Epiphyllum hookeri - Hooker's Orchid Cactus is found growing often in the forks of trees or in rock crevices. It looks best in a hanging basket...
Epiphyllum hookeri, also called as Hooker's Orchid Cactus, Cereus hookeri, Cereus marginatus, Epiphyllum phyllanthus subsp. hookeri, Epiphyllum phyllanthus var. hookeri, Epiphyllum ruestii, Epiphyllum stenopetalum, Epiphyllum strictum, Epiphyllum strictum var. ruestii, Phyllocactus hookeri, Phyllocactus marginatus, Phyllocactus ruestii, Phyllocactus stenopetalus, Phyllocactus strictus, is a species of the genus Epiphyllum . This species was described by Adrian Hardy Haworth in 1829.
IDENTIFY EPIPHYLLUM HOOKERI - HOOKER'S ORCHID CACTUS
Epiphyllum hookeri is native to Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador,
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico
Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Nicaragua, Panamá, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela. It
is found growing often in the forks of trees or in rock crevices.
It is a perennial climbing cactus which reaching 2 meters with light green, 40–120 × 6–9 cm, margins obtusely serrate stem segments. This plant looks best in a hanging basket or shelf that will appropriately display its long foliage.
Hooker's Orchid Cactus blooms in summer with white flowers. The fragrant flowers are open only at night and close by morning, up to 22.5 cm long and up to 20 cm in diameter.
EPIPHYLLUM HOOKERI - HOOKER'S ORCHID CACTUS CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light and exposure:
In summer, any position where Epiphyllum hookeri can be kept a little close and moist, and be shaded from bright sunshine, will suit them. Remembering that their habit, when wild, is to grow upon the trunks of trees, where they would be afforded considerable shade by the overhanging branches, we cannot be wrong in shading them from direct sunshine during summer. All through the summer months, the plants should be syringed both morning and evening; but by the end of August they will have completed their growth, and should, therefore, be gradually exposed to sunshine and air.
Temperature:
Hooker's Orchid Cactus need the temperate temperature: in summer 15°C, rising to 24°C with sun heat, night 15°C to 18°C, in winter 10°C to 13°C. The plants are safest when kept dry during the cold, dull weather between September and April. To set blossom buds, the plant needs 8-10 weeks of cool 16-18°C at daytime and 7-13°C at nighttime in winter.
Humidity:
Epiphyllum hookeri need moderate to high humidity for its growth (50-60%). To increase the humidity, position the pot on a tray filled with gravel and keep this topped up with water, but not enough so that the water reaches the surface. If you live in dry conditions though, you can consider misting the leaves. Good air movement should be ensured when keep the plant at high level of humidity.
Soil:
The soil most suitable for these plants is a mixture of peat, loam, and sand, unless a light and fibrous loam be obtainable, which is, perhaps, the best of all soils for these plants, requiring only the addition of a little rotted manure or leaf-mould, silver sand, and some small brick rubble. Leaf mould is sometimes used, but unless really good it is best left out of the soil.
Potting:
The size of pots most suitable is what would be considered small in comparison with other plants. If small pots are used, the head of the plant is apt to overbalance the whole. The pots should be well drained-about one-fifth of their depth filled with drainage. When filling in the soil, press it down firmly, spreading the roots well amongst it, and keeping the base of the plant only an inch or so below the surface.
Repot:
On the arrival of the potting season (April and May), the plants should be examined at the root, and if the roots are found to be in a healthy condition, and the soil sweet, they should be replaced in the same pots to continue in them another year. If the roots are decayed, or the soil has become sour, it should be shaken away from the roots, which must be examined, cutting away all decayed portions, and shortening the longest roots to within a few inches of the base of the plant.
After potting, no water should be given for a few weeks. In fact, if the atmosphere in which the plants are placed be kept a little moist, it will not be necessary to water them till signs of fresh growth are perceived.
Watering:
Keep the soil wet in spring through fall, while the plant is growing. In winter, water sparingly until the point that new growth starts in spring. Never enable it to dry out. Shriveled, limp stems are a sign the soil is too dry. After blossoming, the plant needs a rest of one month. During the rest period, water should be reduced, fertlizer should stop.
Fertilizer:
In the growing season, which takes place in the summer to early fall, it is recommended to feed this cactus plant with fertilizer once a month. Use a diluted fertilizer of 10-10-10 during this periods. To promote flowering and root development, use a ratio of 2-10-10 fertilizer. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers are not recommended.
Pruning:
Hooker's Orchid Cactus require little to no pruning. If you do prune because the size of the plant becomes overwhelming, pick a point along the stem where the leaves branch and cut above this point. You want to be careful here so as not to accidentally cut a part where new growth can develop. Be careful not to overwater after pruning as the plant's water requirements will be reduced.
Pests and diseases:
This cactus has no serious pest or disease problems. Watch for mealybugs and scale insects. Also prone to fungal leaf spots and stem spots. Spray with insecticides to kill bugs and stop serious infestation. Use insecticides like Neem or pyrethrins for visible bugs.
Propagation:
Epiphyllum hookeri may be multiplied from cuttings of the leaves or from seeds. From seeds the plants are generally freer in growth than when cuttings are used, although the seedlings are longer in growing into flowering specimens than large cuttings would be.
BUY EPIPHYLLUM HOOKERI - HOOKER'S ORCHID CACTUS AND RELATED PRODUCTS
BUY ANOTHERS SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF EPIPHYLLUM GENUS HERE!
COMMENTS