BUGS N THINGS
Normally I have found epi's to be relatively trouble free except for common problems.
I normally put my young plants and plants of a manageable size outside in the summer, they love a bit of mortning or evening sun.
I have a couple of platforms, one gets morning sun untill about 10am the other evening sun from about 6pm.
1st problems as always is slugs, which is simply rectified by keeping the plants off the ground and use of 50mm copper tape, which apparently according to the sunday times supplement is a myth, I think it cpould only have been written by somebody that has never tried it, I have never hasd any problems with any plants using the copper tape.
However there are some flying insects that the plant need protection from, i just make a tent out of insect netting and it works a treat
Pictured below is the underside of the platform along side with iot in place with the insect netting
BUGS
Inside the greenhouse the main bug I have had to deal with are mealy bugs, which tend to gather at leaf joints or under leaves and in the flower buds.
I keep a small jar of methylated spirits at hand and a small artists paint brush (water with a few drops of washing up liquid works as well) a quick dab kills them instantly. Because they produce a cotton wall like coating a contact Insecticide doesn’t always work.
If it gets too much two sprays at the recommended intervals of a systemic insecticide works a treat.
Aphids, have never been much of a problem for me, but occasionally they like to congregate on the flower buds, again a dab with methylated spirits or a spray with a contact insecticide does the trick, I use water with a few drops of washing up liquid in a hand sprayer.
VIRUS AND FUNGAL
I also keep a jar of made up garden fungicide to hand, sometimes freshly rooted cuttings can start to rot at the base, as long as it’s noticed in time it can be treated, I remove the cutting from the pot, cut away any soft rotting material and paint the fresh areas with the fungicide, it works for me most of the time.
Thankfully, but not very often older plants can develop root rot, mostly I find on plants that have been bought in, again I remove the plant from the pot, cut away any rotting roots and soak the root ball in the fungicide.
Always best to take cuttings if possible in case it doesn’t work.
After treating the roots, I replant in coco compost (which has natural fungicidal properties) and keep virtually dry, spraying the leaves occasionally with plain water.
I keep the plant in a very shaded position until it starts improving, I don’t feed the plant at all while recovering, preferring to let it rest.
My first aid kit
Below is picture of of a plant that had root rot with the roots in fungicide
And again after recover i
Brown spots on leaves can be caused by to low tempertures in winter, althiugh there is also much debate about causes, the links below might help.
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/spots-orchid-cactus-leaves-39743.html
http://www.pacificepiphyllum.com/epiphyllum-growth-issues-spotting/
https://ciampeathehomedesignings.com/
http://mattslandscape.com/pests/
EPIPHYLLUM VIRUS
http://www.mattslandscape.com/epiphyllum_virus/
It is not possible to rid an epiphyllum of virus, so i have read, although cuttings grafted on another epi might work.
Apparently the only way to proporgate an infected epi is through MERISTEM CULTURE which is beyond the home gardner, there is plenty on line to read through if intrested
And then again you get plants that just haven't read the rule book,an example was a plant that I had, and still have, Klaus Paetz, the plant was not looking healthy, I had spare so i thew it out early in the year, in a flexi bin half filled with spent compost and rain water, that where the plant went, with the pot half submerged, It was a frost most morning with the water frozen over, It stayed in there for about 6 weeks and never looked any different, no rot or anything, so i took it out and left it where it got full sun for most of the summer, still no fifference, no scorching or anything, so after cutting back it is now growing well and looking healthy??
CORKY SCAB
