Anonymous
04.08.2003, 17:32
... Annemarie Kronenberger ist ein wahrer Epi-Enthusiast und berichtet mir hin und wieder gern über Ihre Kulturmethoden und Ihre Fortschritte dabei.
Sie lebt derzeit in Wien - also unter mitteleuropäischen Klimabedingungen und kommt damit ausgesprochen gut zurecht. Frank war ihr "Gartennachbar" in den Staaten, zieht Johannisbeeren, besitzt einen eigenen Kaktus, den er nach seinem Hund benannt hat und gab Annemarie eine ganze Reihe guter Ratschläge.
Ich möchte mich hier bei Ihr für Ihre umfänglichen Hinweise bedanken - und an dieser Stelle auch einmal stellvertretend für alle anderen freundlichen Hilfeleistungen, die es in diesem Forum gibt, es macht mir viel Freude, darin zu studieren, wenn ich mal einen Moment zeit habe...
*Ulrich Haage*
Good evening to you. Just came back from Starbucks coffeehouse, a wonderful place to be, could make it my home.
Encouraged by your interest, I like to say more about epiphyllum culture, I want to come down to details and like to describe growing methods used with apparent success, maybe just working for some varieties under certain growing conditions. You may agree or you may not agree, I leave it up to your judgement. I am in the lucky position to communicate with a professional.
Propagation of Epiphyllums by Cuttings
I root unrooted cuttings as outlined by California Epi Center and Rainbow Gardens. I dry the cuttings in a cool place for at least two weeks before planting them in damp potting mix (not soggy), no deeper than 11/2 inches, two or more aeroles just below soil line. I always tie them to a stake for support. I personally prefer to keep them indoors till rooted, in shade or indirect light, preferentially in the bath room, where they can enjoy high humidity and misting them does not create a mess elsewhere. Indoors I have good control what is going on, I don't 'forget' them plus they are then not exposed to heavy rain.They are misted several times a day and the potting mix is kept moist. I withhold water till they are rooted, takes about 6 weeks or so. As soon as they are rooted, I begin watering gradually, they are taken outdoors and kept in shade for about a month or till they are established and start growing. Then they are moved to their permanent growing area. I do not fertilize them in their first growing season.
Frank used to root cuttings from his from his 'Cecil Cactus' in water. Before placing them in water he dried them for awhile, sometimes he kept them for a half year (or for longer I believe) before planting them, just to his convenience, he did not pay too much attention to this. There was always someone around who wanted a cutting, this way cuttings have been available all the time, the 'Cecil Cactus' was in great demand. Cuttings rooted pretty fast in water (in about two or three weeks if I remember correctly), they never failed to root.
Just for the fun of it, he tried to propagate epiphyllums like black raspberries that is, by tip-layering. Black raspberries grow canes which arch, bend down, they insert their tips into the soil and take root. Likewise, epiphyllums tip-root easily. He inserted the tip of a well grown branch into potting mix, let it root and severed then later the rooted branch from the original plant. So far everything looked good, but it always took a very long time till such an 'upside-down' cutting started growing. He finally decided its not worth the wait and epiphyllums should not be propagated like black raspberries. I am not sure, maybe he just chose the 'wrong' varieties and maybe 'upside-down' cuttings from different varieties grow at different rates of speed, like other cuttings do. (The ones he tried to start from 'upside-down' cuttings included the 'Cecil Cactus', E. Dolly Madison and a few others I gave him, I do not recall which ones).
I really do not have much experience to start epiphylums from unrooted cuttings, it worked so far, could be just beginner's luck. You got me a few unrooted cuttings this spring, you challenged my skills-I am very grateful you did, they rooted just fine (Ms.Illibauer rooted them, before planting she dipped them in 'Bewurzelungspulver'). I actually would prefer to root them in water, I am not really sure, I asked California Epi Center for advise, they recommended rooting them in moist potting mix.
Rooted Cuttings: Basically same procedure as descibed for unrooted cuttings, except that I plant them in dry potting mix. I handle them gently, do not compress the potting mix and tie them to a stake if necessary. I keep them indoors in shade (bathroom), mist them several times a day and do not water for at least one week, up to two weeks. Then they are watered, taken outside, kept in shade for awhile, weather dependent, before they are moved to their permanent growing area.There was never any trouble.
Repotting: I repot about every third year or more frequently, if needed. I proceed as with rooted cuttings outlined above. I repot the small ones (which are not expected do bloom yet) early in the season, the others after flowering (if necessary, I let them recover from flowering). I do not repot late in the season, not later than July. To my experience there is no set-back, or just insignificant set-back after repotting. I use plastic pots and if in doubt which pot size I should use, I go for the smaller one. Sometimes I divide a plant, and proceed as desribed. Never had a problem.
Miscellaneous remarks:
I had quite a lot of troubles with slugs and snails enjoying epiphyllum dinner. Because of excessively hot weather, draught and water shortage we often experience, I decided to sink at least the smaller pots in the ground. This way they need watering less often and roots are kept cool. Misting them every day and wetting down the ground during hot weather probably attracted slugs from all over the place. To make them stay away, I did not to water / mist any more in the evening and I built a kind of barrier around their growing area, like pine needles (lots of them), sand is also satisfactory. I prefer pine needles, works quite well. Frank gave me the ideas, he actually did not want me to sink pots in the soil because it may allow pests to get in the pot. My previous attempts to get rid of slugs and snails did not really help (I handpicked them, put them in a paper bag, drove them to a remote location and released them).
Anmerkung: gute Erfahrungen gibt es auch mit der Bierfalle - eine Schale mit etwas kühlem Bier füllen, die Schnecken lieben es - und haben noch immer nicht gelernt, das sie keinen Alkohol vertragen :D ... den Rest der Flasche sollte der verantwortungsvolle Kultivateur kinder- und Schneckensicher im Magen verwahren :wink:
Watering: Whenever I water, I water thoroughly, never let the potting mix dry out completely and use rain water whenever possible.
Flower Buds: I remove all flower buds on small plants (cuttings). Emotionally difficult to do, Frank said I should strive for reasonably seized plants before I can expect blooms. He was saying if a plant is still rather small, buds may drop later anyway or flowering may weaken it. Three out of the twelve epis I got from you last year had already grown buds ealier this spring (Eastern Trance, Tiki Torch, and Reward), Barbara Illibauer agreed to cut them away. To my experience, there is usually no bud drop, or just on very rare occasions not worth to mention, no problem moving the plants while buds are forming. I think this may be due to high humidity and to misting them frequently. Frank said bud drop may indicate problems with the roots, however, he was not an expert on epiphyllums.
Potting Mix: I don't worry too much about the particle size of sand / pea size gravel / perlite. The sand is always coarse, I do not use beach sand. Gravel and perlite is up to 1/4 inch in diameter.
I do not sterilize the leaf mold I am using (I actually would, Frank said I shouldn't). I sterilize used pots in case I have no new ones on hand (10% household bleach, about 1/2 hour). This is just a habit, I actually don't know why I am doing this.
Overwintering: In St. Louis I kept them in a light room, in quite a distance from the windows. This way they have not been exposed to any cold drafts while windows have been open (they got as much fresh air as possible) and have been protected from too much sunshine. I checked temperatures using a min-max. thermometer, I did not guess. When they got back outdoors I kept them in shade for 2 weeks-something like this- before moving them to their growing area.
Helen, a girlfriend, grows E. Clown in her in Newton / Massachusetts garden (in 1/2 sun, maybe 1/3 sun). I gave her a cutting, it is a large plant already, she uses prepackaged indoor plant mix (she claims it is coarse), no additives, no additional fertilizer. She repots it every year after blooming. To make sure the plant mix stays slightly acid, she just adds sometimes vinegar when watering, about 1 teaspoon / Quart (about 1 liter). Whenever she wants to keep a flower for awhile (for guests or so, it makes a beautiful centerpiece on the dinner table), she slips it into a jar together with a moist napkin and she makes sure the lid is on tight. It keeps in the fridge in good condition for up to a week she says. (Buds will not open in the jar, the flower has to be open before cut).
The epiphyllums I got from you last year and this year are grown currently in a garden (I finally have windowsills in my apartment, I do not have enough light to grow them here and I am often not around). We decided to sink the pots in 'Torfmulch' or something, so they cannot be blown over by strong winds and they do not need much attention as far as the watering goes. They are grown in about 1/2 sun till midafternoon, later in shade / indirect light. (We use about 50% shadecloth, a mosquito net we got at a hardware store). Ms. Illibauer figured out from whom to get the leaf mold and she is keeping an eye on them. You got us terrific plants, they are absolutely great, doing well.
Frank's experience with epiphyllums was limited to the 'Cecil Cactus' and to the ones I had, he considered their culture 'a piece of cake' absolutely foolproof, I could not agree more with him. On the other hand he stressed very clearly that plants should be observed on a regular basis - including the roots - especially if something looks strange and appears to be out of the ordinary. This way of thinking was just his second nature and came probably from his background in agriculture.
There are skilled amateurs doing well with almost all plants, for me it is love and feelings leading to success, I am not saying the mechanics of basic culture should be ignored.
At the moment I cannot think about anything else I could mention, I am probably forgetting things.
If black raspberries are grown in your area, I recommend you try vanilla ice creme, whipped creme and black raspberries. The black ones are great, tastier than the red ones. Something to die for.
Have a good rest of the night, I actually hope you are not working any more.
Annemarie
Sie lebt derzeit in Wien - also unter mitteleuropäischen Klimabedingungen und kommt damit ausgesprochen gut zurecht. Frank war ihr "Gartennachbar" in den Staaten, zieht Johannisbeeren, besitzt einen eigenen Kaktus, den er nach seinem Hund benannt hat und gab Annemarie eine ganze Reihe guter Ratschläge.
Ich möchte mich hier bei Ihr für Ihre umfänglichen Hinweise bedanken - und an dieser Stelle auch einmal stellvertretend für alle anderen freundlichen Hilfeleistungen, die es in diesem Forum gibt, es macht mir viel Freude, darin zu studieren, wenn ich mal einen Moment zeit habe...
*Ulrich Haage*
Good evening to you. Just came back from Starbucks coffeehouse, a wonderful place to be, could make it my home.
Encouraged by your interest, I like to say more about epiphyllum culture, I want to come down to details and like to describe growing methods used with apparent success, maybe just working for some varieties under certain growing conditions. You may agree or you may not agree, I leave it up to your judgement. I am in the lucky position to communicate with a professional.
Propagation of Epiphyllums by Cuttings
I root unrooted cuttings as outlined by California Epi Center and Rainbow Gardens. I dry the cuttings in a cool place for at least two weeks before planting them in damp potting mix (not soggy), no deeper than 11/2 inches, two or more aeroles just below soil line. I always tie them to a stake for support. I personally prefer to keep them indoors till rooted, in shade or indirect light, preferentially in the bath room, where they can enjoy high humidity and misting them does not create a mess elsewhere. Indoors I have good control what is going on, I don't 'forget' them plus they are then not exposed to heavy rain.They are misted several times a day and the potting mix is kept moist. I withhold water till they are rooted, takes about 6 weeks or so. As soon as they are rooted, I begin watering gradually, they are taken outdoors and kept in shade for about a month or till they are established and start growing. Then they are moved to their permanent growing area. I do not fertilize them in their first growing season.
Frank used to root cuttings from his from his 'Cecil Cactus' in water. Before placing them in water he dried them for awhile, sometimes he kept them for a half year (or for longer I believe) before planting them, just to his convenience, he did not pay too much attention to this. There was always someone around who wanted a cutting, this way cuttings have been available all the time, the 'Cecil Cactus' was in great demand. Cuttings rooted pretty fast in water (in about two or three weeks if I remember correctly), they never failed to root.
Just for the fun of it, he tried to propagate epiphyllums like black raspberries that is, by tip-layering. Black raspberries grow canes which arch, bend down, they insert their tips into the soil and take root. Likewise, epiphyllums tip-root easily. He inserted the tip of a well grown branch into potting mix, let it root and severed then later the rooted branch from the original plant. So far everything looked good, but it always took a very long time till such an 'upside-down' cutting started growing. He finally decided its not worth the wait and epiphyllums should not be propagated like black raspberries. I am not sure, maybe he just chose the 'wrong' varieties and maybe 'upside-down' cuttings from different varieties grow at different rates of speed, like other cuttings do. (The ones he tried to start from 'upside-down' cuttings included the 'Cecil Cactus', E. Dolly Madison and a few others I gave him, I do not recall which ones).
I really do not have much experience to start epiphylums from unrooted cuttings, it worked so far, could be just beginner's luck. You got me a few unrooted cuttings this spring, you challenged my skills-I am very grateful you did, they rooted just fine (Ms.Illibauer rooted them, before planting she dipped them in 'Bewurzelungspulver'). I actually would prefer to root them in water, I am not really sure, I asked California Epi Center for advise, they recommended rooting them in moist potting mix.
Rooted Cuttings: Basically same procedure as descibed for unrooted cuttings, except that I plant them in dry potting mix. I handle them gently, do not compress the potting mix and tie them to a stake if necessary. I keep them indoors in shade (bathroom), mist them several times a day and do not water for at least one week, up to two weeks. Then they are watered, taken outside, kept in shade for awhile, weather dependent, before they are moved to their permanent growing area.There was never any trouble.
Repotting: I repot about every third year or more frequently, if needed. I proceed as with rooted cuttings outlined above. I repot the small ones (which are not expected do bloom yet) early in the season, the others after flowering (if necessary, I let them recover from flowering). I do not repot late in the season, not later than July. To my experience there is no set-back, or just insignificant set-back after repotting. I use plastic pots and if in doubt which pot size I should use, I go for the smaller one. Sometimes I divide a plant, and proceed as desribed. Never had a problem.
Miscellaneous remarks:
I had quite a lot of troubles with slugs and snails enjoying epiphyllum dinner. Because of excessively hot weather, draught and water shortage we often experience, I decided to sink at least the smaller pots in the ground. This way they need watering less often and roots are kept cool. Misting them every day and wetting down the ground during hot weather probably attracted slugs from all over the place. To make them stay away, I did not to water / mist any more in the evening and I built a kind of barrier around their growing area, like pine needles (lots of them), sand is also satisfactory. I prefer pine needles, works quite well. Frank gave me the ideas, he actually did not want me to sink pots in the soil because it may allow pests to get in the pot. My previous attempts to get rid of slugs and snails did not really help (I handpicked them, put them in a paper bag, drove them to a remote location and released them).
Anmerkung: gute Erfahrungen gibt es auch mit der Bierfalle - eine Schale mit etwas kühlem Bier füllen, die Schnecken lieben es - und haben noch immer nicht gelernt, das sie keinen Alkohol vertragen :D ... den Rest der Flasche sollte der verantwortungsvolle Kultivateur kinder- und Schneckensicher im Magen verwahren :wink:
Watering: Whenever I water, I water thoroughly, never let the potting mix dry out completely and use rain water whenever possible.
Flower Buds: I remove all flower buds on small plants (cuttings). Emotionally difficult to do, Frank said I should strive for reasonably seized plants before I can expect blooms. He was saying if a plant is still rather small, buds may drop later anyway or flowering may weaken it. Three out of the twelve epis I got from you last year had already grown buds ealier this spring (Eastern Trance, Tiki Torch, and Reward), Barbara Illibauer agreed to cut them away. To my experience, there is usually no bud drop, or just on very rare occasions not worth to mention, no problem moving the plants while buds are forming. I think this may be due to high humidity and to misting them frequently. Frank said bud drop may indicate problems with the roots, however, he was not an expert on epiphyllums.
Potting Mix: I don't worry too much about the particle size of sand / pea size gravel / perlite. The sand is always coarse, I do not use beach sand. Gravel and perlite is up to 1/4 inch in diameter.
I do not sterilize the leaf mold I am using (I actually would, Frank said I shouldn't). I sterilize used pots in case I have no new ones on hand (10% household bleach, about 1/2 hour). This is just a habit, I actually don't know why I am doing this.
Overwintering: In St. Louis I kept them in a light room, in quite a distance from the windows. This way they have not been exposed to any cold drafts while windows have been open (they got as much fresh air as possible) and have been protected from too much sunshine. I checked temperatures using a min-max. thermometer, I did not guess. When they got back outdoors I kept them in shade for 2 weeks-something like this- before moving them to their growing area.
Helen, a girlfriend, grows E. Clown in her in Newton / Massachusetts garden (in 1/2 sun, maybe 1/3 sun). I gave her a cutting, it is a large plant already, she uses prepackaged indoor plant mix (she claims it is coarse), no additives, no additional fertilizer. She repots it every year after blooming. To make sure the plant mix stays slightly acid, she just adds sometimes vinegar when watering, about 1 teaspoon / Quart (about 1 liter). Whenever she wants to keep a flower for awhile (for guests or so, it makes a beautiful centerpiece on the dinner table), she slips it into a jar together with a moist napkin and she makes sure the lid is on tight. It keeps in the fridge in good condition for up to a week she says. (Buds will not open in the jar, the flower has to be open before cut).
The epiphyllums I got from you last year and this year are grown currently in a garden (I finally have windowsills in my apartment, I do not have enough light to grow them here and I am often not around). We decided to sink the pots in 'Torfmulch' or something, so they cannot be blown over by strong winds and they do not need much attention as far as the watering goes. They are grown in about 1/2 sun till midafternoon, later in shade / indirect light. (We use about 50% shadecloth, a mosquito net we got at a hardware store). Ms. Illibauer figured out from whom to get the leaf mold and she is keeping an eye on them. You got us terrific plants, they are absolutely great, doing well.
Frank's experience with epiphyllums was limited to the 'Cecil Cactus' and to the ones I had, he considered their culture 'a piece of cake' absolutely foolproof, I could not agree more with him. On the other hand he stressed very clearly that plants should be observed on a regular basis - including the roots - especially if something looks strange and appears to be out of the ordinary. This way of thinking was just his second nature and came probably from his background in agriculture.
There are skilled amateurs doing well with almost all plants, for me it is love and feelings leading to success, I am not saying the mechanics of basic culture should be ignored.
At the moment I cannot think about anything else I could mention, I am probably forgetting things.
If black raspberries are grown in your area, I recommend you try vanilla ice creme, whipped creme and black raspberries. The black ones are great, tastier than the red ones. Something to die for.
Have a good rest of the night, I actually hope you are not working any more.
Annemarie