My partner always said one of my favorite plants was very ugly.
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He was partially right: for most of the year, zygocactus (also known as zygos, winter cactus, crab cactus or Christmas cactus) looks a bit like a green, jagged mop.
Their stems are flattened, with no spikes, and tend to droop over the edge of pots and baskets.
While I think their vegetative state is quite pretty and unusual in itself, the flowers of this strange plant are wholly redeeming for anyone with doubts, bursting forth in late autumn in brilliant shades of pink, purple, white or orange in a display of winter colour.
Flowering is promoted by longer nights, so with the change of season my coral pink zygo is halfway through a full flush of colour.
Unlike your typical cacti, zygos originally grew as epiphytes (plants that live on other plants without being parasites) high in the trees of the Brazilian rainforest.
As such they work really well as hanging plants, in a sheltered position with part shade, dappled light or even indoors near a window.
Avoid over-fertilizing your zygos, as they prefer a light diet of slow-release fertilizer, only about twice a year.
It’s important to keep an eye out for sap-sucking insects, which love the succulent flesh of the zygos.
Zygos are especially prone to mealy bugs and scale, which can be tackled with a heavy spray of white oil.
Zygocactus are also a very easy plant to share around. As a part of the Cactaceae family, their cuttings root very easily.
You can simply break off a part of the plant, allow the raw end to dry out over a couple of days, and then pop the bottom centimeter into some orchid potting mix, so the cutting stands upright.
After a few weeks small roots will have formed and your new zygocactus clones will be up and running.
Do you have a gardening question for Jess? Send your queries to jess.cockerill@fairfaxmedia.com.au or call 9550 2409.
