last updated: April 18, 2003

Care of Epiphyllum Plants and Cuttings

Epiphyllum Care and Transplantation

Care for New Cuttings

• Cuttings should lie in a cool dry place for one to two weeks before planting. They will grow most rapidly if treated with a rooting hormone prior to potting (exception: Branches shipped with roots growing from the bottom of the cutting may be planted upon arrival).
• Plant the cutting about one and one half inches deep in a 4" or larger container.
• Potting soil should be a light mix, easily obtained at your local nursery. Ask for prepackaged cacti or succulent mix, then add a little more humus to that mix (I use a mix of half African violet soil and half cactus sand).

Watering

• Withhold water for about a week when fresh cuttings are planted, and then start watering gingerly (to avoid knocking the plant over in the pot). Good drainage is extremely important.
• Excess water must drain away at once or the soil becomes overly acidic, which will rot the branches. Epiphyllums are semi-acidic plants.

• Epi. Royal Heir (splash petal variety)

  Once you have started watering, don't let them dry out completely (except for while they go dormant in November and December... then water can be severely curtailed).
• When plants are not in bloom, their branches enjoy being hosed down. When in bloom, carefully water in the container only.
  

Light

• Semi-shade conditions with filtered sunlight and good air movement are ideal. They prefer morning sun, never direct afternoon sun.

Fertilizing

• Fertilize once a month in spring and summer if you use a soak bath (similar to how you fertilzer orchids). If using time release pellets, which is very effective with these plants, just fertilize a couple times per year.
• Fertilize with diluted 6-25-25 in early spring to promote bud growth and ultimately flowers.
• After your plant has finished flowering then fertilize once again, this time with a dilution of balanced 20-20-20 (equal parts of nitrogen, phosphate and potash).

Pests

• Watch for snails, scale and aphids. Control as needed to insure healthy plants.

New Growths and Flowers

• Some epiphyllums will show new growth within weeks. Others will take months.
• Some will have flowers after a year of growth and others will take up to two years.
• Sometimes a new cutting will produce a bud (or many) shortly after being potted, sometimes within days. This is probably due to cues and processes started when the leaf was still on the parent plant (though it may also be a befuddled response to systemic stress). If your new cutting does this, I suggest you pinch off the new bud (i.e. do not allow the plant to flower). Producing flowers puts a fair amount of stress on the plant. In a big plant this is relatively insignificant, but in a new plant you want to emphasize root growth and more vegetation before letting it flower.
  

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Reference books

Epiphyllums & Orchid companion plants

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