I shouldn't have any trouble with keeping them cool at night, my house is
usually pretty cold inside. I'm in zone 9 so I'm hoping they thrive

Shell


"B & J" wrote in message
...
wrote in message
...
snip
Epiphyllums need a 30-90 day period of cool, dry dormancy during the
winter to develop flower buds. I keep mine in a mud room that gets down
to
30F on the coldest January nights. I doubt that you will get any
flowers
if
you keep your plants in your computer room during the winter. Your
orchids
would be a better choice but if you get no flowers you will have to find
a
cooler winter spot.

Hope this helps,
--beeky

I pretty much agree with everything you said, although I've had good luck
rooting them in ProMix that was kept slightly moist.

I can't agree with the last statement that epis require the type of
dormant
period you described to blossom - at least not the ones I've raised for
the
last thrity. Mine do just fine next to my wife's orichids. I still have a
beautiful red one that has overwintered and thrived in a sun room for the
past twenty-five years. I keep it slightly drier in the winter than the
rest
of the year which is exacty the same way I treat my other house plants.
Each
spring I increase water and fertilize. I now live in zone 6 and last
spring
had at least twenty blossoms on the plant during April and May. When I
lived
in zone 3, the plant rebloomed off and on throughout the summer when kept
outside in the shade, but that is not true here. My guess is that they
require a cool period to set blossoms, which we don't have here - no
problem
with MN nights. I have noticed that buds develop copiously along the
stem, but most abort once the first flower on a stem opens.

Go ahead and put it in a cool, bright window with the orchids during the
winter. It'll do just fine!

John