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Plant identified by Alina W about to flower (epiphyllum)
Before the BBC closed down their gardening website Alina W identified a plant that has been in my family for more than 50 years (epiphyllum). Today I spotted that it has two flower buds!!! The original plant that died in the early noughties flowered once in the early 80. I am well shuffed!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/mbgardening/NF2759007?thread=8343173
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What a trip down memory lane !!!!
Let me explain !! The photo of the plant on the link looks virtually identical to a plant which I used to care for in an office in which I worked during the 1970s !! I regarded the plant itself as quite ugly - certainly nothing to look at with long, lank sharpish leaves .... BUT the flowers - so beautiful - red - such a contrast to the leaves !! I managed to identify it as an epiphyllium and took greater care of it from then on - I left it behind when I moved on and had forgotten all about it until coming across this post.
Thanks for the memories, as they say.
Enjoy it when it flowers and what an achievement for you to have the plant in the family for such a length of time - you have obviously beeen doing all the right things
Well done, Swedboy, and enjoy the flowers - they really are lovely when they open
Thank you both. I have no idea why it has decided to flower now. I think it is about ten years since I took the cutting. Fotofit what tricks did you use to get it to flower? Alina W recomended a coldish spel in winter.
I know this ended some time ago but I have a similar problem. Have I got epiphyllum or is it a Christmas Cactus. My money is it being the first but I don't know. HELP!
Christmas cactus I'd say.
Thanks a lot swedboy
Hi Swedeboy, My late MIL gave me a selection of these plants many yrs back. I've found that they eventually flower when a wee bit pot bound, so 10yrs isnt so bad, depending on when you last repotted it.
Mine live in an unheated NW part glazed porch for the autumn/winter/spring months. End of May, am in NW, they go outside into an open, but sheltered coldframe. They will cope with being next to a sheltered wall outside, but IME slugs like them, so I now use the coldframe when it's empty.
I reduce the watering over the colder months, but come spring usually see the flower buds developing. When I remember, , I do give them a bit of feed then. I use a gritty cactii type compost, but have also used any old MP, plus grit, which appears to be fine too. Better in terracotta pots too as they can be accidently overwatered in a plastic pot, then they rot off-oops.
1 of my plants is E.Cooperi, that has scented flowers that open at night. I understand that it's pollinated by moths which explains it. IME the smell isnt too good in a lounge!
Denzil3054 wrote (see)
Thanks for the tips. I know already that the flowering is strange as the one I posted had already flowered in March of this year! I just give it a small amount of water now and then and feed every two weeks or so.
Thanks for the tips. I know already that the flowering is strange as the one I posted had already flowered in March of this year! I just give it a small amount of water now and then and feed every two weeks or so.
Whoever said Christmas cacti aren't really cacti? Of course they are! Sclumbergera truncata usually, or some hybrid with that species. Easter cacti are Hatiora gartneri or a hybrid, despite looking very similar.
No need to bother with any special watering regimens, they don't care much about drought or being moist constantly. Being sat in water for weeks isn't good for them. They're not fussy about what you grow them in either. Not moving them when they're developing buds is a good idea too. They go 'senile' as they get really old and never seem to flower as well as really big plants, so it can be advisable to start them off again as cuttings every 5-10 years. Being pot in a pot with little root room encourages flowering, which applies to Epiphyllums as well.