Epiphyllums: More Detail

Not to beat the epiphyllum topic dead, but I finally dumped my camera (it's been since June) and found this pic from last month. I think this one looks like a fire works display. The flowers on this plant last a few days.

As opposed to the paltry 12 hours for the one Lin gave me, but the flowers are twice as big...

From what I read, it took years before folks hybridized colors other than cream or pale yellow. The pink below is an inherited plant. It must be at least 30 years old - I've had it for 10 years; it came from Claire's Aunt Lillian when she passed away. We had literally 50 blooms this year lasting almost 2 weeks. Amazing.

Epiphyllums are REALLY easy to propogate. Just cut a "leaf" to the base, if that's what you can call those spiny things, let it set for a few days, and then pot in fast draining potting soil. You don't need any kind of "special" soil as in orchid or cactus. I like clay pots because they dry out fast after watering. I line the bottom and top with rocks.

They prefer bright shade. Mine are on a covered bench with the tillandsias, a native orchid, and a venus fly trap - just to give you an idea of who else is happy in this light. I tend to clump plants into micro-ecosystems. Our entire backyard is shaded by the umbrella of a 70 or 80 foot deodar cedar, so we've really gone for that rainforest feel, inspired by hikes through the redwoods and the great abundance of readily avilable central american salvias and fuschias that we are blessed with in the Bay Area. I water about 2 or 3 times a week.

Primary pests are aphids and snails. I use my fingers and spray with soapy water to combat the aphids and throw Sluggo in the pots for the snails. Sluggo is a non-toxic mineral that desiccates the snails in their shells.