schlumbergera microsphaerica soil?

[snarfie]

i've bought a schlumbergera microsphaerica, but i don't know what will be the best soil mixture, if anyone has some experience with those plants i would really appreaciate some advice.

[mdpillet]

I'd say the same thing as for most epiphytic cacti. Similar to typical cactus soil (slightly acidic, lots of drainage and inert materials, low in organics), but with more organics.

[esp_imaging]

As mdpillet says.
According to the label it's grafted on Epihyllum, so it shouldn't be especially delicate or fussy.

[snarfie]

Thanks for the replies, i wanted to know because i will probably take cuttings when it is bigger, and then i will have them on their own roots. Or i will just graft them to schlumbergera truncata hybrid segments, got a lot of those, and they only grow bigger

[DaveW]

Curious if a graft since those look like some form of seedling leaves at the base? Hard to tell from your picture but does it have bristly or spiny stems since S. microspherica is related to S. opuntioides that grows at lower altitude? If not, unless there is a bristle less version, it may be a Hatiora?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlumber ... osphaerica" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I was given a rooted two joint cutting of S. microsphericus which proceeded to rot at the base. I wrote it off but nipped off the top joint only half an inch long and just threw it in an old seed pan under the staging in my unheated greenhouse, which goes down to freezing every year. The next year to my shock I found it had rooted. I am now growing it in a mixture of orchid compost (mainly coir), sphagnum moss, pearlite and a bit of forest bark. I do water it with fertiliser though.

I believe the plant grows on the same mountain as S. opuntioides, but whereas S. opuntioides grows in the rain forest lower down S. microspericus grows at the bare rocky top of the mountain in the open. I was told by the friend who gave me the cutting it is difficult to grow, but since I stopped treating it as delicate it has grown OK. This was it two years ago.

microsphericus.jpg (48.53 KiB) Viewed 1878 times

This is it today.

microspherica.jpg (72.41 KiB) Viewed 1878 times

You can see the habitat it grows in in the opening sequence of this video where it briefly shows a rocky open grassy area at the mountain top above the treeline.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7jYUxglNWY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not flowered it yet, but live in hopes. If yours turns out to be wrong I can send you a cutting Snarfie (provided I don't kill mine meantime!) as the UK will still be in the EU for two years!

[snarfie]

Thanks for your kind offer Dave, but so far it seems to be microsphaerica(got it from a reputable seller). The segments are thin and not very spiny because it was growing under controlled conditions since it was grafted (it is grafted on epiphyllum, but indeed not really visible). If i take cuttings, i will probably plant them in a mixture of perlite and potting soil, after seeing your photo's. Your Schlumbergera microsphaerica is very beautiful

Schlumbergera's seem to thrive on neglect, so it's good to see that that also is the case with microsphaerica.

[DaveW]

I treated mine a bit too kindly and watered it a little too generously, therefore it rotted at the base and I am back to a piece with three pads on again. Unfortunately I tried to root most of it in moist soil in winter, which it was not too keen on, so probably should have left it dry root under the staging again until the growing season! Still keeping my fingers crossed as it seems to have a habit of returning from the dead for me. Evidently they like their roots to be periodically damp but dry out quickly with a free air circulation around them.

I may try it in a coir (coco peat) mixture this time. A Dutch grower, maybe the one you got yours from Snarfie as he does sell them grafted, who grows many of these plants tells me his mixture is:-

"We use a coconut substrate with vermiculite, flugsand, and bims. Mineral parts are 50-70 percent."

The coconut substrate was obviously coir, but I had a job finding out what bims was, but I gather it is volcanic rock dust or gravel?

https://growingorganic.com/soil-compost ... rock-dust/

There was plenty listed on Amazon or EBAY so I may give it a try.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from ... t&_sacat=0