Rhipsalidopsis (Easter cactus, Rhipsalidopsis) was brought to Europe from South America and is widely used in indoor floriculture. Its large, bright flowers delight with a riot of colors closer to Easter, for which the plant has acquired its “European name”.
Caring for ripsalidopsis at home is not difficult – the main thing is to avoid direct sunlight and provide the Easter cactus with a cool temperature in winter. How to care for ripsalidopsis, you can find out on this page.
Family: Cactus , photophilous, drought-resistant.
Epiphytic cactus, an inhabitant of the tropical forests of South America. Its branching shoots consist of flat segments, which, growing to a certain length, hang over the edge of the container.
Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri (Rhipsalidopsis gaertneri) flowers are grown indoors with flat, rarely ribbed segments (up to 10 cm long and about 3 cm wide) and large (6-7 cm long and up to 8 cm in diameter) beautiful bright flowers.
It blooms in the spring, by Easter, which is why it is called the “Easter cactus” (as opposed to the outwardly similar zygocactus, or “Decembrist”, which blooms in winter).
Currently, many varieties have been bred with different flower colors from white to a wide variety of shades of red (pink, burgundy, rich red, purple, orange, neon pink, etc.).
Pay attention to the photo of pink ripsalidopsis (Rhipsalidopsis rosea) – it has a more compact size. In this species, flowers are only pink, smaller, but fragrant.
How to care for ripsalidopsis flowers
Cactus ripsalidopsis, like other representatives of “forest cacti” , does not like direct sunlight. He needs a lot of diffused or reflected light, can be placed near a window or behind a tulle curtain. Ripsalidopsis is watered with soft water once a week, more frequent watering stimulates intensive growth. In winter, it is necessary to provide the plant with relative rest: a cool temperature (about +10 ° C), a noticeable decrease in watering. Before the appearance of buds, it is useful to periodically wash with warm water.
Easter cactus care (ripsalidopsis)
When caring for an Easter cactus, it is better to use specialized fertilizers “for forest cacti” for feeding (every two weeks in summer, once a month in autumn and winter). Ripsalidopsis care provides for a haircut twice a year (for two or three upper segments): at the end of July – for better flowering, in December – to form a more compact bush. You can transplant after flowering into a well-drained moisture-permeable substrate, for example, a mixture of turf and leaf soil, peat, sand and brick chips in equal parts. It should be remembered that a cactus with buds, and even more so with flowers, cannot be rotated relative to the light, otherwise you will have to wait for the next flowering for a whole year. Ripsalidopsis propagates by segments of shoots, and it takes about a year for a beautifully flowering plant to grow from a cutting.
There are few flowering plants in early spring. The human body yearned for the winter for sunlight, bright colors that ripsalidopsis with a rich color of flowers can give us. Colored varieties planted together look especially joyful.