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Updated: May 21, 2025
And when I say no cactuses, I mean, of course, no indigenous species; for prickly pears and epiphyllums may naturally be planted by the hand of man anywhere. But what people take for thickets of cactus in the Indian jungle are really thickets of cactus-like spurges.
Epiphyllums require the temperature of an intermediate house in winter, whilst, in summer, any position where they can be kept a little close and moist, and be shaded from bright sunshine, will suit them.
In the forests which clothe the slopes of the Organ Mountains, in Brazil, the Epiphyllums are found in great abundance, growing upon the trunks and branches of large trees, and occasionally on the ground or upon rocks, up to an elevation of 6000 ft.
The finest Epiphyllums have been grown in a soil which consists almost wholly of a light fibry loam, with the addition of a little crushed bones. Potting. Cactuses, when healthy, are injuriously affected by frequent disturbance at the roots.
In fact, if the atmosphere in which the plants are placed be kept a little moist, it will not be necessary to water them till signs of fresh growth are perceived. For Epiphyllums and Rhipsalis, water will be required earlier than this; but even they are best left for a few days without water, after they have been repotted.
Large plants of Pereskia may be trained over pillars in conservatories and afterwards grafted with Epiphyllums; in fact, there are many ways in which these plants may be effectively employed in gardens. Mag. 2562.
The same may be said of green-fly, which sometimes attacks the Epiphyllums. A blight, something similar to mealy bug, now and again appears on the roots of some of the varieties of Echinocactus and Cereus.
Epiphyllums are employed with good effect for covering walls, which are first covered with peaty soil by means of wire netting, and then cuttings of the Epiphyllums are stuck in at intervals of about 1 ft.
When grown on their own roots, Epiphyllums are useful for planting in wire baskets intended to hang near the glass; large and very handsome specimens form in a few years, if young rooted plants are placed rather thickly round the sides of the baskets, and grown in a warm house.
In heated structures the selection of kinds may be made according to the space available, and to the conditions under which they will be expected to grow. The aspect is due south. When grown on their own roots, the Epiphyllums, as well as the pendent-growing kinds of Rhipsalis, and several species of Cereus, may be placed in baskets and suspended from the roof.
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