The ric rac cactus thrives in moist, humid environments that don’t receive too much sunlight. You can move the plant outdoors in the summer if you’d like, but promptly move it back indoors in the late summer, when autumn is on the horizon. But in locations where temperatures dip below 40☏, grow it as a houseplant. If you live in a warm, tropical climate, you can grow it outdoors year-round. This succulent cactus is a tropical, warm-weather lover and it does not tolerate frost. This young plant’s stems are not yet long enough to start cascading down the sides of the pot, but soon enough they will. However, if you want to train it to grow upwards, you can twine the long stems onto a trellis, moss pole, or some other vertical climbing structure. The plant produces aerial roots on the undersides of its stems which enable it to cling to the trees it climbs.Īs a houseplant, the zig zag cactus is most often grown in a hanging basket or in a pot that’s elevated on a plant shelf or plant stand so the flat stems can trail down over the edge. Each leaf can grow 8 to 12 feet long if conditions are right. In its native habitat, fishbone cacti are climbing plants whose stems ramble up the trunks of trees. They have an undulating margin with lobes that make them look like fishbones. That being said, I don’t grow the fishbone cactus for its unpredictable flowers I grow it for its leaves, which in my opinion, are the real and reliable stars. The breathtaking 4- to 6-inch-wide flowers it occasionally produces are an orchid purple/pink to white, multi-petaled, and they each only stay open for a single night before fading on morning’s arrival. Some growers also call it the orchid cactus, a name which makes a whole lot of sense when the plant is in bloom. As soon as you look at the leaves (which are actually flattened stems), you’ll know how the plant came to earn these common names. While fishbone cactus is the most-used common name, this plant does have others, including the ric rac cactus and the zig zag cactus. The flattened stems of the fishbone cactus make it a treasured houseplant for many collectors. In this article, I’ll share all the secrets of growing the fishbone cactus and how to help your plant thrive. Yes, you read that right – a cactus that thrives in the rainforest (there are others, too!). This fascinating succulent cactus bears the scientific name of Epiphyllum anguliger (sometimes also Selenicereus anthonyanus) and is a native of the tropical rainforests of Mexico. Its funky appearance and unique growth habit earns it a place of pride on my plant shelf. At my house, there’s no houseplant that generates more questions than the fishbone cactus.
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