Rhipsalis baccifera: tropical disguised as succulent
Rebecca/N. IN/z6A
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
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Rebecca/N. IN/z6A
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Cactus identify, please!
Comments (4)It is a Hatiora salicornioides and yes, it likes higher air humidity, more water and organic compost than "desert" cacti do. The first looks monstrose to me, so it should be Opuntia monacantha f. monstrosa (if it is a monacantha, I am not familiar with that species but it certainly looks much like the variegated form that is often offered for sale)...See MoreQ. cacti or succulent
Comments (7)hijole, I wouldn't normally refer to Wikipedia, but they have a pretty good section on this, and I quote, " Virtually all cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti." The term succulence describes a plant's ability to store water, an evolutionary trait found in many Families. Cacti evolved in the Americas (New World) and what makes them different are the spines and glochids which emerge from areoles. Spines on non-cacti like Euphorbia do not emerge from areoles but instead are an extension of the plant. There may be exceptions to this if anyone wants to point them out or elaborate. There are many other traits and distinctions but it's too much. I'll provide the link and you can go from there. I would also suggest searching this forum for the topic as it has been fully (and passionately) expounded upon in the past. Here is a link that might be useful: or you could buy a book about it...See MoreGrowing Rhipsalis pilocarpa
Comments (9)I'd suggest that it might grow better if you repotted it into a glazed ceramic or plastic pot so that it stayed moist longer, try giving it warmer growing conditions and water more frequently, and perhaps fertilize it more often by using a time release fertilizer mixed into the soil. It sounds like you may be growing it too hard with too cool conditions and not enough watering. Where these are native they prefer it moist and warm, and will respond best with these conditions. Even in the winter dry season in coastal southeastern Brazil where most Rhipsalis come from, it still rains in the winter and they don't have a long dry season between rains. You might consider adding orchid bark to the mix, and I have found that sinking a small plastic yogurt or margarine container filled with fine gravel in the bottom of a larger hanging basket is just the trick to give a water reservoir for the roots without needing to over water the container, and when I go to repot, the roots of my plants have packed themselves into the gravel. I'd also suggest that bright light in winter and keeping the night time temperatures above 55F at night will keep it growing year round, probably even better if it doesn't drop below 60F. On the other hand, I also find that other Rhipsalis species that I grow outdoors year round, such as R. ceresculea and R. baccifera and R. clavata, do just fine with winter lows at night down to just above freezing, but we warm back up to mid 50'sF in the day in winter here. They don't really seem to grow much, however, until it warms back up again in the spring....See MoreWhy is it so hard to find a decent potting mix?
Comments (43)Sands that are beach (or mix with concrete) sands are very bad- they pack down. But some sands are so fine..they never pack. Those work great. I've mentioned Silver sands a few times that my mentor taught me years ago. I could never find it where I am. But when I had a sack? fantastic. Even if a plant died from frost? That potting soil was reusable after removing old roots. Some say play sand will work..but I tried that and it made the pot heavy. To give you an idea- Silver sands could spill from your hand like sand in an hourglass. Very fine. I was also told it has some use in minerals. Just try and find the stuff!...See Morecactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
3 years agoRebecca/N. IN/z6A
3 years agocactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRebecca/N. IN/z6A thanked cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5Rebecca/N. IN/z6A
3 years agoKarenS, NYC
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRebecca/N. IN/z6A
3 years agoRebecca/N. IN/z6A
3 years agoRebecca/N. IN/z6A
3 years agoKarenS, NYC
3 years agoRebecca/N. IN/z6A
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
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