Epiphyllum - photo, home care, reproduction

Epiphyllum (Epiphyllum) is a native plant from the Central and Southern part of the American continent. Belongs to the cactus family. Epiphyllum belongs to a small genus, which includes some cacti of epiphyllum and lithophid species. This is a very unpretentious cactus, which can be grown even at home. Further in the article we will tell you in detail about this plant.

What is the epiphyllum flower

epiphyllum

Descriptive characteristics

The epiphyllum has many drooping, flat green stems. They are segmented and sometimes resemble ribbons. Sometimes along the edges of the stems are covered with large teeth with sparse areoles, where small spines grow. Over the years, lignification of the stems occurs, their shapes acquire roundness in cross-section, and the base is covered with a deep brown bark. The formation of flowers of large size and bright colors occurs at the tops of the shoots. They can be white, lilac, pink, yellow, red and orange. The diameter of one flower is about 15 centimeters. As soon as they begin to bloom, they emit an incredible aroma that can fill the entire room. A close relative of the epiphyllum are phyllocactus, with which they can form plants of hybrid forms.

The length of the shoots of this plant can be from 1 meter to 3 meters.

Bloom

Epiphyllum bloom begins in the last spring month, but there are also species that can bloom regardless of the season. One areola produces one very attractive flower, pleasing to the eye for 5 days. Especially often, the appearance of buds on shoots with a flat shape occurs. If you create suitable conditions for the plant and properly care for it, then the plant will be able to bloom twice a season.

Growing rules and pruning epiphyllum

epiphyllum: photo

It will be very simple to care for the epiphyllum, as the plant is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and it will have enough modest fertilizing and rare watering. It will grow comfortably if there is a lot of space for this and if you prune shoots that are too long.

In adulthood, plants need thinning, during which old and damaged shoots must be removed.

Please note that you cannot move the plant when the buds begin to form or flowering begins, as this will lead to the dropping of the buds.

Only young and flat twigs produce flowers, so the rest, old ones, can be removed without hesitation. When pruning, clean and sharp tools should be used. All cuts must be immediately processed with charcoal.

As soon as the weather becomes consistently warm until the beginning of autumn, the plants can be taken out into the garden, balcony or terrace. This should be done gradually, allowing the plant to get used to it. You need to start with a few hours a day, every day to increase the time to a whole day. The plant should be protected from rain, wind and drafts. Also, plants should not be in direct sunlight.

When the plant goes into vegetative rest, the period October-March, growth stops, which is quite natural. The formation of new shoots occurs between April and August.

With the help of the epiphyllum, vertical gardening is possible.To do this, you need to use a support for its long stems and direct the branches to it. You can also grow them in hanging pots, where they will look spectacular, or grow as an ampel flower, whose branches will hang beautifully from the pot.

How to propagate an epiphyllum cactus

Cutting method

Epiphyllum is not difficult to propagate. To do this, you need to use 15 centimeter stem or apical cuttings. They must be placed in moist peat mixed with sand in equal proportions for rooting. Cuttings of rounded shapes, those that are lignified and shoots with three edges, will not work. Only flat young branches can be used. At the base, the stalk should be cut at an obtuse angle, then the cut should dry in a well-ventilated place or in the garden for three days so that rotting does not begin.

Next, you need to prepare a pot with a diameter that will not exceed 7 centimeters, fill it with peat and sand in equal proportions, and pour river sand on top with a layer of two centimeters, which will not allow excess moisture to penetrate the plant. After that, cuttings are planted, at a slight slope, for their rooting. The embedment depth should be no more than one and a half centimeters. Pots with cuttings should be in a warm place where the sun will not touch them. Watering for the first time is necessary only after 4 days. As soon as the shoots appear, it will be possible to say that rooting was successful.

You can root the cuttings by placing them above the surface of the water, so that they are very close, but the cuttings do not touch it. Landing is carried out after the appearance of small roots. It should be noted that this method often affects the slowdown in development, since the root system needs to adapt to new conditions.

Seed method

Sowing of seeds takes place in the spring. For this it is necessary to use loose and porous soil. Before sowing the seeds, it will be useful to immerse them in a solution of manganese with epin and zircon for a couple and hold them there for several hours. The seeds do not need to be buried, it is enough to lightly sprinkle them with sand. After sowing, cover the container with foil or glass to create a greenhouse effect. From time to time it is necessary to raise the shelter for ventilation and water. For airing at the beginning, a few minutes are enough, but gradually this time should be increased. In order for the seeds to germinate, the container must be at a temperature of +20 to +25 degrees with good illumination, but without sun exposure. With the correct procedure, the emergence of sprouts should be expected after 21 days. By this time, the shelter should be removed.

The first pick is carried out at the age of two months of sprouts. Seating is carried out in separate pots very carefully, since young seedlings have very fragile roots. Seed-grown plants develop slowly, so they will look slightly different from others in the first few months of life. In young epiphyllums, thickened, succulent, branched, rounded shoots, in cross section are covered with sharp white needles. With age, the thorns die off and the shoots become flat. This happens after 4 months of life. In epiphyllum, flowering is early, if you follow the basic agrotechnical rules, then flowering can be observed 5 years later, after sowing the seeds.

Division

Reproduction can be carried out using division. This can be done during plant transplantation. Each individual part should have its own root system and along the ground green part. All cuts and wounds that may occur during division must be treated with charcoal, which serves to disinfect and dry.

All parts are seated in separate pots. The first watering is carried out only after 4 days.The containers should be located in a room with good lighting, but not exposed to sunlight. New plants will begin to delight their flowering next season.

Layers

Air layers are actively used by flower growers to propagate the epiphyllum, since it is quite simple. Aerial roots appear if the air is well humid. As soon as this happens, you need to pin the shoots with roots to the soil surface in a nearby pot and dig them in, leaving the upper part on the surface. Already after 30 days, new shoots will form, and after 60 days it will be possible to separate the layers.

When and how to transplant epiphyllum

A transplant is carried out only if there is a need for it, for example, it is necessary to change the land or the plant has become cramped in the pot. This often should not be done, since the plant painfully tolerates transplants. Each time, after such procedures, the epiphyllum needs time to recover.

It is necessary to hold such events with the arrival of spring. At a young age, transplanting is carried out every 12 months in larger pots. In adulthood, once every 3 years. To determine the nadoli to carry out a transplant, you can use the tips of the roots, which begin to look out of the drainage holes. The best time to transplant is between new growth and bud formation.

If the buds have already formed or flowering has begun, then the transplant can be carried out only after the plant has faded. A cactus will do well in a shallow pot that has a large drainage hole. There should be a drainage layer on the bottom of the pot. Broken brick, pebbles, shards of their clay, expanded clay are suitable. An earthen mixture is poured on top.

After preparing a new place for the growth of the cactus, the plant is taken from the previous pot to a new place and planted at the same depth. During transplantation, the earthen lump must not be damaged. After transplanting, the plant is buried in the ground and compacted so that no air layers remain. This method of transplanting is called transshipment. This is the best way not to injure the root system and promotes quick adaptation and the beginning of growth.

After the plants are transplanted, they should be in a place protected from the scorching sun for a week. You can water it after 5 days. This time will be enough to adapt to new conditions and to heal wounds that may have appeared during the transplant.

There is also no need to apply fertilizers within 30 days, since the new soil mixture contains a sufficient amount of nutrients.

If you find rot on the bulbs, you must completely change the soil. When replanting plants, it is necessary to clear the bulb from the ground, inspect it and if there is rot on it, then cut it off with a clean and sharp knife, and then process it.

You should not transplant the plant to a new place with a clod of earth that is excessively wet. It is necessary to blot the roots with soft paper and leave to dry for several hours on an open window or in the garden.

With any, even insignificant, appearance of rot on the plant, it should be transplanted only into a new soil mixture, and the old one should be disposed of, since the fungus remains there.

For a cactus, you should not choose large pots, as the plants will begin to develop their root system, and not its green part. Since this process lasts long enough, the soil in the pot that is not involved will begin to sour due to excess moisture, which will cause rotting of the roots. Cactus blooms best when grown in small pots.

Soil selection:

This species differs in that it needs a nutrient soil with good water and air exchange and a low acidity level. A mixture that is used to grow cacti and succulent species is perfect. It will be enough to add turf and humus from leaves to it, they will saturate the soil with all the necessary elements.

To loosen the soil and increase its fertility, you need to mix it with charcoal in a small amount. To increase drainage, which is very important for the plant, you need to add a little river sand, perlite there. With the age of the plant, both the level of acidity in the soil and the amount of peat should increase.

Potential Troubles Facing Growing Epiphyllum

Putrefactive diseases occur if liquid stagnation in the ground is allowed, especially in the cold season. A plant that is not transplanted on time can harm the plant, namely during the period of bud formation and flowering. This will reset all buds.

Plant can get sick mosaic - a viral disease that does not respond to treatment. If this happens, the plant must be destroyed.

Epiphyllum can get sick with fusarium, rust and anthranosis - fungal diseases that affect plants when there is a lack of oxygen, i.e. insufficient ventilation.

If, when growing a plant, the minimum temperature values ​​are not maintained and sufficient lighting is not cut off, then it will get sick with black rot.

If the plant begins to actively engage in the growth of green mass and does not form buds, then this means that the soil contains too much nitrogen. You must be careful with the use of fertilizers based on this element, since the leaves, due to their excess, will first become too thick, and then they will crack.

It will not be possible to wait for the epiphyllum to bloom if you do not provide it with sufficient light and during the vegetative rest period it is not sent to a cooler and drier room.

Burns can be avoided by avoiding watering during the day in the hot sun.

If watering the plant to use chlorinated water, which did not have time to settle, then the plant can get sick with chlorosis.

Sometimes the plant can infect mealybugs, aphids, scale insects and spider mites. Plants are also loved by slugs and snails, which attack the flower when it is in the garden in summer.

How to water and fertilize epiphyllum

Spring and summer watering events should be carried out regularly. The natural habitat of this cactus is woodland, so it loves a lot of moisture. In the spring and summer, the soil should be allowed to dry out 3 centimeters deep. In winter, if the temperature is lowered, watering should be minimal, the main thing is not to overdry the earthen lump.

It is possible to understand whether watering is required in the autumn-winter period by the cactus leaves. With a lack of fluid, small wrinkles appear on them.

The regularity of watering returns with the arrival of spring, and what should be done, this must be done gradually. Watering should be done with extremely soft water. It can be bottled or settled from the water supply.

As a top dressing, fertilizers with which cacti and succulents are fed are perfect, only the concentration should be half as much. This should be done at intervals of 30 days. Those species whose flowering lasts all year round need feeding even in winter. If the plant is in a cooler room in the autumn, then the frequency of fertilization is reduced, and by winter it stops completely. With the onset of spring, you can again please the plant by introducing nutrients into the soil.

The application of mineral fertilizers is carried out only after the plant has been watered. Moisture will protect the root system from possible chemical burns.

Organic fertilizers such as rotted mullein, humus or horse manure are also suitable for feeding.

Temperature control and lighting

During active growth and development, the plant will be comfortable at normal room temperature. When vegetative rest comes, the temperature should be reduced to +10 degrees. In extreme heat, the plant will be able to develop well, but it is necessary to increase watering and increase air humidity.During the spring - summer period, the best temperature is + 20- + 25 degrees.

There are also species that can withstand temperatures below 0, but you should not create such a risky environment for them.

Reducing the temperature to + 10 in winter will contribute to better and more abundant flowering and will not allow the cactus to stretch too much, which is important during a period when there is not enough sunlight. So the plant will retain its healthy appearance and shape.

The cactus loves bright lighting, so you need to place it in the right place. The epiphyllum growing in indoor conditions will be comfortable under the sun's rays in the morning and evening, but during the spring-summer period, in the daytime, it must be protected from the sun. Fluorescent lamps can be used to increase the illumination. If the plant lacks light, then it will bloom poorly or not at all, and the cactus will stretch out unnecessarily.

By placing the plant on the southwest side or southeast side of the window, the plant will always get the right amount of light. The south side is also suitable, but in the daytime the plant will need to be shaded using tulle. If there is an opportunity to grow a plant only on the north side, then artificial lighting must be created. In order for a cactus to have uniform growth, it must be periodically turned in different directions to the light source. This should not be done during the budding and flowering period.

Epiphyllum is not a demanding plant for the level of humidity, but in the case of too dry air at high temperatures, it is necessary to spray using soft and warm water. When spraying plants, do not allow water to get on the buds and flowers. You can carry out these activities until noon, so that by the evening all the moisture has time to evaporate.

To increase the humidity, you can use a humidifier and place a jar of water near the cactus. Wet pebbles placed on a tray under the pot and placing other plants near the epiphyllum will help maintain a good level of moisture. Using a decorative fountain will not only increase the humidity level, but also become an additional decoration. During the autumn - winter period, the air does not need to be humidified, especially if the room temperature is lowered.

Epiphyllum types

photo: epiphyllum, varieties

1. Oxypetalum or oxypetalum (Epiphyllum Oxypetalum) is a type of large epiphytic or lithophytic cactus whose length is about 3 meters. and even more. Its branches branch profusely, and aerial roots are formed on them. The color of the corrugated, wavy along the edge of the secondary shoots is green and they have a glossy surface. During flowering, the cactus is covered with large flowers, which fully open only in the evening and close by morning. The diameter of the flowers is 20 centimeters. They consist of many snow-white petals and bright yellow stamens.
2. Anguliger or angular (Epiphyllum Anguliger) is a type of large epiphytic catuses, primary stems, which branch abundantly. The color of the flat, glossy, deeply cut secondary stems is green. They are about 30 centimeters long and 5 centimeters wide. The flowers emit a pleasant scent and show all their beauty at night. Their color can be pale yellow, pink, green. They are located on elongated flower shoots. The diameter of the flowers is 8 centimeters. This beauty begins to bloom in the last summer days.
3. Phyllanthus (Epiphyllum phyllanthus) is a type of large epiphytic cacti, the primary shoots of which are thin, rounded and branched. Secondary ones are colored green, have a flat surface, corrugated edges and a ribbon-like shape. As an ampelous plant, it is excellent for growing because of their secondary stems hanging beautifully from vases. On elongated flower shoots, white, greenish and yellow flowers with a delightful aroma are formed, consisting of lovely narrow petals. Their full disclosure takes place at night.
4. Ackermann (Epiphyllum ackermanii, Disocactus ackermannii) - it is also called Ackermann's disocactus. This type of epiphytic cactus is compact in size. Its rounded stems are strongly branched at the very base. The upper part of the branches has a ribbon-like flat shape. As a rule, their length is 30 centimeters, but there are varieties whose length reaches 100 centimeters. During flowering, it is covered with bright, crimson, funnel-shaped flowers, the diameter of which is 14 centimeters. The center of the flower can be yellow or green.

How the Epiphyllum flower can be used

Epiphyllum can be a wonderful home decoration. Its huge and showy flowers will look great in hanging baskets.

Epiphyllum will be able not only to decorate the room with its abundant flowering, but also to please with the taste of pink or red fruits that appear with cross-pollination. With the help of the juices of this cactus, diuretics are made, and also used for inflammation and rheumatism.