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by Marina
(Florida)

xepiphyllum-cactus-21904873.

Epiphyllum Cactus in bloom

I would like to grow some epis – I’m in Florida where the weather is quite humid, so I don’t know for sure if they’ll like that.

How big should the pot be? Can I use regular cactus soil or do they need something different? How do you root cuttings from them?

Comments for epiphyllum cactus

Jun 24, 2018
Easy to Grow
by: Jacki

The great thing about Epiphyllum is how forgiving they are. They can take a lot of neglect, then come back better than ever, and bloom their heads off.

They don’t mind humidity as long as they have good ventilation. Aim a small fan towards the plant so it will emulate the treetops of their origin.

Keep in mind that they have a short season of bloom, only a week or two, then they look like they need to be thrown on the compost pile.

They have long straggly ‘legs’ that drape over the sides of a hanging basket (their favorite place to be). They don’t need a huge pot. In their native habitat, they sprawl on top of large tree branches, where the leaves capture debris like twigs from the tops of the trees.

Their preferred soil is well drained (like the cactus soil) but they also like some compost or leaf mold.

When they flower, the blooms can reach the size of a dinner plate, then they produce reddish colored fruits. The seeds can be propagated to produce new varieties, making this a great hobby for an amateur hybridizer.

As well, they root easily from a piece of leaf. Cut it into sections, let them callous, then insert the lower end into some potting soil and put the whole thing, pot and all into a plastic bag. Blow into the bag to inflate it and also provide the cutting with some carbon dioxide to get it going.

See more about the genus here; Epiphyllum.