Rhipsalis is a unique succulent plant belonging to the family of epiphytic (forest) cacti. It stands out among its relatives by its unusual appearance - it has many thin shoots (their diameter is 1-3 millimeters), consisting of narrow segments of various shapes (flattened, ribbed, cylindrical). Therefore, rhipsalis is often called twig.
The shoots hang down, forming a cascade, or form a “cap”. They have areoles and are covered with pubescence; there are no spines.
On the tops of the shoots in October-January (at this time it is hot in the homeland of the cactus), small white, pink or yellow flowers, similar to bells, appear. If pollination occurs, then in place of the flowers, miniature fleecy berries (white, pink or black), similar to gooseberries, are formed.
Rhipsalis grows in tropical Brazilian forests, and not in the desert, like other cacti. To protect the small rhizome from rain and flooding, it settles in trees.
Varieties and photos
Below are photos and descriptions of rhipsalis species suitable for propagation and care at home.
Cassuta (empty-fruited) (Rhipsalis cassutha)
Ampelous appearance, with soft rounded shoots consisting of segments and bright red small fruits. The shoots reach a length of 2-3 meters and are highly branched . The flowers are small, white and odorless. The photo below shows Rhipsalis Cassuta:
Hairy (Rhipsalis capilliformis)
Unlike cassuta, this variety has short shoots - only 50-60 cm in length, but also consists of oval flat segments similar to leaves. The variety is epiphytic. Blooms with small white buds. You can see what the Volosovidny variety looks like in the photo below:
Pilocarpa (Rhipsalis pilocarpa)
The stems look like hard tubes covered with yellow hair. They reach a length of 50-60 cm. The variety is capable of blooming several times a year. In the photo below is the rhipsalis variety Pilocarpa:
Characteristics of Rhipsalis
Rhipsalis is a plant of the cactus family, despite the lack of prickly needles. As a rule, it grows in forests on the bark of trees. Also in the plant genus you can find specimens living on the surface of rocks and stones, called lithophytes.
In total, the plant genus consists of about 60 species. The main habitat is considered to be the territory of the South American and Asian continents.
The stem of the plant, depending on the species, can be of various shapes: round, with thick leaves and ribbed. The color of the stems varies from bright green to blue with a grayish tint.
Being epiphytic, Rhipsalis often takes root on tree trunks, sending off its branched stems in different directions. These shoots, growing about 1 m in length, contain small aerial roots that allow the plant to be moistened with the help of ambient air.
The flowering period is characterized by the appearance of small bell-shaped flowers with different shades of flowers. After flowering, a fruit appears that looks like our gooseberry, with seeds inside.
Care
Priming
It is easy to buy at any flower shop - it is a universal soil for growing succulents and cacti.
You can make it yourself from the following components:
- river sand, peat soil, leaf soil and turf - in equal parts;
- humus and garden soil, coarse sand, peat - also in equal parts;
- peat, humus and leaf soil (equal parts), a handful of charcoal and finely chopped sphagnum moss.
For drainage, use small sea pebbles, broken red bricks or expanded clay. The layer should be at least 1/4 of the pot.
Do not forget to calcine the soil in the oven or treat it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate - this will help destroy the pest larvae.
Top dressing
Fertilizers can be applied from March to October - this is the time when rhipsalis is actively growing. Choose liquid mineral fertilizer for succulents and cacti. The recommended frequency is once every 2 weeks, after watering. If special fertilizer cannot be obtained, buy any flower food, but in this case you will need to reduce the permitted dosage by 2 times. If you keep rhipsalis in a cool room during wintering (from October to March), you do not need to apply fertilizer.
Excess nitrogen negatively affects the condition of the plant - keep this in mind.
Lighting
Rhipsalis was brought to our region from tropical forests, so it does not tolerate direct sun.
If you leave the plant on a south window, it will quickly die, so only western and eastern ones! But even there the plant will need to be shaded.
However, even on a northern window, rhipsalis is able to grow and maintain an attractive appearance , but only with the organization of additional lighting.
Temperature
At temperatures from +18 to +25 degrees, rhipsalis will be quite comfortable, but do not forget that if you give your green pet a few months to rest, it will look even more beautiful. This is done as follows: the pot with the plant is transferred to a cool (+15-17 degrees) room and left there until spring, without bothering with fertilizing and frequent watering. Lower temperatures cause the development of diseases and often lead to the death of the crop.
However, even without wintering, rhipsalis is able to grow well - so don’t worry if there is no opportunity for wintering.
Watering and humidity
The peculiarity of tropical forests is high air humidity. It is difficult to organize such an atmosphere in an ordinary apartment, but it is quite possible. Firstly, place the pot with rhipsalis on a tray with wet expanded clay or pebbles , and secondly, give your cactus a warm shower once a month, and spray it with a spray bottle once a day.
Transfer
Replant young plants every spring for the first 3 years, then every 3-4 years.
If the rhipsalis has grown greatly, there is no need to replant it at all, but only remove the top layer of soil and replace it with a new one. For replanting, select a new container - wide, but shallow (after all, the roots of the plant are located close to the surface). Transplantation is carried out using the transshipment method. The new soil is loose and light, neutral or slightly acidic in reaction.
Watering Rhipsalis
Considering that the habitat of Rhipsalis is located in tropical latitudes, you can water the plant as much as you like, but only paying attention to the condition of the soil.
Between watering, the soil should dry out at least half, and in winter - completely. Excessive waterlogging can lead to suppuration of the plant roots.
Bloom
You can admire the blooming of rhipsalis in late winter - early spring. Flowers dot the bush like stars in the firmament : they are painted in all shades of pink and white, and their petals are velvety to the touch and slightly pointed. The fruits are shaped like gooseberries, just as juicy, with dark seeds inside.
As soon as buds appear on the cactus, it should not be moved from place to place and the pot should not be turned over. Otherwise, the buds will fall off and you won’t see the flowers. But continue to care as usual.
This photo shows rhipsalis blooming:
Reproduction
Seeds
Propagation by seeds is rarely carried out, because half of the seedlings simply do not appear. Please note that the material must be fresh.
- Soak the seeds in warm purified water with a small amount of potassium permanganate (for 3-4 hours).
- Sow the seeds in a mixture of peat and sand to a depth of no more than 1 cm. Cover the container with polyethylene and wait for rooting. Be sure to make several holes in the film for air, and moisten the soil with a spray bottle. Don't let it dry out!
- As soon as the seedling reaches 2-3 cm, transplant it into a separate container. Since young plants are very weak, do not leave them in direct sunlight, and loosen the soil more often.
Cuttings
The best propagation option is cuttings.
- Cut off a shoot 12-16 cm long from a healthy bush. Powder the cut area with activated charcoal or charcoal and dry it.
- Plant the cuttings in a mixture of peat and sand, moisten it and cover with glass or cling film. You can add support or lean the cutting against the wall of the pot. For germination, you need to maintain a temperature of +23-25 degrees, ventilate the greenhouse daily and spray it with water.
- After a month and a half, when the plant has roots, plant it in a separate pot.
Pests and diseases
Diseases rarely affect rhipsalis and almost always due to the owner’s oversight.
- Yellow coloration of the edges of the segments, pallor and slow growth indicate a lack of light.
- Have the shoots lost their elasticity and brightness? You obviously flooded your cactus and the roots began to rot. Try to treat it: take it out of the pot and cut off the damaged areas with a sharp blade, sprinkle the cut area with crushed activated carbon and transplant the plant into a fresh substrate. This procedure quite often benefits ripsalis.
- If a rhipsalis flower dries, its leaves decrease in size and fall off, the shape of the buds changes - it is affected by chlorosis. The cause of the disease may be a lack of nutrients (magnesium, iron, nitrogen, sulfur, calcium), an incorrectly selected substrate, or the use of poor quality water for irrigation. Transplant the plant into new soil with an acidity of 5-5.5 pH and water it with water with the addition of citric acid, and from time to time treat the above-ground part with fertilizer containing iron in chelated form.
The most common pests are red spider mites and scale insects. To begin, remove all pests with a cotton swab moistened with soapy water, then wash the flower in the shower and let it dry.
The next stage: treatment with either a folk remedy or a special preparation. If there are few insects, try the first option. For example, a decoction of cyclamen roots (50 g per 500 ml of water) or an infusion of onions (200 g of onion in a bucket of warm water, leave for 12 hours, strain and process immediately). A good effect is from an alcohol solution, specifically ammonia, which only needs 30 ml (they do not spray the leaves with it, but wipe the affected areas).
If the damage is severe, use insecticides: Actellik, Fitoverm, Aktara, Apollo.
Differences between rhipsalis and hatiora
Both hatiora and rhipsalis belong to the same family - cactaceae, and are strikingly similar to each other from a young age. Mature plants are somewhat easier to distinguish . Firstly, they have different shoots: in hatiora they are erect, while in rhipsalis they hang down. Secondly, the segments that make up the stems are of different lengths: in hatiora they are short, in rhipsalis they are much longer.
And the last difference is in the buds. Hatiora flowers are large, bloom only at the ends of the segments, and are colored pink, red or yellow. In rhipsalis, they are small (no more than 2 cm in diameter), white or with a yellow tint.
Description
Rhipsalis is a member of the Cactus family , often found in the tropics of America, Africa and South Asia. It grows on trees (epiphyte), hanging in long shoots from the trunks.
Each rhipsalis branch is divided into segments of equal length. Species differ in the shape and length of these parts. Not all varieties are completely devoid of thorns: in some they have transformed into clusters of white fibers.
Rhipsalis shoots branch well, forming a lush bush and resembling luxurious hair. Their length reaches up to a meter depending on the type. It blooms with small buds along the entire length of the branches.
Signs and superstitions
There are many signs associated with this cactus, and most of them promise not the most pleasant changes. For example, it is believed that families break up because of it, and some esotericists do not advise keeping it in rooms where a man spends a lot of time. There is no reason to comment on a situation in which superstition defeats common sense, just like the information that rhipsalis is poisonous.
If a cactus is in the house of an unmarried girl, it promises her a quick wedding. In the house of a married woman, it promises the birth of a child: dark flowers - a boy, light flowers - a daughter.
If you already have children, the family can expect major purchases or replenishment of your wallet . By placing rhipsalis in the hallway, you will protect it from bad people and negativity.
It is also believed that cacti kill partners’ sexual attraction to each other, and males begin to reach for the bottle: the more flowers appear on the plant, the more vigorously the person drinks. If you want to give a cactus, choose a flowering one with soft spines, otherwise your relationship with the person will worsen. When choosing where to place a cactus, consider:
- Standing on a desktop, the cactus will absorb fatigue and irritation;
- In the kitchen - energy from family disagreements and quarrels;
- A cactus growing in the hallway will scare away bad people from your doorstep.
Briefly about the conditions for growing rhipsalis
Rhipsalis blooms, as a rule, in the last month of winter or in the first spring. If this crop is grown correctly, and all basic recommendations for caring for the plant are followed, then rhipsalis can bloom more than once, but several times a year.
Rhipsalis shows good results in light shade, as well as with a large amount of diffused light. It is best to place the pot with the plant on a window with eastern or western exposure. At the same time, aggressive direct sunlight that appears at noon should not hit the plant.
In spring and summer, the temperature should be maintained within +20 +26 degrees. As for winter, at this time the temperature should be lower and reach approximately +16 degrees. Moreover, this indicator in winter should not be lower than ten degrees.
The rhipsalis plant needs to be watered regularly. This is done after the soil has dried out by a third.
In order for rhipsalis to develop well and gain growth, it is necessary to maintain environmental humidity at a high level. It is best to use a special device that increases this indicator in the room. In addition, you can pour expanded clay or pebbles into a bowl and pour water on top. A pot with a plant is placed on such a container.
The application of nutrients begins in March and ends in October. As a rule, this procedure is carried out a couple of times in thirty days. For this purpose, it is best to use a complex of mineral-based fertilizers that are intended for species such as cacti and succulents. It is also possible to use other fertilizers in combination, but the concentration of the fertilizer must be halved. This plant does not require feeding from October until March.
In winter, after flowering has ended, rhipsalis enters a dormant period. It usually lasts from one to one and a half months.
When young, plants are replanted annually. As for adult rhipsalis, this procedure is performed less frequently for them, approximately once every four to five years. The plant is replanted by transshipment.
This crop is propagated by cuttings, seeds, and also by dividing the bush.
The rhipsalis plant can be attacked by scale insects and spider mites. Due to improper care, the plant may develop chlorosis.
Rhipsalis: photo
Photo gallery
vetkinsad
ingadarenskaya
katerinailinich92
vika1345
design.its.my.life
succulents_tver69
