What do I have?

Late last summer, a friend gave me this plant. he didn't know much about it and I thought it was some sort of orchid cactus, but I'd never had one before. I transferred it to a larger pot using the same quick drying mix as my adeniums and just left it among my adeniums. Over the winter, which was very cold for New Orleans, I put it in my make-shift greenhouse with the adeniums. Gave it very little water, but it did have bright light. Come spring, I really thought it was dead since the stems looked rather discolored. Stuck it in full sunlight and rather forgot about it. Yesterday, I noticed what appeared to be 2 flower buds and this morning, I had 2 flowers!

Now, I need to learn a little bit more about this. How to care for it, especially over the winter. I don't even know if it likes full sun! It looks pretty scraggly in the pot, with just 2 long shoots coming out. Can someone identify this for me? And direct me to a site that can give me more info on caring for them. I'd like to fill in the pot with some new growth.

Sorry about the upside/down middle pic!

Jo-Ann

This message was edited Jul 28, 2014 8:10 AM

It appears to be Epiphyllum strictom. You did everything right except the full sun. They prefer filtered or early morning sun. You should feed it lightly with a balanced fertilizer from spring until Oct., then no food through the winter.

OCCAROL, Thanks so much for the info. I immediately moved it from full sun to early morning sun. I'll looked up some info on taking cuttings and I think I'll do that pretty soon.

Jo-Ann

I must be doing something right with my Epiphyllum strictom. I got another bloom last night & I can see about 4 more coming! I need to move this closer to my back door so I can keep a better eye out for those blooms. Maybe even try a little time lapse photography when one is going to open.
Jo-Ann

Oops!! The pic is upside/down, but you all will get the idea!

This message was edited Sep 21, 2014 7:39 AM

Nice to see late season blooms - just when you think they have finished.

I was trimming back "Wild Acclaim" yesterday (which really means taking cuttings) and almost severed a branch with four or five buds hiding behind a post so looks like I will have blooms in October! Can't wait for next year.

Mike

One more bloom today!! You all might be getting tired of my newbie blooms, but to me they're really exciting. I found out they stay open until the sun hits them. I took this photo at 7:30 this morning. It's now 8:45, and although it's not in full sun yet, it's pretty bright & starting to close up. I've got to watch this more closely, so I can bring it inside when another bloom is starting to open. I'd love to do a time-lapse photography on it!
Jo-Ann