Today, in almost every living room you can find home-made flowers that delight with their beauty. Epiphyllum is a plant of the Cactus family. In total there are about 200 of its varieties. The name of the plant is associated with the presence of leaves: in translation from Greek, “epi” means “from above” or “on”. Some people call this culture phyllocereus or phylloctactus. In this review, we will look at how the epiphyllum flower grows. Photos, home care and recommendations from experienced gardeners will also be presented.
Description
Where did this unusual plant come from? Homeland - tropical forests of America and Mexico. The first description of this culture dates back to 1812. Today, the cactus epiphyllum is considered a houseplant. It belongs to succulents and has long spreading stems, which can be creeping or drooping. As a rule, trunks have a flat or trihedral shape and are equipped with aerial roots. They are mistakenly considered to be epiphyllum leaves. Phyllocactus may also contain large white flowers and funnel-shaped flowers. Their length reaches 40 cm, and they open both in the daytime and at night. Inflorescences are so beautiful that the epiphyllum is sometimes called orchid. This cactus is also able to bear fruit. They are quite large, prickly, have a reddish color and strawberry-banana flavor.
How to grow at home?
Let's dwell on this in more detail. Many are interested in how to properly grow epiphyllum. Home care is not particularly difficult. If you want to admire the beautiful inflorescence daily, keep the plant on a windowsill on the west or east side. The flower needs a bright diffused color. In the summer, the epiphyllum will feel great not in the fresh air. It is just undesirable for direct sunlight to fall on the plant in the daytime. In summer, the optimal temperature for growing phyllocactus is considered to be 20-25 degrees. Between November and February, the epiphyllum needs rest. Then the temperature should not rise above 10-15 degrees. Epiphyllum is quite indifferent to such a parameter as air humidity. However, on hot days he will not be disturbed by spraying with water.
Primary requirements
What they are, every beginner and professional florist should know. How should the epiphyllum grow? Caring for this plant requires regular watering. It is required to moisten the soil in the tank with the plant when its top layer finally dries out. In summer, you need to water the cactus more often than in the cold season. If the plant hibernates in a cool room, then watering is recommended to be stopped altogether. When spring begins, the soil in the epiphyllum pot can gradually begin to moisten.
At home, the plant must be fed twice in the spring-summer period. For this purpose, a special fertilizer for cacti is suitable. It must be prepared in strict accordance with the instructions. At the beginning of the stage of bud formation, epiphyllum should be fed with mullein. Fertilizer is diluted in water in a ratio of 1 to 4. After the appearance of inflorescences, the cactus should be fed once every two weeks. In this case, it is best to alternate organic components with the introduction of nitrogen mineral fertilizers for indoor plants. Phyllocactus does not require additional feeding during dormancy.
Bloom
What you need to know about this? Does the epiphyllum bloom at home? Care and cultivation of this plant should be carried out in accordance with the recommendations of experienced gardeners, then you can achieve the appearance of beautiful buds. As soon as the inflorescences begin to form, do not try to rearrange or rotate the pot. At the slightest change in flowering conditions , the cactus can lose buds. They usually bloom gradually. Flowering of each proceeds for about a week. Some varieties of epiphyllum bloom buds even twice a year - in autumn and spring. The main thing is to ensure that the plant has enough nutrition and moisture. To ensure the outflow of excess fluid from the pot, it is better to put it on a pan. Then the moisture will not stagnate at the roots and cause them to rot.
Do you need cropping?
How to grow an epiphyllum cactus? Home care necessarily involves a procedure such as pruning. But how often should it be done? Only those stems that have a faceted or circular cross section should be removed. Flowers will never appear on them. Flat stems are also subject to pruning. In carrying out this process, it should be borne in mind that plant flowers are formed on stems that have grown over the past year. Those that have already bloomed will no longer form buds, however, they can be cut only after 2-3 years. They are necessary in order to ensure the vital activity of plants. The stems on which cork formations appear must be cut off. In epiphyllum, it is also worthwhile to remove stems growing or bent into the inner part of the bush. It is necessary to remove faded buds. For processing cut stems, you can use crushed coal.
Possible problems
Why does not epiphyllum bloom? Home care, pruning was carried out correctly, but the plant still refuses to please you with beautiful inflorescences? What could be the matter? Most likely, the problem is the lack of lighting, over-abundant watering in the winter, or a long stay at rest in a cool room. Sometimes plants do not bloom due to excess nitrogen in the soil. How to solve this problem?
What difficulties may still arise?
Beginning gardeners are lost and do not know what to do when they refuse to bloom the epiphyllum. A flower for which home care does not present any particular problems requires some conditions. First of all, check if it has enough light and moisture. For a while, stop feeding the plant with high nitrogen fertilizers. Leave the cactus to rest in a cool, dark room. The best time for this is autumn and winter. After that, the plant should bloom in the next season.
Transfer
So how to do it right? What if the epiphyllum cactus grows too fast? Leaving provides regular transplantation of a plant. This action is carried out annually in the spring. It is better not to use a large pot immediately for transplanting. Mature plants need to be replanted only when necessary. This procedure is performed when the roots begin to break through the drainage holes.
The phylocactus pot should not be too big, but wide. Containers made of plastic or ceramic are best suited. At the bottom of the pot must be laid drainage. An excellent option for this purpose will be the use of broken foam, expanded clay or special pebbles for drainage. Soil for transplanting plants can be made independently. To do this, mix 4 parts of turf and leaf soil, add charcoal, coarse sand and peat to them. The soil should not contain ingredients with a high content of lime. The best indicator of acidity is pH 5-6.
Diseases and Pests
This issue should be emphasized. How to grow epiphyllum at home? Photos, care and growth features - this is what usually excites beginner gardeners. However, this plant is susceptible to pests. Most often there are scale insects, aphids, spider mites, mealybugs on it. The latter feed on the juice of the plant and leave behind a plaque, similar to cotton wool. After their appearance, the epiphyllum can begin to lag behind in development. The danger is that worms can also carry viral diseases. You can remove pests from the surface of the plant using a cotton swab or brush soaked in soapy water or alcohol. Thus, insects themselves and traces of their vital activity should be removed. If the lesion is serious enough, triple treatment is necessary. First, the plant is treated with Actara, then with Confidor, and finally with Mospilan. Intervals between treatments should be 7 days.
Aphids are another pest that can kill epiphyllum. Caring for a diseased plant in this case will include treatment with drugs such as Biotlin and Antitlin. The danger of aphid damage lies in the fact that it can carry viruses, because of which the plant can completely stop its growth.
In conditions of chronic lack of moisture, the considered culture can be affected by spider mites. Like worms and aphids, they begin to suck out the sap from the plant and thereby disrupt its further development. How in this case to save the epiphyllum flower? Home care must necessarily include insecticide treatment. For this purpose, compositions such as Aktara, Aktellik and others can be used.
What other pests are susceptible to epiphyllum? The care and reproduction of plants at home is often associated with parasites such as scale insects. These pests can completely deprive the plant of vitality. First of all, they should simply be removed mechanically from the cactus. After that, you can treat the plant with a systemic insecticide. Processing, if necessary, can be repeated after a couple of weeks.
Often, diseases such as fusarium, black rot and anthracnose also affect epiphyllum. Care in this case should be to remove the affected areas, processing slices with crushed coal. At the same time, it is recommended to spray the plant itself with a solution of Fundazole. How to understand that a flower was struck by rust? Dark spots appear on the surface of the stems. The disease can provoke excessive watering, low air temperatures, burns received under the influence of sunlight, getting on the stems of water during irrigation. If you find one of the symptoms described above, then the plant must be treated with a drug called "Topaz".
A distinctive feature of anthracnose is the appearance of light brown spots on the stems. The surface damaged by the disease must be removed and sprinkled with crushed coal. The flower itself is recommended to be treated with fungicide. Fusarium is easy to recognize by changing the color of the stems of phyllocactus. Instead of green, they turn brown or reddish. This occurs as a result of rotting of the root system. How to save the epiphyllum in this case? Home care must necessarily include a flower transplant in a new soil. Rotten roots are best trimmed. Sections are treated with crushed coal or ash. After the cactus transplant, review the watering regime. You may have done this all too often, which is why the root system has been wetted. As a result, a favorable environment was created for the development of fungal infection.
Most often, diseases and pests on phyllocactus appear as a result of a serious violation of the conditions of detention. From insufficient watering or too bright light, the leaves may begin to dry and wrinkle. In this case, it will be enough just to rearrange the flower pot in a more suitable place, and normal development will resume. Often, the condition of the plant deteriorates sharply after transplantation. Most likely, this is due to damage and the death of the roots. Then the stems begin to dry out. Due to the excessive amount of fertilizer, the shoots may begin to crack. However, the hardest thing is to cure the plant in case of root rot. Such a nuisance can happen not only due to fusarium, but also due to excess moisture near the roots. Rotting can begin due to overheating of the pot in the sun. There is only one way to save the plant in this case - a transplant into fresh soil with the preliminary removal of diseased roots.
Breeding Tips
Many people want to have epiphyllum at home. Home care, photos of adult plants, growing conditions - these are the information that usually interests beginner gardeners. But how do you get epiphyllum sprouts?
There are several ways:
- Propagation by seed. There are no particular difficulties in this method. Seeds just need to be sown in moist soil designed for growing cacti. After that, the container is covered with a film and kept at a temperature of 20-23 degrees, occasionally lifting it for ventilation. When cacti-like shoots appear on the surface, the film can be completely removed.
- Reproduction by dividing the bush. A large flower during the transplant can be divided into parts. It is best to carry out this procedure after flowering. Each part should have strong roots, healthy young stems. Dead and rotten roots are best removed immediately and treated with charcoal. The parts obtained as a result of division must be transplanted into separate containers with pre-prepared drainage and soil. The first time after transplantation, the seated parts of phyllocactus require a little water. From bright sunlight it is better to hide them.
- Propagation by cuttings. This method is best used in April-May. Stems with a length of not more than 13 cm are cut from an adult plant. On the bottom, a wedge-shaped incision is necessary. After this, the cuttings are placed in a dry container for a couple of days. This is required in order for the juice to flow out of the plant. Then, the shoots can be deepened into a substrate to a depth of 1 cm. For cuttings, it is better to use a flat container. After planting the cuttings, the surface of the substrate must be sprinkled with a layer of sand. It will be possible to water the cuttings only two days after planting.
Conclusion
Now you know what the epiphyllum flower is. Photos, home care, especially flowering, diseases and pests - all these issues we have addressed in this review. The main thing is to choose the right place and observe the watering regime. Epiphyllum is not too demanding on the conditions, growing it is quite simple.