NIGHT BLOOMING CEREUS

Gita........where art thou? You gave this beauty to me. Look at your baby now. Look closely in the left edge of the plant for a smooth projectile like growth and for two more much easier to see coming off the leaves in the center of the plant. In the bottom of the plant there are leaves forming out and away from older leaves. This has been the norm.

Now what are these smooth projectile like growths? Are we getting ready to bloom? I see no bud development as of this date.

I could not search to find the Cereus thread because the search engine is down.

Anyone who knows this great plant will be appreciated much if you can help me understand this critter.

I read somewhere that Cereus likes a mildly acid soil. Just before Christmas I fed this honey a bit of an acid fertilizer and stepped back. You can see the results. Hopefully someone will explain...................what is in fact going on right now.

Here's your forum

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/episetc/all/

Thank you. I have made contact.

Doc, I've never seen one of those before. Very nice. I spy one beautiful Begonia. Maybe you'll share a piece of it with me this spring!!
I'll go to great lengths to satisfy my addiction!!

I am not sure what you see behind the Cereus is a Begonia. In fact I really don't know what it is. I got a little careless and broke a piece off. It is rooted behind what you saw. If we can figure out a crossing travel plan you are more than welcome to it or another cutting. I have seen no flowers yet.

It came from someone who attended Critter's spring seed swap two year's ago.

From another thread I have found out that the Cereus may have blooming structure. Another persons said, "it's just trying to climb". I presently doubt the climbing theory. I see no part of the reaching structure with any built in grab ahold physical parts or protruding roots looking for medium to get into. As a climber mine never tried. The hanging wires were there all summer. All growth came out and fell down. Interesting but all this does not come together to describe my plant.

Stand by.....we shall see what we shall see. LOL

Hopefully, Doc, You'll be able to attend the spring swap and you could bring a cutting then.

Doc, you should take a look at the video I posted on Sally's "Tuppance a bag" thread. It's awesome.

WOW, Doc that is one interesting plant. That Gita she has some nice plants.

As expected, doc (by your fellow Mids who know your green thumb well!) , you've done well with the Cereus. It looks healthy. As does the other, variegated thing that stormyla noticed behind it. I agree with you that I'm not really thinking begonia but have no clue. I agree with stormyla, its very ' swappable.'

It looks like one of those vining type of Begonias that RCN was showing. Maybe not, but it is indeed handsome. Both plants are.

That "other" plant is an Episcia that most likely came from me. If so, if it blooms blue, then it's 'Blue Nile'; if it's pink, then it's 'Pink Panther'.

My two epis are seriously out of control, with tall wildly reaching leaves. Most likely, those tall stems will turn into long leaves. One of mine finally bloomed this fall, but I missed the flower's opening both times and they didn't look like much by morning. Maybe I'll try rooting some cuttings in a hanging planter; yours looks like a more manageable form. I suspect I'll have a pair of eips to swap this spring, or maybe I'll just turn them into cuttings to share around. One is a white 'Queen of the Night', and the other is supposed to be pink (hasn't bloomed for me).

Episcia.....Blue Nile or Pink Panther. There you are folks and now we think we know who got me into growing it. I have never seen a bloom on that plant so it is a wait and see game. If I make a bit of an effort I can have rooted starts for a spring swap. The one I now have is spoken for.

doc---

My goodness! How did I miss this Tread????? I think it is the same problem that I tend to only look at Threads i am "watching" and so--many others go unnoticed.

MY! Your Epi looks so great for only one year from a so-so cutting! I know it is because of your incredible knowlege and the soil you "make yourself". I have many more rooted cuttings all doing great--and many of them also growing those long "spikes"--even in their "infancy".....

This plant goes by many names---"NBC" is one--"Queen of the Night" is another--and there are many others.
When, and IF, you will get buds--they will come from the older leaves by what seems to be a vein, that all of a sudden, emerges from the side of the frond and becomes a bud. My Ric-Rac does the same thing--as they are all in the Orchid Cactus family. I have many pictures that would show this to you--even though my NBC has never bloomed.

Those LONG spikes/leaves it grows seem to just be a feature of this plant. I, personally hate them and often cut them off. To me they seem to have NO purpose--but maybe in their native habitat--the do.
Right now--the one I have indoors has AGAIN produced several of these long "spikes". I will be cutting them off sooner or later.
Outdoors--these spikes will grow regular "leaves" from the tops of them. And so it goes.......
Once I posted on the Orchid cactus Forum asking how to support all this lanky growth--and someond suggested I should get an Aquarium Stand (???) and set the plant inside it to support it. HUH????

The interesting thing is that you can cut one of these tall, skinny things off and cut it up in sections and root them--and they will grow regular leaves from them and become another plant.

doc--PLEASE do not disect your NBC Epi for the sake of the Plant Swap. I have so many growing--I would be happy to take a bunch to the next Swap. You can then be the "professor" and share all you have done to make yours thrive as it has. I also love how the leaves on yours hang down. I think i am fighting the nature of this plant trying to keep it potted and supported so it will grow in an upright mode.

The plant behind your Epi is definitely and Episcea. The only Episcea I have ever grown is the "Chocolate Soldier" one. On this one the blooms are bright red. I had it years ago! Tyhe leaves on yours look like the Ch. Sol. one--but I know there are other varieties that look similar. If yours came from Jill--then she has ID it for you.

Propagating this plant is from rooting the offshoots that grow at the ends of the vining stems. Some people plant these in a small pot and leave it attached the the Mama while it roots. Then separate it. The one I had--years and years ago--I just cut it off and planted the offshoot in a small pot and it rooted--much like a Spider Plant baby. They are easily propagated.
From what I remember--these plants require high humidity and do not like to be over watered. May be a good candidate for a terrarium?

The link catz gave you should provide you with a lot of insight. No need for me to post any more pics...OK! Maybe the one of my NBC inside and how it is growing all those same naked stems.....Still not sure what i will do with them. Cutting them off seems the only choice.

Of course--now that i want to find the pictures I want to show you--I cannot, but here are some that will help.....Yours seems happy in a HB.


This was taken last Summer--while it was still outside. Here is the main plant as it is growing. As you can see--I am trying hard to keep it upright. maybe I should not.

If you look again on the previous picture--you will see this long stem growing out of the range of the photo --but you cannot see the top of it.
Well! here is the "rest of the story"....:o)

Wild--NO? BUT--you can see that :normal" leaves are growing out of the skinny spike.
This seems to be regular for the Orchid Cactus family.

Here's a leaf section that broke off, but it shows you how the side leaves grow out of a broader leaf. This is totally normal.

BTW--I stuck this whole section in a pot of soil mix--and it rooted easily.
I have to say the nothing roots easier than any section of Any Orchid cactus. Not to worry1
That is why i have so many of them! Some are getting to be close to 2' tall.
NOT interested in keeping all these around!

Here is one of them--or the same one--I just stuck in a pot. it rooted easily!

I have cut off one of those growths that was forming a leaf at the top and tiny roots coming out all along the stem. One leaf that got broken off I just stuck back in the pot. It has continued to look like it never knew it was in an accident. The one I removed was going crazy and upsetting the nice appearance of the potted plant. This appears to me to be the method the plant uses to reach out and crawl about in its native home.

I promise not to start this item for trade. Not everyone has space to play with this plant. I would not see a reason for having two or more for the same reason. However anyone who sees this plant wants to know all about it. For some reason it draws attention. It will go back outside as soon as we get suitable weather.

Jeepers, I've wanted one of those night bloomer plants for a while. If they are so easy to root and you have more than you want, Gita, I'd love to adopt one!! Are they really fragrant when they bloom?

I need to hack mine back or give it away... I have Queen of the Night (white) and also another that's supposed to bloom pink... will be happy to bring cuttings of both to the seed swap. They're easy to root... I got mine from unrooted cuttings received in the mail.

FF-

I could bring one of my bigger ones (already growing) for the prize table as well.
I have many! Someone will be glad to "adopt" it.

I have heard that they are extremely fragrant. Mine has never bloomed! Will try to give it more sun this Summer and feed it more....
Gita