Late Autumn Blooms
08 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in 4. Seasonal Garden Notes Tags: Chrysanthemums, Justicia, Late Autumn, My garden, Zygocactus
Pink Zygocactus Flower
Just a quick note of the day. Today is a glorious sunny and warm Autumn Day after many grey rainy days. The Chrysanthemums are flowering nicely….they had to be covered with a plastic sheet during the rain. Getting too wet of many days of rainfalls would rot the delicate petals. Some of the Zygocactus (Schlumbergera, Christmas cactus) are blooming and the others still in buds. The Justicia is also blooming. Late season roses are still in flower but they are not as good as the spring and summer flowers. Meanwhile all the Jade plants ( Crassula ovata) are covered with tiny white flower buds.
Oh yes….. the cute little kitten is lazily basking in the warmth of the sun.
Zygo Cactus
Zygocactus ‘White Fantasy’ (Schlumbergera/Christmas Cactus)
Salmon Colour Zygocactus
Red Copper Chrysanthemums
Mauve Chrysanthemums
Pink Justicia carnea
Blooming Zygo Cacti – 2011
29 May 2011 Leave a Comment
in 1. Cactus and Succulent Tags: 2011, Schlumbergera truncata, Zygocactus
We have been having strange weather lately. For the last few weeks the sun hardly ever shined at all and today is very much the same. It seemed that the days were short and dark, and it is a very good condition for Zygo cactus (Schlumbergera truncata, Christmas Cactus) to grow more flowers. Yes, it is said that in order to bloom better, zygos need longer darkness before the flower buds start to grow in Autumn.
I noticed that the sudden chills lately changed the colour of our white zygo (and other light colours). Although the flower buds haven’t opened yet, I can see that they will have a slightly pinkish tint to the normally white colour. I will take more pictures when the flowers open.
Even though this year all the zygos produce much more flower buds compared to last year, the lack of sunshine makes them very slow to open and once they open they will wilt quickly.
As a member of jungle cactus, zygo cactus need to be trimmed by breaking the segments. Do this after finish flowering. This way it will encourage the plant to grow more stems. With more stems, the plant will grow bushy and will bear more flowers as each flower grows from the tip. The cuttings can be planted by sticking them (bottom part down) in potting mix in a pot. You will see that the next year you will have more new plants to share with family and friends.
Once I read that zygo cacti can grow for a long time and it can be passed down from generation to generation. If you love potted plants, zygo cacti are very easy to grow and will look very good in hanging pots. They will need well drain potting media ( I use half regular potting mix and half orchid mix). Slow released complete fertilizer can be added during the growing season in Spring. The best location for places with moderate climate is a shady spot, while in very cold climate can be grown as indoor plant. When the plants are not in growing season, water only when the soil is dry.
To go to previous entry on Zygo Cactus: http://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2010/05/26/our-blooming-zygos/
Our Blooming Zygos
26 May 2010 6 Comments
in 1. Cactus and Succulent Tags: Crab's Claw Cactus, Jungle Cactus, Schlumbergera truncata Hybrids, Zygocactus
When I posted a blog about ‘our jungle cacti’ back in November last year, the zygo cacti were not in flower. Obviously here in Melbourne (Australia), zygos flower in late May (which is the last month of autumn) to winter time. While Epiphyllum and Rhipsalidopsis flower around November to December.
In the Northern part of the world, zygocactus is also called Christmas cactus, but here in Australia during Christmas time, zygos are not in blooms at all. For this reason, I suppose here we don’t call this plant Christmas cactus.
The most common zygocacti that available here are from the species Schlumbergera truncata. It is also called Zygocactus truncatus. Other common species are S. bridgesii and S. reginae. They are available in various hybrids in many shades of colours; red, pink, mauve, salmon, white and purple.
All zygocactus plants are characterized by soft and thick leaves that grow in segments with pointed parts that make them look like crab claws. This is why zygocactus is also called Crab’s claw cactus.
In the wild in Southeast of Brazil, these jungle cacti are epiphytes which grow in tree hollows and crevices in the jungle.
Growing requirements:
- To be grown in containers such as hanging baskets or pots.
- Well drain potting mix (I use half good grade potting mix and half orchid mix).
- Fertilize during growing season with complete slow release fertilizer. (I use the same fertilizer for orchids lately, and it seems that it works quite well).
- Water well only when soil starts to dry.
- Partly shade position away from frost. Never indoor as it needs cool night air to bloom.
- As the flowers grow only from the tip of the leaves, it is necessary to prune by breaking segments of the leaves to encourage new branches to grow.
- Can be propagated from section/segment cuttings in propagating soil.
Some people believe that zygocactus will not flower well if it receives too much light at night. So it is better to keep them away from street lights or other outdoor lights. I am not so sure if it is true or it is just a myth.
Link for my previous post about Jungle Cacti:
http://kiyanti2008.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/our-jungle-cacti/
Note (added May 27): For those who live in colder zones, this is a good link to read how to grow zygocactus:
http://www.helium.com/items/159095-growing-christmas-cactus
Happy Gardening!!
Our Jungle Cacti
06 Nov 2009 5 Comments
in 1. Cactus and Succulent Tags: Colourful flowers, Epiphyllum, Gardening, Jungle Cacti, Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri, Zygocactus
Most cactus plants originally grow in sandy desert, but the moist and humid forests in South America have their very own species. Most of them, in natural environment live as epiphytic plants that grow in tree or rock crevices.
There are many species of jungle cacti and the most common name for them is “Holiday Cacti” like for example Thanks Giving, Christmas, and Easter Cacti. For me personally, these holiday names are very confusing and I am more familiar with the proper names for them. At home we have three kinds of jungle cacti: Epiphyllum (=Epis, Orchid Cactus); Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri (Sunrise cactus) and Zygocactus truncates (Schlumbergera truncata Hybrids/Crab’s Claw cactus)
At the moment as the last month of spring is warming up here in the Southern part of the world (Australia), only the Epis and the Rhipsalidopsis are blooming. Zygocactus will flower later in the summer time in late autumn to early winter.
- Epiphyllum: It is said that originally natural Epis have mostly white or creamy colour flowers. Only the hybrid varieties have more colourful colours like red, pink, salmon or mauve. The ones that we have is a bigger variety with large bright red blooms and the other one is smaller variety with pink and white colour. Unfortunately we have no records of the cultivar names.
Although these three species have flat stems (leaves), Epiphyllum consists of broad and long flat stems with lobed edges (without sections). The flowers grow from the aereole on the outer edge of the stems.
- Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri has smaller flat stems (leaves) which come in sections. The edges of the stems are rounder and the flowers grow from the tip of the stems. The bright coloured blooms are star shaped and they are closed at night and will open up when exposed to the sunlight during the day.This is why it is also named Sunrise cactus.
- Zygocactus has claw like stems (leaves) which grow in sections. The flowers that grow from the tip of the stems are irregular/ asymmetrical in shape and come in many different colours such as red, pink, salmon, white, mauve or purple.
The easiest way to differentiate these three plants is by looking at the shape of the leaves. They are hardy and easy to grow in warmer areas. The smaller varieties are suitable to grow in hanging pots for a beautiful display of flowers.
Happy Gardening!
November 13, 2009
Photo update of the pink Epiphyllum hybrid (Deutsche Kaiserin). Now in full bloom………….
Update: Friday August 6,2010:
I was cleaning one of the ceramic jars and in there I found an old tag of the pink orchid cactus above that was long forgotten. The botanic name is Nopalxochia phyllanthoides and apparently it is also called: Epiphyllum ’Deutsche Kaiserin’ . This is the tag with picture and plant info:
