Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

The Ripsalidopsis plant is a representative of the rather extensive Cactus family. Such an unusual name “ripsalidopsis” is translated as “wicker bush”. Often this plant is also called Hatiora.

In nature, this cactus can be found in the tropical latitudes of South America, and it prefers to grow in the thickets of the forest. This plant is most widely distributed in Ecuador and Brazil. Rhipsalidopsis is an epiphytic plant, which means that it parasitizes large trees. However, sometimes the cactus grows into the moss, while its further life passes on its own.

Such a plant is often called the “Easter cactus” among the people. This is directly related to the fact that its flowering is observed in springtime, or rather, in April and May. It is at this time that Easter falls, which is one of the main holidays of Christians.

What is different from the Decembrist (zygocactus)

differences between ripsalidopsis and schlumberger

Outwardly, the Decembrist and Ripsalidopsis are very similar. And they differ from each other in the period of flowering. As mentioned above, ripsalidopsis blooms in spring, and zygocactus – in winter, or rather, shortly before the New Year.

There are other differences that make it easy to tell one plant from another. This is especially important when buying Ripsalidopsis, since an unscrupulous seller may well sell you a Decembrist instead.

Differences:

  1. Zygocactus bloom is observed from December to January.
  2. Ripsalidopsis blooms from April to May.
  3. In the Decembrist, the protrusions on the stems are jagged, and in the Ripsalidopsis they are smoothed.
  4. The dormant period of Schlumberger is observed in February – March, and for the second plant, from the second half of October to January.

differences between ripsalidopsis and schlumberger

The ripsalidopsis bush has a height of no more than 0,3 m. The shoots include slightly ribbed or smooth oval segments that are fleshy to the touch. The maximum length of each segment is about 60 mm, and the width is up to 30 mm.

The bush forms many shoots. On the uppermost segments, small areoles are formed, which are the rudiments of flower buds. Thin air roots are located between the segments. In nature, these roots are used by the cactus to fix it on a support. Semi-double flowers are star-shaped. Each areola can form from 1 to 3 flowers. The shoots are colored emerald green. However, if the direct rays of the sun fall on the bush for a long time, then a burgundy thin border appears along the edge of the shoots.

Ripsalidopsis care at home

Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

Watering

When watering indoor Ripsalidopsis, you need to pay attention to the following points:

  1. During the period when the bush begins to bloom, it needs to provide abundant moisture to the substrate in the pot.
  2. After the surface of the soil mixture dries out to a depth of about 20 mm, it is necessary to water it. To do this, use passed through a household filter or soft water.
  3. After the bush has faded, the frequency and abundance of watering should be reduced. With the onset of the autumn period, watering should become even more rare and scarce.
  4. After some time after watering, be sure to pour the liquid that has drained into it from the pan. Remember that low air temperatures combined with stagnant water in the substrate can cause root rot.

Illumination

Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

Since this cactus is found naturally in tropical forests, it reacts negatively to direct sunlight. The best option for placing it will be an east or west window sill. If the ripsalidopsis is on the south window, then it will need mandatory shading from the scorching sun’s rays, for example, you can use a paper screen.

The flower can also be placed on the northern windowsill. In this case, it will not die, but its decorative effect will decrease. Do not forget to systematically rotate the container with the bush around its axis, this will help to ensure that the shoots are evenly pulled. Also remember that the bush will bloom more poorly on the north window.

Please note that you can only rotate the bush around its axis or rearrange it to another place before the buds begin to form. When the buds are formed, the bush should never be disturbed. Otherwise, not only buds will fly around him, but also flowers.

Temperature conditions

Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

Rhipsalidopsis reacts extremely negatively to sudden changes in temperature:

  1. Throughout spring and summer, the optimal air temperature for such a flower is from 18 to 20 degrees. The plant reacts extremely negatively to prolonged heat. Move the bush as far away from the operating air conditioner as possible.
  2. With the onset of September, the bush is rearranged to a cooler place (from 10 to 12 degrees). If it is difficult to find a suitable place for Ripsalidopsis in an apartment, then it can be transferred to a loggia or balcony, but only if there is an opportunity to provide the bush with a suitable temperature regime.
  3. The dormant period lasts from October to February. Throughout this time, the cactus should be in a cool place – from 12 to 15 degrees. This promotes lush bloom in the next season.

Air humidity

Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

The homeland of such a cactus is Ecuador and Brazil, or rather, their rugged tropical forests. They are distinguished by high air humidity throughout the year, and this is all because heavy rains regularly pour there, and tall dense trees trap wet fumes. That is why Ripsalidopsis needs high air humidity:

  1. Moistening the bush from a spray bottle is carried out in the morning and evening. In doing so, remember that water droplets should not fall on the flowers, as this will lead to the formation of brown specks. During the day, spraying the bush is not carried out, since if the sun’s rays fall on drops of water, this will lead to burns, the overgrowth of which occurs extremely slowly.
  2. At a time when the cactus is not blooming, on hot days it is regularly given a warm shower. Since the stems of the plant are characterized by increased fragility, the pressure of the jet should be weak. Otherwise, the segments may break off.
  3. During the dormant period, it will be enough for hygiene purposes to regularly wipe the shoots with a soft, damp sponge. It is also recommended to put a container with a flower in a wide and deep pallet, which is filled with wet expanded clay or artificial moss. Make sure that the filler is always wet by regularly adding a little water to the pan. Make sure that the bottom of the pot does not come into contact with water.

Substrate

Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

Ready-made soil mixture can be purchased at a specialized store. In this case, it is important to take into account the pH of the substrate (see packaging). Its optimal indicator for such a cactus is pH 5,5–6.

The soil mixture should be good for air permeability, be loose, and large pieces of organic matter should be present in its composition. To prepare the substrate with your own hands, you need to combine leafy soil (garden humus), sod soil (an insignificant clay content is permissible) and fine gravel (crushed washed crushed stone) in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. A little zeolite, crushed charcoal or small brick chips are added to the finished substrate. A well-mixed soil mixture is acidified with superphosphate.

Ripsalidopsis transplant

Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

Ripsalidopsis should be transplanted immediately after it fades or just before the formation of buds. While the plant is young, this procedure is carried out regularly once a year, and each time the pot is replaced with a new one, the diameter of which should be 1–10 mm larger than the old one. Adult bushes are transplanted less often, or rather, once every 20 or 1 years.

The pot should be low but wide. The fact is that the root system of such a plant is usually superficial. Remove the cactus from the pot and carefully remove the old potting soil from its roots. Place the bush in a new container and fill any voids with fresh soil mixture, the surface of which should be lightly tamped.

Fertilizer

Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

Fertilizers for cacti and succulents can be purchased at a specialist store. At the same time, for Ripsalidopsis, a fertilizer with a low nitrogen content is needed. If there is a lot of nitrogen in the substrate, then this will provoke the appearance of rot on the root system. The optimal combination of elements in the fertilizer:

  • 18 – phosphorus;
  • 9 – nitrogen;
  • 24 – potassium.

They begin to apply fertilizer to the substrate in spring and continue to do so throughout the entire growing season. During the dormant period, the cactus does not need feeding.

Trimming

Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

Cut the bush when it is 3 or 4 years old. At this time, the stems become elongated, and they tilt strongly downward. As a result, there is a noticeable denudation of the central part of the plant. The shortening of the stems is carried out at the border of the junction of the segments. In ampelous species, if necessary, shortening of shoots is also carried out. In this case, the remaining trimmings, if desired, can be rooted.

Over time, new segments appear on the upper parts of the shoots, on which the apical areoles are formed. In the future, buds and flowers will appear on them. And the lower part of the stems after pruning will be neat and even.

Flowering

Ripsalidopsis

As a rule, Ripsalidopsis blooms in the spring. At the same time, some of the varieties are distinguished by a rather long flowering. However, there are species and varieties that bloom magnificently, but only for a few days.

Some growers are faced with the fact that the bush stops growing and does not form buds. As a rule, this is due to too poor lighting or the fact that the plant suffers from a lack of nutrients. If the problem was noticed at the very beginning of the spring period, then transfer it to a more suitable place and feed it. In this case, the plant can still please you with flowers, but later than usual. From the beginning of the formation of buds and until the end of flowering, the bush is forbidden to rearrange or even turn around its axis. Otherwise, the buds and flowers may fly around.

Often, Ripsalidopsis does not bloom due to the fact that it was not provided with the correct dormant period in the cold season. If the temperature regime was violated or the substrate in the pot was moistened excessively, then the buds on the bush may not form.

Methods of reproduction

Three methods are used for reproduction of homemade ripsalidopsis: cuttings, seeds and grafting on the rootstock of the prickly spiny rootstock (leaf cactus). Moreover, the latter method is suitable only for experienced florists.

Cultivation from seeds

Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

In order to grow a cactus from seeds, you need a mini greenhouse. Prepare the soil mixture by combining coarse washed river sand and leafy nutrient soil (1: 1). Seed material retains good germination for a long time, so even last year’s seeds are suitable for sowing.

Sowing of seed is carried out in a pre-moistened substrate. From above, the crops must be covered with glass or film. Provide regular ventilation. After the appearance of the seedlings, the shelter is removed. A pick in individual pots is carried out only after the seedlings grow up and get stronger. For planting, use a soil mixture for adult plants (see above). In order for the bush to grow lush. it is recommended to plant 3 or 4 plants at once in one pot.

Cutting

Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

After performing formative pruning, you should be left with pruning that can be used as cuttings. To begin with, the apical shoots are left in the open air for drying. Fill a container with a damp substrate and place the cuttings on top of it. You do not need to bury them. Wait for the cuttings to grow roots. Then they are planted in 3 or 4 cuttings in one pot.

Diseases and pests

Ripsalidopsis care how to grow at home

Most often, scale insects, mealybugs, spider mites and false scale insects settle on Ripsalidopsis. Such pests can be found on the seamy surface of the shoots. If there are few of them, then you can get rid of them with a solution made from laundry soap. All shoots are rubbed with it. An infusion of calendula or garlic is also suitable for this purpose.

When treating cactus from pests, cover the surface of the substrate with a film. Also, don’t forget to rinse the windowsill with a disinfectant solution. A large bush is more convenient to treat with an aerosol insecticide, which can be purchased at a specialized store.

Since this plant is quite hygrophilous, it is susceptible to damage by various bacterial and fungal diseases. In a diseased plant, the stems acquire a pale gray tint, and weeping slippery specks appear on their surface. At the initial stage of the disease, the plant is treated with a solution of a fungicidal preparation. Healthy stems of a severely affected kumt are cut off and rooted. Only in this way you will definitely be able to save Ripsalidopsis.

Types of ripsalidopsis with photos and names

Rhipsalidopsis Gartner (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri)

Rhipsalidopsis Gartner (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri)

This cactus is presented in the form of a shrub, while its drooping shoots are colored green. The plant is not tall – about 20-25 centimeters. Compared to other species, its segments are the narrowest and longest. Their width is about 20-25 mm, and their length is up to 70-80 mm. On the edge of each segment there are 3-4 rounded protrusions. Areoles are located on the protrusions of the uppermost segments, they have pubescence, consisting of brown villi.

The opening of the buds occurs gradually, while the beginning of flowering occurs in mid-April. The base of the flowers is bell-shaped, the petals pointed at the tops can be painted in crimson or scarlet. Today there are many varieties that differ from each other in the color of the petals, for example:

  1. Nina… The buds and flowers are painted in a lilac shade.
  2. Eliza… Such a plant has burgundy buds, and the flowers themselves are carmine.
  3. Sirius… The variety stands out for its snow-white flowers.

Rhipsalidopsis rosea

Rhipsalidopsis pink

The shoots of this bushy plant are rich green, while they retain their shade in any light. Segments that are not very large are usually flat, but they can also be slightly ribbed. In diameter, the flowers reach about 60 mm, while they have a very attractive pink color. The flowers are distinguished by a bell-shaped base and petals, which are pointed at the top. The petals are slightly bent down.

Rhipsalidopsis Aurigia orange

Rhipsalidopsis Aurigo orange

This plant is very similar in shape to zygocactus in its segments. Its rather long drooping stems consist of short segments. The flowering of such a cactus occurs later than that of all other species. The flower petals are colored bright orange. Often you can meet specimens whose petals are colored red along the edge, while the middle is orange.

Rhipsalidopsis Andromeda (Rhipsalidopsis Andromedia)

Rhipsalidopsis Andromeda

The form of this variety is bushy. It has long stems of a dark green hue. The cactus is highly decorative throughout the year. During flowering, the bush is decorated with large flowers, painted in a shade of fuchsia, while their center is orange. It differs from other species and varieties in very long flowering.

Rhipsalidopsis King’s dream

Rhipsalidopsis The King's Dream

This variety was born thanks to the work of breeders. This ampelous plant is decorated with long hanging stems. During flowering, deep pink flowers appear on them, and the petals have an orange border. The bush looks spectacular in a hanging planter.

Rhipsalidopsis White magic

Rhipsalidopsis White Magic

To obtain this variety, Gartenra’s Ripsalidopsis was used. A low bush does not exceed 0,3 m in height. Medium-sized segments have rounded projections. Thick fleshy segments are dense. During flowering, the plant is decorated with snow-white flowers. Lush flowering, but short-lived. In order for the bush to retain its decorative effect and bloom longer, it is recommended to pick off wilted flowers in a timely manner.

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Anna Evans

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