Caring for an Orchid Cactus (Disocactus ackermannii)

[@Stoic_Astrology]

Thank you!!! 🙏🏼 just brought one of these babies home & it needs a lot of love. This was helpful.

[@Plantsfaire]

Thank you for the concise and important information to know about this plant - much appreciated. New follower now.

[@cruelsister1]

Great video. Love your cat.

[@MultiDragon1313]

I have a epipyllum oxypedilum that I have had over 30 years. I restart it every 7 years to replace my old tired mother plant because it gets to tall and corks

[@bettemarie]

My aunt gave me one many years ago and ever since I’ve wondered what it was called. It makes big beautiful red flowers,larger than my hand. I am so happy I stumbled upon your video. You answered many questions. Thank you for the helpful information! This was My first video of yours I’ve seen, and I look forward to exploring more!

[@anitacb1784]

Thank you.my daughter has a few really big, different color . When they got the property , they didn’t like them but when they saw the flowers. Omg. Beautiful .

[@charleennicholson6280]

I was gifted one that is many years old, left it on my porch the first night, the deer ate over half of it... I'm so sad. I'm def going to try to prop some and then try to save the rest of the plant. Learning so much from you!!! Beautiful plant. Thank you

[@JACKIELVSGOD]

BEAUTIFUL PLANTS, THX FOR UPLOADING

[@noconawolf]

Well...Best information I have received on this guy so far. I've had mine for about 20 years. Tried everything EXCEPT the dormant time in a cool area. I'm going to try that next! Thank you!!

[@rogerdearborn4537]

Same here & never heard about winter dormancy cool temps

[@ВалариПетровский]

Had mine since the mid 1970's..its still going strong.

[@rowenaphilbeck1919]

I have one and it flowered beautiful white. They are awesome. Love to start them from the leaves too. I have given several away. Thanks so much.

[@NotsoFree_StateofFlorida]

Never had fungus gnats but scale can be serious to the point of use a toothbrush to remove it over & over again. Even systemics don't solve the problem. I live in Ohio so this isn't a tropical problem. Keep an eye on the bottom of the leaves for this. Also black areas form on the leaves caused by a virus or bacteria. Cutting it away is the only solution. No cure I know of. My plant was the size of yours & it was decimated. I did manage to save it by recovery is painfully slow.

[@tinaadkins3042]

Mine is about 4 foot tall.. it has one bloom.. I’m so excited

[@p3t3m0r9]

Your plants look immense :) and thank you for the great video 🙌

[@happinessinleaf]

Great video

[@peryton4598]

My son brought home some cuttings from a plant at school. The cuttings looked awful and dead. I tuck those suckers in soil on my back porch. Holly crap those flowers are beautiful. I kill everything and these guys are doing beautiful.

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Good! What color are the flowers? He's one of my favorite plants that I have. A very chill plant too. He just hangs there and gets water every so often and a little food now and then. Love it 🌲

[@LillianHoCanada]

Great information! Yes, mine are in small pots considering the size of the plants. They definitely like root bound. According to my experience, , root bound, dry winter period, temperature difference (day and night) will help them to set the flower buds. Mine got some buds now.

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Yes, you hit the nail on the head. They enjoy being pretty root bound and barely any water at all during the dormant season. Just a little bit to keep them from shriveling up. I hope to see some this year too!! Thanks for checking out my channel.

[@GOODnesss258]

ive had mine for 3 years and this year got the first growth on it and its doubled in size over one summer by being outside for a long summer

[@dianahartley-kim7109]

I received a cutting in December and it recently starting growing. I am excited to see it grow.

[@helenhomer756]

You said not to repot often. My question is, I just bought this plant from a greenhouse and it have massive roots growing out the bottom of the terracotta pot. I was going to repot it until you said not too. What do I do about the roots grown out of the bottom of the pot???

[@NotsoFree_StateofFlorida]

I live in northern Ohio. Grown this cactus for years now. It winters over indoors under grow lights 12 hrs. p/day. The new growth starts in January and goes strong. You're right about the water though. When they go out in the spring the leaf growth slows and the flowers begin.

[@Sam-ul4zq]

Lol the cat magically appearing in the background

[@mle396]

I'm glad I found your video, I am in Oklahoma and brought home a beautiful Hookeri variety from Florida. My mother has a very large plant & gave me starts. I am hopeful I can see blooms this year, you are very informative. Thank you

[@HarrietJohanessen]

Thanks this is what I needed for information as I have just gotten this and didn't know what to do with it or how to take care of it.

[@lindalu8565]

Best info ever! Thank you!

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Thank you for watching! 🌲

[@kenzieadair6709]

Thank you!!! Everything I needed to know! 🪴

[@LibraDS09]

Awesome! So I just bought what I thought was just a typical cactus. Turns out it's an orchid cactus! Thanks for identifying my plant😝 and another great video!✌🌈❤

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Thank you! I really hope you enjoyed the video! You have purchased a great plant! They have a forgiving nature coupled with extraordinarily beautiful flowers. This plant can live for several decades and are easy to care for too! Let me know if you ever have a question about em! Plant Prudently!

[@marypolk9820]

Enjoyed your video and great information. I find this a very interesting plant. I might try to grow one now

[@barnosaidinova6927]

Thank you very much for all the information u went all details, toxicity and everything .

[@edwardlittlefield447]

My God! That cactus in the brown pot is gigantic! It's also very very beautiful!!!🌵🌵👍

[@barnosaidinova6927]

I was thinking is it fake or real cactua

[@phillip6083]

Ive had rust on my orchid cacti.for that you can use neem oil or a systemic fungicide.i use ortho rose systemic fertilizer and fungicide.

[@cactusfiesta]

Great Job! Greetings and God bless U

[@aprilwaller123]

I got my Queen of night from a friend grandma and was not told about keeping in a smaller pot,{ well she didn't}= have it in a smaller pot} .I will have to put it in a smaller pot when spring gets here. I'm in lower Alabama. Mine is leggy tho

[@stylewithlaurieburley3707]

Best advice! Thanks!

[@queque9550]

Very detail information. Thank you.

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Thank you and thank you for watching too! 🌲

[@minervagamelo3113]

Ganda

[@lincatt]

Thank you for the information. My plant is about forty years old and has lots of long thin and spikes stems. My question is, do I leave them on or cut them off?

[@fs6227]

Same question :)

[@A10TOES]

See the previous comment/reply; cut them off. I’ll be doing it this evening.

[@aniskalick5607]

Thanks for the info God bless you fantastic idea bye

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Thanks for watching! God bless you too! 🌲

[@kaylaortz223]

Very helpful!! Maybe in the future put the other cacti in the the background and but the one your talking about in the front in front of you? :)

[@maryjanegarvey2124]

Hi Justin, love your video. Can you tell me why my leaves are stringy, not wide like your’s are? I did just move it to a NE window. Any ideas ?

[@PsychologicalApparition]

The question I had prior to my search was "layout?" I notice they sorta trail? Is it practical to keep pruning and keeping them bushy? or to hang them up and just let their tendrils flow? haha. I saw my friend's mum's setup a few years ago. She had hers stacked way high up and manipulated it to trail downward. All of my cuttings are becoming monsters now, so I gotta figure them out. Gracious for the video.

[@ch1378]

Leafeon ftw! Thanks for the awesome vid!

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Leafeon and Vaporeon are the best, without a doubt! Ok I'm biased but doesn't make it any less true!! Thanks for checking out my channel!

[@allbolt15001]

I have this plant for couple years or so but don’t know if I have to trim it so it can produce flowers. I need your advice please. I also live in Oklahoma.

[@junefiorito3691]

Thank you!

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Thank you for watching! Plant prudently!

[@allieoopoop245]

What do I do for black spots, just acquired my late mother's plant and it thrived under her care, I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong and I don't want to lose it😢

[@Onyxphotos]

A tropical plant from the amazon that likes cold

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Well cooler weather during what they consider "winter". It's just a somewhat rainy season with cooler temperatures.

[@reginabarker308]

My plant is getting very heavy leaves over the pot sides, should i prop it or support it in any way, the growth is hugh.

[@donnameistersmith9756]

Hello I watched your video on the orchid cacti and I have a big one and it flowers amazingly. But I getting these little ones growing up all over real spindly crazy like and I'm not sure what to do with those because they get tall and they fall over but they're healthy. Do I pull those out of the dirt and concentrate on just the mother plant and repop the ones that I'm pulling out. My plant is doing well but I'm getting a lot of babies growing.

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Yeah, that's basically what I do. Pull or clip the suckers off and let the mother plant focus all its nutrients and energy on whatever else it needs to. Now you're not talking about the new growth of its leaves, are you? This almost sounds like etiolation. How is the lighting your plant is receiving? This is just about the best thing you can do for this plant is give them bright filtered light. I move mine outside during late spring and all of the summer to keep him happy.

[@A10TOES]

Thanks I have my plant near my east facing garden window, I guess she needs more light. It’s still Spring, next week starts summer, I’ll move her outside.

[@miamianz]

I have one cor three yeara still has t flowred still dont k ow what to do with it. Im in central florida area.

[@crazieox]

Would you combine dif types together in one pot?

[@spider46531]

Would it be good to transplant into an orchid pot. I have a ceramic one with the holes in the sides and am thinking of replanting the one I just got from the store

[@karenweaver3540]

Hi Justin. I know you live in Kentucky. So do I. I have an Orchid Cactus. Last year was my first year for it. it grew huge and so green and leafs were very wide and just wonderful. So in Fall before frost i brought indoors. Hung in front of my Northeast window. I didn't water for a long time, then i did. and watered maybe couple more times and now it looks terrible like it's dying!! What can i do to fix it? HELP

[@chathamcrescent]

Thank you so much for the wonderful advice! One major question I have though is pruning. Mine is gangly with stems going everywhere! The new stems do not have the flat portions yet either.

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

This sounds like etiolation. Where do you have your plant? Mine had this same problem early this spring. Cut off all the scrawny parts with sharp and sanitized shears. I had to put mine in the south facing window and he seems at home. Granted I have blinds so it's not super bright but he likes it. You should acclimate him slowly though. Those leaves will burn quick. Stick him in a new window for about 45 minutes the first day. The second go almost two hours. They don't need too much direct light so you could scoot him back a little bit. If you don't have a brighter location check out the smaller LED full spectrum grow lights on Amazon. They have some really good ones to help give your plants more light. I put a link to the ones I use on every video, this way you know you get some good ones.

[@chathamcrescent]

The Green Alchemist, thank you so much for the quick and expert advice! Sounds like I have a lot of work to do because I put it in too big of a pot when I repotted it not knowing that it prefers to be root bound. That also caused it to be very heavy and difficult to move around. I will have to repot it again into a smaller one! Also, apparently I’m not giving it enough water AND the amount of light is not ideal for it. Ugh...hope I won’t kill the thing!

[@stylewithlaurieburley3707]

@@TheGreenAlchemist I think that’s what is happening to mine! Thanks for this info.

[@karynbreakspear-purdy8531]

My orchid cactus has brown tips and I am wondering what that could be from.

[@e_lynx]

I have mine in hydroculture :O *le gasp* should I repot? (northern hemisphere, too)

[@anla3957]

Mine turns red and has these black/brown spots every winter. Would you know what causes this? It flowers beautifully in the spring but the leaves look sickly.

[@joyr.3877]

After the bloom is spent where do you cut to remove the bloom ... do you cut flush with the stem or do you leave the ' spongy textured section ' intact on the stem. I am wanting to promote more blooms. Thanx in advance.

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

I usually cut them off at the end where the flower attaches to the stem. Typically these guys like to be root bound before they flower. Plants in smaller containers often flower faster than ones in larger pots. Also if you feed make sure your nitrogen content doesn't exceed 10%. Something around 2-15-10 can be effective at helping flower. It is said by other growers that they have luck with flowering when their phosphorus is higher too. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have anymore questions at all! Good luck and plant prudently!

[@lessaharner6404]

I have a chocolate drop and am having problems with it and don’t know what to do. Please help

[@aadam5175]

Hi. Should you dead head a spent bloom on the red orchid cactus?

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

You should. Cut the flower off with sanitized pruning shears or scissors right where the flower sprouts from the leaf tip.

[@saphira2711]

When it's the best to propagate it?

[@stevelogan2435]

Mine has a bud on it for the first time I’ve had it for a few years - my question is how long does it take from bud to bloom?

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

It can take a while. Typically these guys enjoy being pot bound before they bloom or make their buds bloom. This means that plants in a smaller container will usually bloom faster than one in a larger pot. Now to bloom they need a winter's rest. They need a period of 8-10 weeks of cooler, dryer weather so they can rest. Giving the plant more light will encourage it to bloom too. A high Phosphorus fertilizer will encourage blooms as well. Try to never feed him with a fertilizer that contains more than 10 % nitrogen. Too much nitrogen can lead to leggy growth at the expense of flowering. Though if you live in the northern hemisphere like I do your plant needs to get ready for its dormant period so I would just leave him alone. If you begin to feed you'll make him think that it's still in the growing season and mess him up. Any of these that aren't what the plant wants can cause buds to never open and flower.

[@happinessinleaf]

👍👍👍

[@sandraforas3962]

When i take cuttings i just mist the leaves now and then When they root i have a problem they just dry up and die

[@vencent8329]

thanks you nice information i just got some from my teacher

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

I love this plant. It is one of my favorites for sure! Such pretty flowers.

[@babynatalieletsYoutubeChannel]

Is this what they called queen of the night plant?

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

I believe, and I could be wrong on this, that queen of the night is a type of orchid cactus.

[@rogerdearborn4537]

That would be night blooming cereus..a climber & bloom only lasts one night.

[@lindalu8565]

Check out the size of that cactus!!!

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Which one? The titular cactus or my Argentine Saguaro cactus? They're both of pretty good size!

[@Ambershoyasllc]

What color flowers does yours get??

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Mine hasn't yet flowered. I moved him to a south facing window to give him better light. He seems to be enjoying if so far.

[@user-ow5wz8lk3e]

Well well ..... now we know where Pauly Shore ended up after Bio Dome

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Woah, woah, woah! Wait a minute! You guys aren't one of those freaky cults are you? Ya know, who dance naked, and you want us to take off our clothes and feed us special punch?

[@christinakara278]

I m flabbergasted, today my dear friend giftet me a d. Ackermannii, commonly called "farmers cactus" in austria Sha grows them in garden soil mixed with children's sandbox sand Those plants are thriving, some having large flower buds, totally healthy strong green leaves I might be over thinking and care too much 🤷🏻‍♀️ (well she s got a natural green thumb) 🍀

[@tinaadkins3042]

And it has one bloom💕

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Oh happy day!!!

[@danielosgorgie2290]

Do these flowers have fragrance??

[@TheGreenAlchemist]

Usually they do, some may not though.

[@dontdomeboo81]

im sick of them changing the names

[@crystalhuynh9482]

🙏♥️

[@0145ako]

Twist the bud behind the flower to twist it off the leaf