or are they one and the same?
Sorry no picture...my camera is down. I have an Epiphyllum Hooheri that has been blooming all summer for me. I've had it 3 or 4 years and this is the first time it has set a pod...it's bright pink (the pod). Is this a fruit pod or a seed pod? if fruit will it have seeds inside? I'd like to try growing it from seed rather then cuttings. SOOOO if if the pod has seeds when do I pluck it from Momma? and what do I do next? Hope my questions are a bit more clear then mud! LOL
Fruit or Seed pod???
Technically, all cacti have "fruit" with seeds inside the fruit rind, surrounded by more or less fruit pulp material. Some fruits are very dry by the time they are ripe so the seeds come out easily, others have more pulp and you need to wash the seeds free of this before planting to avoid fungal problems. With Epiphyllums you are likely to have some pulp, and you need to make sure the fruit is truly ripe before you pick it - in Nature many of these types of cactus fruit are sweet - in fact most are edible for humans! so the normal method for the seeds dispersal is to be spread around by animals or birds eating the fruits. Pick your pod once it is slightly past its best - a bit overripe, or squashy, it may even fall off by itself at this stage. Open it up and take out all the pulp. Get a sieve with a mesh smaller then the seeds and wash the pulp away. Dry the seeds overnight on a bit of paper towel or tissue and plant in the spring. Don't worry if you have to keep the seeds over winter, they should remain viable for at least a year or even longer. Best of luck, Kaelkitty.
Thanks,Kaelkitty, for the info. Hopefully I'll be able to pick it before the "tree rats" do! LOL