I am in to some jungle cacti growing and I need some expert tip.
1. What is the proper temperature for the winter rest up in Scandinavia, or an equal place?
2. How about water in that winter rest?
3. Any tip about watering in the spring?
4. What fertilizer to use? NPK?
5. How about pruning?
6. Is there a "perfect" soil mix to use?
Of course, all information are appreciated!! And all "non-experts" are welcome to share their wisdom as well
Welcome to the Forum. I've got a few epi's but am no way an expert. I guess some of the other guys may be able to help you. Try here though for a starting place:gl:
Hi Christer, I'm not an expert but I have grown different types of jungle cacti in the past in central UK.
1. If you grow the plants in a heated house in winter, put them in the coolest room of the house (10C if possible, no lower than 7C) where they receive natural daylight and no artificial light after sundown. A cool period in winter along with long, dark nights not interrupted by artificial lighting will (in my own experience) encourage flower buds to form.
2 & 3. If plants are grown in the home where there is winter heating, extra care is needed to see that the roots don't totally dry out. Make sure the roots don't go dry ,or the plants will either be damaged or set back and the next season's flowering will either be poor or totally curtailed.
Cooler temperatures along with reduced light intensity and shorter days all mean the soil will not dry out nearly as fast as it does in spring and summer, so they may only need watering 4 - 6 weekly in winter. Increase to approximately 2 weekly in spring if soil is drying out.
4. They benefit from liberal feeding with low nitrogen (tomato/cactus - full strength) fertilizer in the growing season, though they should be grown "harder" if you find they are shy to flower.
They normally begin active growth in late winter or spring and many put on new growth in early autumn. But some plants often put out new shoots in the middle of winter. Let the plant guide you. We can set a schedule but the plants do what they want to do when they want to do it and not when we think they should.
5. Pruning or cutting back should not be necessary. Healthy branches will produce flowers for several years. However, if the areoles along a stem look dead or lifeless or a stem has become unsightly for some reason, it is better to remove that stem.
6. A basic mix might be:
* 50% sterilized houseplant potting soil low in peat. If it is high in peat depending on how peaty the soil is you may not need to add more organic matter.
* 30% organic matter (leafmold, compost, peat)
* 20% Coarse sand or grit or horticultural perlite to encourage drainage.
I'm no expert either but like Sue have grown epiphytic cacti for a good few years.
Sue has it all covered really; the only thing I can add is that use standard multi-purpose compost with added grit for mine, and as far as pruning goes - it all depends how rampant they get and how much space you have. I find some Rhipsalis will get tatty over time and benefit from being cut back quite hard.
They'll grow outdoors in summer quite happily if you find them a shady spot.
Well,
After reading what Sue wrote, my epis should all be dead by now.
I keep my epis along with other cacti in a room at about 6-8 degrees celzius and they don't get any water through the whole resting period (November-end of April). I never fertilise them and they stand in full sun through the summer. But they seem to like those conditions as they flower their heads off. I also do some tickling and have some fruit which is quite good to eat. As for the soil. I don't remember when was the last time they were repotted. I took them from my mother. They are probably in normal soil taken from the garden as my mother wouldn't dare to think back in the years that a special soil is needed for cacti. I don't prune them, I just clean out the old and dried out parts.
Sandi your plants look like Disocactus ackermannii. This species will tolerate very cool days and cold nights if the roots are kept dry, but will need the temperatures to remain above 35 °F. Whereas Disocactus phyllanthoides needs 10-15ºC in winter. Also, unlike Epiphyllum, the Disocactus ackermannii species is very slow growing.Different species and hybrids require slightly different culture, it all depends on which one you have. I was just giving generalized advise. For specifics it is always best to research their individual requirements.
I think I may manage to grow them now 
