Epi News San Diego Epiphyllum Society, Inc. February, 2014 Volume 39 Number 2 February, 2014 SDES Epi News Page 2 President’s Corner: SDES Calendar of Events February is here and hopefully along 2014 with it will come some much-needed rain to those of us who live in February: California, after an extremely warm and dry 12 General Meeting January. This makes the third year in a row we’ve 15 Work Party at the Safari Park had mild January weather, if I remember 26 Board Meeting correctly, with this year exceptionally so. While 28 Del Mar Spring Hm/Gdn Show most of the rest of the country has been experi- March encing bitter cold, wind and snow, we Califor- 1 Work Party at the Safari Park nians have been wearing out our summer clothes. 1-2 Del Mar Spring Hm/Gdn Show This weather has been somewhat confusing to our 15-16 Tomatomania and Herb Sale epies, with many cultivars not known to be off- San Diego Botanic Garden season bloomers are now surprising us with a few May flowers, a tease for the show they will give us in 3 Cuyamaca Spring Gdn Sale April and May. Still, the epies would surely 3-4 SDES Plant Sale– Safari Park appreciate and benefit from a drink of pure 4 SBES Show rainwater. Let’s hope we get some rain by the end 10-11 Mother’s Day Plant Sale of March or early April because if we don’t get it 11 Mother’s Day Show by then, our rainy season is pretty much over and 17 EpiCon XIV hosted by ESA we’ll have to wait until November! 18 ESA Show September The busy month of May is only three months 13-14-15 Del Mar Fall Hm/Gdn Show away and so it is time to start thinking about sales events, our Mother’s Day Show – ‘Hats Off to Epies’ and the other epi-related events coming up before we know it! We should be conscious that as the spring activities increase, we should Inside This Issue schedule our time wisely so that the work is spread out among many people and no one Calendar of Events 2 becomes overloaded. I’m sure everyone will pitch Get Your Facts First 4 in and help to make these annual events a success as they always have in the past. We have a great Mother’s Day Show 6 team! New Members 7 Looking forward to Spring… Now is the Time 5 Off-Season Blooms 7 President’s Corner 2 Ron Programs 3 Safari Park Report 3 February, 2014 SDES Epi News Page 3 Safari Park Epi Display House –By Jerry Moreau We had a great and productive work party in Your help is always needed! The more volun- January. The weather was perfect, starting out teers we have at the Park the better for the epies cool but warming up soon after and never and the display. There is much to do, so getting too hot. We continued to organize and whether you can do a lot or a little, everyone is alphabetize the plants in the workhouse, pulling welcome and all work is appreciated. If you out all the duplicates for future sales. We can’t volunteer, how about making a donation of continue to repot and “up-pot” plants that need it some sort? Money is always helpful, but help and fertilize them with blooming fertilizer. could also take the form of doing research and grant writing or donating equipment and sup- Helping out these past work parties were Ron & plies. Velma Crain, Gina Contreras, Cindy Decker, Marie Dempewolf, Bill Greene, Beth Jackson, If you are interested in joining the fun and Judy Johnson, Oliver LaPuebla, Betsy & Jerry learning a lot about epis in the process, come Markle, Michal McKee, Mildred Mikas, Jerry and volunteer at the Park. Information on how Moreau, Terri Trzcinka, and Janice Wakefield. to sign up can be found on the website can be Thank you all! Your help is greatly appreciated. found at www.SanDiegoEpi.org click on the Safari Park tab or contact Jerry at The next work parties will be February 15 and [email protected]. March 1st. Meeting Programs Pre-Meeting Workshops Join Ron in Room 104 at 7:00 pm to learn basics of epi culture and other related botanical information. January Program: At our meeting in January we had fun and learned more about Epi’s. We started the show, er program with “Epi Jeopardy”!! Our contestants Cindy Decker, Jerry Moreau and Oliver LaPuebla answered epi related questions compiling points as they went. Winner for the evening was Cindy Decker winning homemade cookies!! Our other contestants received lovely parting gifts of cookies also, but they each had one less cookie than our winner!!! The stumper for the evening was the answer, “Four”. Can you guess the elusive question? After the game ended our contestants spent the remaining program fielding questions from the floor. Thank you to Cindy, Jerry and Oliver for helping us play Epi Jeopardy!!! February Program: February 12th was George French’s birthday (1915). This month is a perfect time to remember him, and celebrate with a photo journal of his numerous epi hybrids. Linda Sinkovic will share a dvd of George French Hybrids. February, 2014 SDES Epi News Page 4 From our Librarian: Get Your Facts First -- Linda Sinkovic “Get your facts first, then you bloom. Both have scalloped or corrugated can distort them as much as you leaves, and both are referred to as 'Ric Rac please…” -Mark Twain Cactus' due to the leaf form. Breaking the Ric-Rac Code If either one is in bloom, there would be no Since Rhipsalis mesembryanthemoides is confusion. In my yard, S. anthonyanus blooms in currently in bloom in my back yard, I was July, E. anguliger blooms in November, and the tempted to write about it this month. But as flower forms are quite different. However, much as I like Rhipsalis, I don't want this column November has passed and July isn't for a while, to become “Rhipsalis Of The Month” club. so which did I buy, S. anthonyanus or E. Instead we'll talk about my recent purchase at anguliger? Walter Andersen's Nursery, and my guess about how to tell two species apart. I bought an E. anguliger. Well, I am pretty sure that's what I bought. Although the leaf form can For those of you not in San Diego, Walter be very similar to S. anthonyanus, in my Andersen's *1 is a large, old fashioned nursery experience S. anthonyanus always has small where everyone knows a lot about plants. Rare hybrids and species of all sorts of plants can be found among the standard varieties. Occasionally you can find epiphytic cactus for sale there; in the past I've picked up Selenicereus anthonyanus and Selenicereus chrysocardium plants as well as various Rhipsalis and others. Sadly the plant labels typically are no more specific than 'Epiphyllum sp' but S. chrysocardium is pretty distinctive and can be easily identified. However, S. anthonyanus can be tough to distinguish from Epiphyllum anguliger when they are not in spines between each leaf corrugation. Such spines may be found on E. anguliger as well, but they are less prolific. My plant does not have many of said spines. My plant also has rounded corrugations and a raised 'line' down the center of each leaf; again, not conclusive but it does resemble an E. anguliger I already own. Also, it doesn't really look that much like any of the S. anthonyanus plants already in my yard. Of course as we are all aware, the proof is in the flower. So let's hope that this next November I continued on next page February, 2014 SDES Epi News Page 5 Now is the Time Continue to watch weather reports for that are dry with those that have soggy freezing conditions. Do not prune frost- potting mix. damaged foliage until all threat of freeze Protect against strong sun. Don’t has passed. allow plants to be exposed to intense Watch for snails and slugs. sunlight. Even the winter sun can damage epis. Unseasonable warm Promote good bloom in mature epis temperatures, extra water, and/or shade with a low-nitrogen fertilizer (0-10-10). may be needed. Epis love to be misted Reapply regularly if you use a liquid. when the air is dry. To promote new growth on newly- Protect budding plants from bud drop potted or immature epis, use a higher by not moving the plants. nitrogen fertilizer (5-10-10) Plan your Mother’s Day display. Check plants to see that all are receiving the winter rain. Switch those Breaking the Code (Continued from page 4) be nice to be able to think that I finally broke the Ric Rac Cactus Code. have some E. anguliger blooms on this new plant. I hope so, as I already have plenty of S. I'd love to hear what you think about the anthonyanus plants. I don't know if this spine differences between S. anthonyanus and E. counting technique is actually valid. But it would anguliger, and if we can ever definitively identify them without being in flower. One more thing. Last month I talked about Rhipsalis pilocarpa. Janice Wakefield let me know the meaning of the species name is “hairy fruit”. Thanks Janice! Enjoy this month and any off-season blooms in your yard. Notes: *1 I'm talking about the Point Loma Walter Andersen's, located in the old aircraft factory Mother’s Day 2014– May 10-11 Hats Off to Epies!! Be thinking about your display! There are myriads of possibilities and lots of blooms will be available! February, 2014 SDES Epi News Page 6 Mother’s Day Show- May 11, 2014: We doff our hats to the Epiphyllum! --Jill Rowney “Hats Off to Epies”, this year’s Whether your imagination takes you to the Mother’s Day Show theme, offers much variety for displaying Baseball epiphyllum blooms.