Is this a Recipe result or just fantastic epi growth ?

I had to pop in and post some pics of my epis. I always read with interest, all the comments and hints here .
As I may have said on earlier thread, I was lucky enough to be at the right place and time to buy a huge collection verycheaply. There were over 600 epis and various Rhipsalis, Selenecereus, Aporos, Zygos etc. After the initial cleanup of what was a terribly neglected collection, I now have besides the other plants, around 400 epis in great condition. Some live out under a large tree and most live in the epi house we built for them. I bought the collection last year in April/ May and had to really cut into the plants to get rid of the ugly and dying growth. After repotting evrything that I could save, I let them do their own thing and waited to see if any would flower.
!st pic is of some of the 30 that flowered their little heads off. I was so thrilled to see them.
After they had all finished , I removed the rest of the old growth and was amazed at how they quickly started shooting again.
As I have recently also become a Brugmansia owner I was reading their forum and saw the Recipe there. Someone had commented that it was good for other plants so I tried it on the epis.
Either they are just fantastic growers or the Recipe is working.
2nd pic is from a few days ago and now I have to extend the epi house to make more room.
It is presently about 15' long x 10' wide and will end up another 12' longer.
The climate in my area is very dry during Summer and usually no rain. It gets cold and wet in Winter but the epis didn't seem to mind last Winter. Those out under the tree get shelter from hot sun but otherwise are in all weather. Those in epi house have a roof .
I hope you like my pics from way down here in southwest Victoria, Australia.
Jean.

Ooops wrong pic . this is some under the tree.

New growth. You can see the tremendous difference from the flowering pic of last year Just taken today as I had lost other pic.

I thought you may like to see what some of the collection looked like when I first bought them home.

OMG, you have worked wonders. I keep buying epis but almost killed them all before I knew about a draining mixture. But they are better now. I water once a month in winter but some got very dry this winter but they are in a cool dry room. I'd love to know the brug recipe if you don't mind sharing it!! It would be perfect timing here.

Hello boojum. from what I have learned so far and the condition my epis were in when I bought them, you can't kill them. I looked the other day at where I threw the rubbishy bits after getting them home and repotting. You would not believe all the bits of new growth from them just laying on the ground. Of course, I just have to pot them all. I can't resist a plant even when I have so many.
The recipe and all its variations is on a thread headed The Recipe in the Brugmansia forum . I use it at about 1 1/2 tablespoons in 2 litres of water and spray everything. The ingredients can't hurt the plants even if they do nothing else.
In hot weather I also spray them with water as they do come from a more humid environment than ours is. They are better being too dry than too wet.
Hope yours do well . Jean.

Thanks, Jean!!

Wow, what a difference between the two pictures. They are absolutely beautiful!

Mimi

Hello Mimi, You should see them now just since I took the pic. We have just finished a new epi house . Bigger than the first one, but what am I going to do when they outgrow this one ? We are running out of room. I still have to get the new fern house done too. I have plants everywhere. Isn't it just as well that I don't have to bring them in during winter ? We would have to move out. I have about 2 acres of garden as well as all the shadehouses. I will plant anything that will grow. I do love the epis though. I can't wait for their next flowering season.
Have a great day, Jean.

Love to see the new epi house, Jean.

I will post a pic as soon as the shade cloth goes on. I have to cut a doorway in the first one as new one is joined on it's end. It's a good space because the area was once an old dairy and has concrete floor. I am not doing the hanging basket thing in this one because they take up too much room . This one will have one high shelf all round and a lower wider bench all round . There will still be pots on the floor as they seem to multiply overnight. But I luv 'em all, Jean.

I just got sent my first eips and am so excited. We traded and she sent me 6 kinds and I put them in one hanging basket. Now, I am worried as they got over watered just as they were well rooted and putting on new growth out on the porch.

Since they are so wet in the pot, I have brought them in under the gro lights to stay until they get drier. Does anyone else have any suggestions on drying the new pot out. Thanks
gail

I would suggest , gessiegail, that you tip them out and either use a new lot of mix or dry out what you have. The epis will survive out of the pot for quite a while . I use a pot about 3"" - 4"" for my new cuttings and put 2 per pot unless they are small when you can put a few more. I wait for new growth to appear before moving each to its own pot about the same size . When you see roots out the bottom it's time to go up another size. Epis are best kept on the dry side but I have some under a tree where they get pretty wet when it rains. As long as your mix is free draining they will do okay. . Hope this helps.

Thanks and I just put string wicks in the bottom of it this morning and it is draining like crazy now.........and I did take out some new ones that looked like they were trying to rot........thanks again...........

I am new to epis. What is the Recipe exactly and where can I find it?

Looking great. I am glad there is some one with more epis than me.

We have a lot of rain here so I like terra cote clay pots as they dry out faster than pots.

I do not know about the recipe but most of mine put on a lot of growth with out all that.

It would be intresting if you took three cutting the same size from the same plant and use the recipe on one and regular food one and do not feed the third and see how they grow.

It would be nice if we could exchange cuttings but I do not know about you but I do not think I am up to all the paper work. I have been drooling over some epis from South Africa and Germany and Japan.
Sandy

I know...I was thinking the same thing (about too bad we can't trade). I drool over the large collectons on here.

Tetleytuna, if you look on the brugmansia forum you will see a thread for The Recipe. I have been tying it on everything and it won't hurt anything but does seem to make a difference in the plants especially in the lovely healthy green leaf color.
Epis are forgiving plants and will grow whether cared for or not. I have one growing quite well down on the old heap where I throw all the rubbish bits of plants.
I'm like you wren. I too, drool over overseas plants.
We all have so many other beautiful plants so enjoy what is available. Jean

Forgot the pic. This is half of my epis. The others live out under a very large cypress tree.

still wishing I could find the 'recipe'................................thanks

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/803019/

Here is link to the recipe thread gessiegail.

oh................thank you soooooooooo much!

Thank you for the link. Looks like I will be reading for a while. Lots of good info there.

I just recently found out about "the recipe" too and I really want to try it, but it is the wrong season. I think I have 1 more month that I might could feed and then it is into the aviary they go.

I've seen a couple of slightly different versions of this Recipe on different forums. The one's I've seen don't call for Tea Tree Oil or Seaweed (Kelp) but do use Epsom Salts, Beer, Molasses, Ammonia, Bloom Booster Fertilizer and something else but I can't remember what the other ingredient was. A lot of people swear by the "Recipe" and I bought most of the ingredients last year but never mixed up a batch to try. I'm so lazy!

Aha, I did a search and found it. Here's the one I found awhile back on the Hoya Forum. Scroll down the page to a post by "epiaddict" at 10:44 a.m.: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/665824/

I have also heard some use this recipe but leave out the Vitamin B12.

One version I read left out the seaweed and tea tree oil, but added a tiny bit of miracle grow "and /or" superthrive. I guess the superthrive would be kind of like adding the b12. I think it would be an interesting experiment.

My aunt told me once about mixing epsom salt, bone meal and sugar into your planting medium. I used to do just that, but I have since forgotten the measurements. I think it was 1:1:1/2.With the bone meal and epsom salt, I imagine it would really help the root system. I know the sugar provides carbs, but would that be nitrogen?

If any one once to experiment the different versions , when things settle down around here, I could send you a lot of epi oxy cuttings.

Sandy the epi nut