epiphyllum-cuttings-winter-01

A METHOD

TO GROW CUTTINGS

IN WINTER

____________________

CHAPTER 1 Epiphyllum : how to grow cuttings in winter.

_______________________________

Here is an example of a method to grow Epiphyllum cuttings in winter from Epiphyllum cuttings given to me by a Belgian friend and which arrived at my house around 15 August 2021. I started the cutting outdoors using the usual technique (see another article on my website about cutting in spring from the cutting of the stems to the potting: how to make cuttings of an Epiphyllum, the link is at the end of the summary of this article).

It is August and the cuttings are outside in a shady location. The legs of the stools have been put on cardboard plates filled with ashes and eggshells to prevent

snails and slugs from climbing up to eat the cuttings.

When the end of September arrived, the outside temperatures became lower and, as the days were getting shorter, I decided to put the cuttings inside the house, with artificial lighting consisting of a double

turbo neon 6500°K (2x 55W) connected to a programmer ensuring long days of 15 hours.

The temperature is that of the room, ranging from approximately 18°C at night to 22°C during the day.

The cuttings are under their lights and will stay there all winter.
We are on September 29, 2021

To reduce the risk of rotting and to promote the formation of the root system, I water with water of neutral pH, by capillary action from the bottom of the pots. For this, I put the pots in a small plasterers

bath in which I put the water on approximately 2cm height. I leave the bottom of the pots in the bath for a few minutes, then I put the pots back under the light after taking them out of the trough. So it's the bottom

of the pots that is more humid than the top. I water once every 8 days.

I water from below using a small plasterers bath.

The little black plasterers bath is full of pots that will stay there for about five minutes.

At the time of writing (21 October), about 10 cuttings (half) have formed new stems at the top or sprouts from the ground. Others have not changed in appearance, but are resilient if pulled up slightly.

This suggests that the root system has begun to form. One cutting seemed to be drying out a bit and not holding up well in the soil. I just dug it up, it didn't make any roots, but it didn't rot. If it hasn't decided in a

month or so, I'll put it in pure sand, which makes it easier to form roots.

New stems have grown from the top of the cutting.

Here it is an aerial root that has grown. A pink bud is forming.

We are on October 21

It's too early to tell if it's a vegetative bud or a flower that's forming and I'll have to cut it off so as not to exhaust the cutting.

Answer on October 28: the evolution shows

that the bud is a stem bud.

And there is another one in addition!

And here's a beautiful offshoot.

Another offshoot in another pot.

All that remains is to wait for spring to put the cuttings in natural light, and a few years to see the first flowers after repotting.