getting a plant to bloom

[cactuslee]

doesmanyone know how to make a cryptocereus anthonyanus bloom? i have hd one for about four years now and it has never bloomed. i've fertilized it with bloom booster plant food but that did not work.

[cactuslee]

does anyone know how to make a cryptocereus anthonyanus bloom? i have hd one for about four years now and it has never bloomed. i've fertilized it with bloom booster plant food but that did not work.

[peterb]

I wonder if this one is like other epiphytes and responds to day length?

peterb

[Saxicola]

What are your growing conditions? Plants grown as houseplants are usually in conditions where they survive and not much else. Light levels are usually too low for good blooming. I guessed indoors because your location says South Dakota. One thing that might help if you don't do it already is to put it outdoors in the summer.

[CoronaCactus]

We've had one about 5 or 6 years and now that i think about it, don't think i've ever seen it bloom. It lives outdoors year round in a brightly lit area, no direct sun, in a large window planter. I know, not much help, but you're not alone!

[DaveW]

A friend of mine flowers his OK and I have a plant from it but not flowered it yet. Now placed in Selenicereus by the "Lumpers"

According to Wikipedia:-

"An easily cultivated, fast growing epiphyte. Needs a compost containing plenty of humus and sufficient moisture in summer. Should not be kept under 40°F in winter. Can be grown in semi–shade or full sun. Extra light in the early spring will stimulate budding. Flowers only open for one night and are very fragrant so as to attract nocturnal pollinators. Flowers in late spring or early summer."

As with all things different people seem to have more or less luck with flowering it. It is notable most illustrations on the Web show it out of flower!

Another quote off the Web:-

"Ric-Rac cactus may on occasion surprise you with amazing pink or white starburst blooms. By surprise I mean it rarely, if ever, blooms and when it does, flowers only appear on old, root bound plants-usually a few years old. These blooms will pop up in spring and only at night, where in the wild, their fragrance attracts night-time pollinators. Furthermore, each bloom lasts only one night so unless you're at the right place at the right time, I wouldn't stake too much on the flowering."

Interesting the comment "root bound" to flower because as it grows epiphytically on trees I guess there would be very little leaf litter to root in, so probably it would in effect be "root bound" most of the time in nature? Possibly cut out the fertiliser which probably is just encouraging vegetative growth and do not keep re-potting it to let it exhaust the compost a bit and see if that promotes flowering? Some plants often flower more freely when they are just subsisting in nature to ensure the continuation of the species, but you could obviously take a cutting and root it and cultivate that normally as an insurance policy.

Nice flower when it does flower though and unusual for a mainly nocturnal flowering plant having a coloured flower, so probably stays open part of the day too:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Selen ... nyanus.jpg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Looking at the stems in the picture above their plant is obviously being grown hard from the browning on them.

[Tony]

To answer your question, no.
Mine did flower once a few years ago after sitting in the same spot for 4 years doing nothing but growing new stems.
I took it to a Gates show in full bloom and it won its class, but had I known it was going to get so upset at me for disturbing it, I would never have taken it.
At that time, it was getting about four to five hours of full morning sun and bright indirect sun for the remainder of the day and I don't recall feeding it to much, just watered it when in active growth.
It hasn't done anything since that one occasion except grow new stems. It is still in the same soil but has been in my shade house now under approx 50% shade all day for two years. If it doesn't do anything this spring, I'm moving it again.

S. anthonianus

011.JPG (58.12 KiB) Viewed 1170 times

[CactusFanDan]

Having root-bound, or otherwise well established plants always seems to help when it comes to Epiphytes. Watering with a low nitrogen fertiliser might also help to encourage flowering. Also, perhaps having a drier period or some kind of cool, dry rest period could help it along.

[daiv]

Mine bloomed hanging outside in San Clemente, CA quite profusely. I had to start over in Minnesota and have one growing now. It is doing well and I hope for flowers too. So if I get them, I will certainly share it here.