I love how this stuff happens. :-)
Kathleen