Fishbone Cactus | The Few But Important Things You Need To Know
The Fishbone Cactus is not only one of my favourite plants; it is one of 2021 most wanted plants!
I got mine from a friend last fall. (If you ask me, there is nothing better than getting plants from friends!).
She asked me; “What is the ONE plant you have on your wish list?”
I said: “The Fishbone Cactus! But good luck finding one!!”
Well, Cristina never gives up until she gets what she wants. And the harder things are, the harder she goes!
So, she showed up at my house a week later with a baby Fishbone Cactus! (How sweet is that?💚)
It was a small cactus with 3 stems in a 4″plastic pot!
While I still have it in a 4″ terracotta pot, (because those are the best pots for indoor plants!!), the cactus has grown significantly, shooting several new “zig zag” stems here and there!
It is a low maintenance plant, that is easy to grow and brings a smile on your face every time you look at it!
Have you ever seen one of these plants before?
Where do they come from?
Well, here it is!
The Fishbone Cactus, (Selenicereus Anthonyanus), is a cactus species originating from the humid tropical rainforests of Southern Mexico.
Interestingly enough, this cactus has more in common with Orchids than with actual Cacti.
In-fact, not only the Fishbone Cactus, like the Orchid, originates from a humid environment, it is also an epiphytic plant, growing and hanging from trees.
This plant has quite an array of nicknames due to its stems’ unique shape;
- Fishbone Cactus
- Rick Rack Cactus
- Zig Zag Cactus
- St. Anthony’s Rik Rak, (this one derives from its scientific name and the Botanist who first flowered this species).
As you may have guessed by the title of this blog post, my favourite nickname for this cactus is “Fishbone”, (I have quite a passion for fishing 🎣 too!).
In its native environment, the Fishbone Cactus produces fragrant nocturnal flowers, (which means they open up at night), that only last a day.
However, these flowers are rarely produced by cacti grown indoors.
Let’s now dig deeper into the important things you need to know about the Fishbone Cactus!
Here’s my Fishbone Cactus!
As you can see the alternate pattern on opposite sides of the central spine resembles the skeleton of a fish.
Or do you see more of a Zig Zag pattern?
cactus light
The Fishbone Cactus thrives in bright indirect light, but can tolerate a few hours or morning direct sunlight.
Keep in mind that these plants have adapted their “modified branches”, (called cladodes), to reach more light under the lower light conditions of the tropical rainforest.
So, differently, from the desert Cacti we are all accustomed to, tropical rainforest Cacti, don’t necessarily thrive, nor benefit from direct sunlight exposure, (unless is kept to a minimum, like for example morning East and North exposure).
Too much sunlight will actually burn its stems!
The ideal location for this plant is a Northern or East facing window.
I actually keep mine a few feet away from a Southern window. It receives plenty of light, but never direct sunlight!
Succulent-like leaves of the Fishbone Cactus.
These “flat specialized” branches are called Cladodes and have adapted to absorb the maximum amount of light in the low light conditions of tropical rainforests.
humidity & temperature
Despite the fact the Fishbone Cactus is native to tropical rainforests, it does quite well within the typical home humidity levels.
However, if you want your Cactus to thrive, you should increase its surrounding humidity levels by grouping it with other plants. The occasional misting is welcome too!
This plant does not tolerate temperatures below 50F or 10C, so make sure you keep it away from any drafts, like doors and windows.
Having said that, you should try your best to keep it away from any source of heat as well, like radiators or vents.
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watering & fertilizing
Another big difference between tropical rainforests Cacti and desert Cacti is the amount of water they need.
Because of the Fishbone Cactus original environment, the plant has adapted its stems and leaves to focus on the absorption of sunlight, rather than the absorption of water, like a desert Cactus does.
In addition to that, remember that tropical rainforest are quite humid environments as well!
This means that the Fishbone Cactus needs to be watered more often than a desert Cactus.
My Cactus is planted in Cactus and Succulent Mix in a terracotta pot with drainage holes. For this reason, the moisture evaporates relatively fast, and I water my plant once a week.
As a rule of thumb, water your Fishbone Cactus once the soil top inch has dried out.
Do not allow to dry out in between waterings!
I fertilize my plant once every two weeks from Spring to Fall with a liquid plant food.
When I first got my Fishbone Cactus, it only had 3 stems. This is how it looks like after 8 months of growth!
soil & repotting
Because of its epiphytic nature, the Fishbone Cactus grows well in Orchid Mix, but it can also thrive in Cactus and Succulent Mix.
I actually grow mine in a Cactus and Succulent Mix with Perlite.
I like to add a good amount of Perlite to all my plants’ soil in order to improve its drainage properties.
Don’t rush repotting your plant! The Fishbone Cactus doesn’t have a big root structure, and it enjoys being root bound.
When I say don’t rush repotting your plant, I really mean don’t rush upsizing its pot.
However, I strongly believe, (and encourage all my readers to do the same), in replacing plants’ soil once a year, even if the pot size doesn’t need to be changed.
Replacing the plants’ nutrient depleted soil once a year is also an excellent opportunity to rinse the rootball and check for pests and diseases. You can read more about Repotting Houseplants benefits here.
Plants really thrive on this yearly soil replacement routine! Trust me!
Make sure you keep your Fishbone Cactus in a pot with drainage holes, as this plant is prone to root rot!
propagating the fishbone cactus
The Fishbone Cactus is mostly propagated by stem cutting.
Like with any other succulent, (although this is a Cactus), it is critical to have a clean cut of a stem.
In order to do this, you need to have a sharp and sterilized knife.
A clean cut is fundamental to the success of your propagation.
Once you have one or more cuttings, it is important to let them “callous” for a few days. (Allowing the cut to dry out and create a scar, anywhere between 3 to 6 days in a dark and cool room).
Only then, the cutting is ready for rooting.
Some prefer to plant the cutting directly in soil, others root it in water first.
Personally, I like to root every cutting in water.
I like to see the roots forming and growing, which is something I can’t do when planting directly into the soil.
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