Just checking that I'm not missing anything

Hi All, I have two new epi's that were rooted this spring from friend's mother plants and they are growing very, very well...I have them inside our insulated shop hanging in front of an east facing window, use Cactus Juice on them for fertilizer when I think about watering them which is about every other week, sometimes 3 wks, have both pots of soil completely covered including under the leaves with about an inch/inch & 1/2 of very finely cut banana peels....how long should I leave them in the unheated shop until I bring them into the room I have in the house that has no heat to it? This room which houses my Schlumbergera, Stapeliads, Rhipsalis and Hoyas gets down to about 50-55 degrees at night and I open the door during the day and it comes up to close to 68-69 degrees with an east facing window.....It gets down to freezing every night now and soon we will have snow but the shop would only freeze if we got well below zero....I need you who have grown these for long periods to guide me, please....your pics are awesome and really inspiring so look forward to raising mine where I can post some pics, too....this is a pic of where my fella's grow...I couldn't get the top shelf in which has my large Schlumbergeras on it which are blooming beautifully....Thank you for your help....Deb

This message was edited Nov 11, 2007 10:16 AM

Hello depsi. Thanks for comments but I am far from an expert with these lovely epis. I do not envy you with your climate. I was complaining to hubby that it was a bit cold for the epis in our Winter. Ha. Compared to you , our Winter would seem like a heatwave to the plants. I don't have to bring anything in as it rarely gets below about 5 or 6 degrees centigrade here and the frost does not seem to want to come here on our hill. My epis are in 2 main lots. One lot is out under a large cypress tree and face north so get morning and early afternoon sun . The tree protects them from the cold Winter winds too. The other larger lot is now housed in a shade house with plastic to keep out the winter cold .
Your plants look nice and green and I hope you get lots of flowers. I think the best thing to do with them is let them feel a bit neglected. They need to be ignored and just watered when they look really dry, but there are better experts with these than I am. Picture is of the epi house.
Have a great day .

Sounds as tho I will leave well enough alone....thanks for the help. your plants are just spectacular, hope mine will be when they grow up...Deb

Hi, a question again which may have already been answered by you....it is not getting above the low 30's during the day here & down into the low 20's at night....we've had our first snow and more is forecast this coming week every day...our shop is insulated and the epi's hang in front of an east facing window inside but the big double doors are open quite abit during the day. Should I bring them into the house now into the unheated bedroom where my houseplants grow or will they be ok outside in the shop? Thank you for your suggestions...I appreciate the guidance....Deb

Hello again Deb. I am really no expert but only know what I have learned by experience. Here in Australia , the temperatures in my particular area can get down to around 4 degrees celsius but my epis are in 2 lots, one half hanging under a large tree and the others in a shade house that can get pretty cold. They seem to survive.
Someone from over there in USA could probably be of more help. We do not get snow in this area and the weather is usually broken up by a few finer days.
If you have room to bring them in, by all means do so. I'm glad I don't have to move plants around every season. Mine have to survive where they are or die. Most survive.
Putting on a pic of my latest baby.
Happy gardening.

That is absolutely beautiful, I love the color. I only have two of these epi's which are from a friend's mother plant but hope my future holds more. I have hoyas, rhipsalis, stapelia, and schlumbergera as well as a couple different succulents and I love them all. I'm just stunned noone else that frequents this forum has responded to my thread. Maybe I need to use a different bathing soap...lol....I will be bringing the guys inside right now 'cause the high today was 30 degrees with a low of 30 degrees tonight so freezing all around and then we have a major snow storm coming in Tuesday. A rugosa and a Weeks rose in separate wine barrels, geraniums, and some peony roots buried in 5gallon nursery containers will be overwintering in the shop this season....the roses always overwinter that way as well as the geraniums and I've never had anything freeze but I realize these are a much tenderer plant. Thank you for your help and I look forward to seeing more of your lovely blooms.....Deb

Hello Deb. Just popped in to show you a pic of the newest flower. This one is an aporophyllum, which I believe is a cross between aporocactus and epiphyllum. Flower is about 5 inches across and a beautiful shape.
We are getting into the warm weather here now and I really am not looking forward to the heat. It will be really dry over Summer and with the excess of grass that has grown , there will be a real danger of fires.
I would not like to live where it snows though. I have been up in our mountains here which is the only place it snows in Australia. Nothing like your long snowy Winters though. I would miss being out in the garden all year round.
I wish you all the best for Christmas and the New Year and I hope all your plants do well during your Winter.
Best wishes, Jean

Jean, thank you so much for the good wishes. May you & your family be blessed with all the peace and joy of the season. I know about fires. We live in forest land. Scary stuff. Your plant blossom is beautiful, the color is so dainty. My little fellas are inside, hopefully setting blossoms for spring. God be with you and I look forward to seeing your informative and fun posts. Deb