- Normaly you get your cuttings unrooted, although some nurseries sell the cuttings rooted. The advantage of the latter is that the plant will flower one year earlier, but rooted cuttings are more expensive. The unrooted cuttings should be about 12 - 20 cm in length, but shorter will do. When receiving the cuttings, leave them in a sheltered and cool place for one to two weeks to make a callous, thereby preventing rot when planted. Some growers dip the cutting in a "Rootone" to enhance the developing of roots. I have however never used it myself. You may use clay pots or plastic pots. If you have a tendency to over water, then use clay pots, if not, use plastic pots.
- Put one third of the cutting down in the mix and tie it loosely to a stick for support. Keep the mix slightly damp and keep the cuttings in a shaded place for 6 to 8 weeks. At that time they ought to have produced roots. Sometime you will see roots develop on the top of the cuttings. It is a sign that roots have also developed under ground.
- See Fig. 1 for 3 examples of different well-developed cuttings for planting. The fourts cutting at the right is a typical thin winter shoot, which should be removed as soon as it has been found, as it will never be able to bear good flower buds.
Fig. 1
Potting mixture
- I have found that a commercial potting mixture, sold in nurseries is quite satisfactory for growing Epiphyllums. The potting mixture has however to be loose in structure, so you might ad some sand, perlite or bark. To make the soil even better you could add 30% oak leaf moil, 20% of ground bark, perlite or grit to 50% houseplant potting soil. Be sure that the mix is coarse and draining the water fast.
Watering and fertilizing
- Your Epiphyllums must never dry out. On the other hand they must never be soggy. Water them as you usually water indoor plants, until the water flows through the drain holes, and remove the extra water in the saucer. Epiphyllum prefer soft water, so if possible, use rain water.
- After a long winter, where the plants only need to be kept moist, you may increase the watering from March on. Use your fingertip to feel if the plants need water. If the soil is wet and cold, wait some days with further watering. How frequently you water your plants depents on the light, the day and night temperature and the size of the plant. Water regulary, until the middle of October, where the new branches should be fully mature. From that time on gradually reduce the amount of watering.
- Normally I add a commercial liquid fertilizer i.e. 5-1-4 every time I water from early spring to fall. I do not fertilize in the winter.
Light requirements
- Epiphyllums in nature grow on the branches of trees often in rain forests, and their roots take hold in the decaying vegetable material collected on the branches. Thus they grow in filtered sunlight. If you grow them indoors, they prefer a window with morning or afternoon sun. If you have a garden, they will do fine outdoors in a shaded place. The will not tolerate full sunshine.
Temperature and himidity
- Epiphyllums are very sturdy. They can tolerate temperatures up to 30°C, but prefer high humidity, between 50% and 80%, although lower may do it. In my winter garden the humidity is between 40% and 80%.
- To get Epiphyllums to flower in the spring, it is essentiel to keep them at low temperature in the winter during the nights and to avoid artificial light exposure after sundown. They have to be kept at a night temperature not above 14°C, and best around 10°C. With higher temperatures they will not develop flower buds. They can tolerate temperatures down to 8°C.
Care of your Epiphyllums
- Besides taking care of the mix, the humidity, the light, the fertilizer and the temperature, you also have to check the plants for unwanted leaves. All year around the Epiphyllums have a tendency to sprout new leaves in all directions. During winter the leaves that develop are thin and soft without strength, (Fig. 1) remove them all. Shoots may develop year around from the top of the plants or from the areoles of the leaves where the flowers should come. Fig. 2. I remove them, because I do not want, especially the vigorous plants, to grow to huge. When the plants grow, you might direct the leaves growth by tying them to a bamboo stick, or similar for support. Keep the plants as slim as possible or it will soon grow like crazy Fig 3, 4, 5 and 6. The only new leaves you should keep are the leaves that grow out from the bottom of the plant. Fig. 7 and 8. However, no rules without exceptions. The Epiphyllum called Deutsche Kaiserin has a hanging growth, with a lot of flower buds from the hanging leaves. It is therefore best grown in a hanging basket.
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
- Normaly, pruning or cutting back should not be necessary. However, if you have to remove a stem because it is damaged or too old for flowering always do it from the base of the plant otherwise the plant will produce new shoots near the cut and this will ruin the appearance of the plant. Old leaves, where all the areoles has been used, will never flower again, and migth be removed. However, they may be used as new cuttings.
Flowering
- Your Epiphyllum will bloom after 1 to 4 years. Some will take longer. The blooming season is from April to July, depending of the type of the plant and the day temperature the Epiphyllum has been growing at during the winter. When buds are seen, don't turn the plant around, as this migh cause the buds to drop. Fig 9. Wait until the buds are so big, that they are nearly opening. Now you can move them indoors if you like, or to another place. Bud drops might also happen naturally if the plant produces more buds than it can reasonable handle. Sometimes new leaves are developing together with buds, remove these shoots. Fig. 10. The flowers will last from one night to several days.
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
- I have observed, that Epiphyllums, who has been grown indoors on a windowsill, will bloom a little earlier than Epiphyllums, which had been grown in the winter garden, where the day temperature is somewhat lower. The American species are sometimes blooming during summer or early autum.
- When the plants have developed three or four new branches it might be time to repot them. Also, when the plant tends to fall over when you move it around, it might be time for repotting. Use fresh mix, and don't remove to much of the old one. Do not water the first week after repotting. Normaly it is not necessary to repot them more frequently than every 3 to 4 years. The best time to do the repotting is after the end of blooming.
Pests
- Epiphyllums are very robust. They might however, be attacked by scale insects and mealy bugs. Remove them with a commercial product, found in nurseries. If you have the plants outdoors during the summer, you should place them above the ground i.e. on a bench or a shelf, as snails and other gnawing insects can damage them. Please be aware of groups, as they can rip the leaves in a very short space of time.
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