If you’re wondering how to care for Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum, you’ve come to the right place!
This plant brings a lovely scent and bright color into every space. It’s a popular cactus, also known as the queen of the night, the Dutchman’s pipe, and leaf cactus that looks stunning with bright flowers.
Orchid cactus also features segmented and serrated stems that look quite impressive in hanging pots. Also known as epiphytic cacti, the Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum requires moderate sunlight, moisture, and humidity.
It thrives in a well-draining but moist soil with a balanced fertilizer, and filtered light. Below, we will discuss the living conditions of this lovely cactus. We’ll also talk about potting and repotting this cactus.
With that being said, let’s learn everything there is to know about Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum.
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How To Care For Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum
The Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum is a lovely houseplant that provides beautiful blooms from early winter to the end of spring. The name of the cactus includes “orchid” but it’s not a real orchid.
It’s very similar to orchids, however, it’s still a cactus with identical growing conditions and blooms to orchids. The name of the cactus, Epiphyllum, covers 19 other different species, some of which bloom only during the day, others at night. This variation is because of the different pollinators.
So, if the pollinators include night insects such as moths, then the plant will blossom at night and early in the morning. Most orchid cacti bloom at night but if the species brings in bees and butterflies, then they will blossom during the day. Thus, when buying Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum, choose carefully.
Luckily, this cactus isn’t hard to grow, especially if you follow the following care guidelines. Without any further ado, let’s learn more about this popular cactus.
Sunlight
Although orchid cactus is a cactus, this one isn’t particularly fond of direct sunlight. The plant doesn’t receive much sunlight developing in rotting vegetation and bases of trees, shaded by tree canopies. Therefore, find a spot that will provide bright indirect light to your cactus.
Keep in mind that some direct light early in the morning is acceptable. However, avoid direct light at high noon because it’ll damage and scorch your cactus. So, filtered or bright indirect light works best for this cactus. Take good care of your plant so you can enjoy a lovely cactus with bright blooms.
Check out our article on The Best Low Light Cactus and Succulents For Your Home
Watering
The Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum isn’t a demanding plant, but it has specific water requirements.
It’s very sensitive to chloramine and chlorine in the water. Therefore, to prevent issues, we highly suggest you aerate your tap water overnight or just utilize bottled water for watering your beautiful cactus.
Also, the amount of water you add is very important. Overwatering your orchid cactus will result in root rot, so be super careful and pay close attention to your plant’s watering requirements.
You should only water your plant when the soil begins to dry out. However, don’t let it dry out completely for a very long time. The Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum is somewhat forgiving with watering.
When watering your plant, water thoroughly. However, make sure that excess water can escape through drainage holes. Otherwise, rotting processes will begin that will kill the roots as well as your cactus.
To prevent this from happening, always stay on top of your watering game and water properly.
Soil type
The perfect soil for this type of cactus is the one that allows for quick percolation of water but still keeps enough water to keep it well-hydrated.
You can achieve this balance by utilizing regular potting soil with sand and perlite mixed into it for quick drainage. Or, you can use regular cactus compost boosted with grit or perlite.
The most important thing is to avoid utilizing soil that retains a lot of water. A heavy soil that holds a lot of water will negatively affect the roots.
Temperature and humidity
The Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum requires at least 60 F temperature during the growing seasons. However, higher temperatures are better.
Since they’re not a cold-hardy cactus, they should be winterized indoors, unless you have a heated conservatory or greenhouse in your garden.
This type of cactus requires moderate to high humidity. During the dry periods, we highly suggest that you increase the humidity around your cactus.
Keep in mind that you don’t need to buy a humidifier if you don’t already have one. A pebble tray can do the trick and provide humidity.
Just fill a tray with pebbles, add some water, then put the pot over the pebbles. That way, the pot isn’t touching the water but as the water evaporates, it increases humidity around your cactus.
Fertilizing
We suggest using a cacti fertilizer every 2 weeks during the growing seasons (spring-fall) to deliver all the nutrients for growing and blooming. When your cactus is in bloom, you should pause the fertilizing. Here’s a great video providing tips on how to get your Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum to bloom.
Potting and repotting
When you notice that the leaf-like, fleshy stems become too long, you can prune them back and new shoots will show. However, even with doing this, your cactus can become too heavy for the container, signaling it’s time for repotting.
You can repot your cactus in a bigger container. However, we suggest that you choose a terracotta pot. It’s heavy enough that your plant won’t destabilize it but it also takes in moisture better and quicker, unlike standard plastic pots.
Summary
The Orchid Cactus Epiphyllum is the perfect blend of two of the best plants on earth – orchids and cacti. It’s both colorful and bright and provides a gentle fragrance that doesn’t last long but it’s still lovely.
Water this cactus properly (utilize chlorine-free water) and provide the right amount of sunlight, and it will thrive! What’s your experience with this cactus? Drop a comment below and let’s chat about cacti!