What is night blooming cereus growing???

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dmwade Litchfield Park , AZ(Zone 9b) Mar 13, 2016

My night blooming cereus has a near 4 foot spike growing from it's base.
It has little white rootlike things growing from it. What is this?

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Post #10208000
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Pistil Lake Stevens, WA(Zone 8a) Mar 13, 2016

Hi dmwade-
I have not grown that particular epiphyllum, but I have others. What I find is that the new growth starts as a very long skinny round spike that grow straight up, it will make some little rootlike things, then the long skinny thing widens out, the rootlike things turn brown and fall off, it bends down and hangs once it is heavy, and...it is another leaf.
I just ran over and took some cell phone shots to show this on one of mine.
I think you are going to have to figure out a hanging basket for it, or like this one of mine put it on something high so the leaf can dangle in a natural way. It is a long leaf!
I have often thought it might be easy to propagate these by getting those "proto-roots" into some moist growing medium, before they turn brown and dry up. I think in the rainforest where these are from the rootlets would probably attach to moss on a tree trunk or something.

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Post #10208085
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dmwade Litchfield Park , AZ(Zone 9b) Mar 13, 2016

That is exactly what I am seeing. Thank you so much. I normally have it on a stand so it is a couple feet off the ground. Has yours flowered? I think I have a couple buds coming so I am going to keep it to see the flowers but after that will be looking for a new home😕 I had no idea what I was buying. I expected it to be more like a Christmas cactus.

Post #10208300
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Pistil Lake Stevens, WA(Zone 8a) Mar 14, 2016

Mine have not flowered yet, I can't wait.
When you are ready to get rid of it, you might look for a trade here in DG- This Epiphyllum is quite popular even though it gets humongous. I suspect if you cut it off near the roots you could mail it in a very small box, It should then grow up big again. People also grow Epiphyllums from leaf cuttings-that is how I got mine, and they are of course small and easy to mail!
You might try some of the smaller Epiphyllum.A related oddity is the Ric Rac Orchid Cactus, I have one of these:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/62665/

Post #10208464
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tx_flower_child Dallas, TX Apr 04, 2016

Your plant is growing the long 'spikes' b/c it is not getting enough light. The white things sound like roots. They are common but also (I think) caused by the plant doing all it can to get more light and maybe even water. Move it to where it will get much more light and those 'spikes' should flatten out and fly right.

Many epis can take years before they bloom. Others, unlike mine, that are not abused will bloom faster. Good luck.

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