Aiyla Heath
Are you looking for magical blooming flowers? Grow Selenicereus Grandiflorus!
It is a rare cultivated cacti species popular among plant-lovers for its spellbound white-yellowish flowers that bloom once a night per year.
“A night-blooming plant parent, royalty in the neighborhood.”
Famous as ‘the queen of the night,’ this plant is one of a kind that urges friends and neighbors to peek in for the heavenly flower show it puts on every year.
Learn how to groom, care, and maintain the beauty of your queen plant to witness enchanting blooming every year.
Disclaimer: We have also mentioned 5 amazing facts about this eye-catching cactus you don’t know.
Let’s get a wing of everything about the classic cereus!
Selenicereus Grandiflorus
Queen of the night, night princess, or Selernicereus grandiflorus is a trendy cactus species due to its beautiful yellowy or white flowers that can bloom around a diameter.
They are striking succulents as they have a limited blossom time, yes! Cereus starts its spellbound magical show at night.
The bloomed flowers emit a vanilla-like fragrance that fills the air with a heady scent. Remember the flowers curled back the instant the first sunray touches the sky.
Bonus: It also gives an edible red fruit.
Let’s find out how you can care for your Selenicereus grandiflorus for a guaranteed blooming every year: Night Blooming Cereus Care
The term night-blooming cereus commonly refers to different cactus species, but we are here to discuss the mesmerizing Selenicereus grandiflorus, the desert cacti.
When it comes to the care of cereus cactus, you don’t need much to do. Keep check of little things, and it will be off to a spectacular blooming every year.
1. Placement
Before selecting the final placement for the Selenicereus grandifloras, remember they are wild-growing plants native to Mexico, Florida, and Central America.
Cereus cactus requires full to partial sunlight for the best growth and can survive a temperature range of 5°C-41°C (41°F-106°F).
Indoor: Before deciding to grow it indoors, remember night-blooming cactus can become giants as they are tall climbing plants. And, don’t forget their prickly stems!
They reach up to 17cm-22cm and 38cm width. Yes, they are enormous! So, make sure you have enough space and sunlight (indirect) to allow them to grow happily indoors.
Outdoor: The Queen of the night plant needs light shading and something to support the weight of its gigantic wavy stems, resembling snake plants’ wavy stems.
So, if you are growing it outdoors in your garden or lawn, make sure to place it with a bamboo rod in a container or even with pine, palm, or any tree to get the support and shade it needs.
Note: They are not frost-tolerant plants which means they won’t do well in freezing temperatures. Move the plant indoors if you live in a cold zone, during winters.
2. Growing
The growing requirements for the Queen of the night flower are similar to any other cactus.
They prefer well-drained sandy soil mixed with compost. You can also use a regular cactus mix or combination of equal parts potting and sand mix.
Like other succulents, they don’t demand a high watering routine as they don’t like to sit in soggy soil and don’t do well if the soil is dried out completely.
Water once or twice a week in summers and once every two-three weeks in winters. Don’t overwater your Selenicereus to avoid root rot!
Use any organic cactus fertilizer to provide all the essential nutrients to the plant in vegetation or growing season, March to the end of September.
Note: Remember to keep a check on the soil moisture and watering routine during blooming season.
The beautiful Selenicereus Grandiflorus is known by different names like the Queen of the night, cereus cactus, night-blooming cactus, large-flowered cactus, and vanilla cactus.
3. Flowering
Fact: Selenicereus is named after the Greek goddess of Moon ‘Selene,’ and Grandiflorus is a Latin word meaning large-flowered.
If you ever happened to see the magical show of night-blooming flowers, you’ll get to know why they are named grandiflorus.
They blossom to huge white, cream, or yellow flowers that bloom almost over 1ft across.
If you see the plants beside the blooming season, you may end up calling them the ugly ducklings of the cactus species.
But as compared to the spellbound show they put on every year, we must say it’s worth it!
Selenicereus grandiflorus Vs. Epiphyllum oxyepetalum
They are often compared with the most cultivated flat-stem Epiphyllum oxypetalum (other cacti called as Queen of the night).
In comparison, the true species of cereus grandiflorus cactus have rounded stems and are rare in cultivation. Also, most of the plants under this name are hybrid.
In German, they are known as the königin der Nacht, and an artist named Tlim Shug has an album called Selenicereus grandiflorus.
4. Blooming
We have been gushing about the magical, spellbound, or eye-catching flower show of the night-blooming cactus but,
How often does a night flower bloom? Once! Yes, you have got only one chance to witness this breathtaking sight.
And, you have to wait for the blooming until the plant matures. For instance, some people are lucky to see them blossom after 2 years, and some have to wait until four years.
Now, you must be thinking, what should you do not to miss the magical view?
Or, how do you know Selenicereus, the night flower, is ready to become the Queen of the night?
The average blooming time is in the late spring or during July-August. It will start to open around 7pm – 9 pm and will reach the peak at midnight.
They wither the instant first ray of light touches the sky, announcing the night has ended, and so is their show.
5. Propagation
There are two methods of night-blooming cereus propagation. You can either use the stem cuttings or directly sow the seeds in a soil mixture.
If you choose to propagate them using cuttings, let the cereus callus over (when ends of cuttings become dries and hardens) before planting them into a cactus mix or sandy potting soil.
It can take three-six weeks for them to be rooted. Here, watch a video on how to propagate Selenicereus grandiflorus from cutting:
Repotting: If there’s a plant that could go three to four years without repotting, it is this right here, the Selenicereus grandiflorus.
Regular and frequent repotting is not recommended for this plant as it requires vigorous roots to produce flowers.
Pot size: Try to repot it in a minimum of 10-inch pot to let it grow.
Pruning: Use a sterile sharp cutting knife or tree grafter kit to trim the shoots or get the offsets for a new plant.
Note: Be careful while handling night-blooming cactus as it has sharp edges or spines. Get any cut-resistant gloves lying in your kitchen or backyard before pruning.
Diseases
Although, Queen of the night is an easy-to-care-for plant just like Monstera Adansonii. Still, it is not immune to mealybugs, root rot, or other harmful insects.
Here’s how you can protect your beautiful Selenicerues grandiflorus from all the pesky bugs before blooming:
Use a mixture of water and soap or even a lacewing to shield the leaves from insects and maintain regular watering to prevent the plant from root-rot.
5 Unique Facts About Unique Selenicerus Grandiflorus
Now that you have read everything about the oh-so-beautiful and evergreen night-blooming cactus, let’s find out 5 thrilling facts about this gorgeous plant:
1.It was once the largest-Flowered Cacti known:
Carl von Linné discovered night cactus in 1753, and it was believed to be the largest-flowered cacti known at that time.
2. Red Yellowy Edible Fruit:
As shown by the name, they bloom at night, or we can say they only bloom for a single night during the entire year.
Moreover, the flowers emit a vanilla fragrance that attracts nocturnal bats for pollination, making a red tomato-size fruit edible for humans.
3. Medicinal Uses:
Selenicereus grandiflorus has been used as a folkloric medicine in maintaining the symptoms of congestive heart failure and a heart tonic to regulate blood pressure.
4. Homeopathy Research:
According to a study published by the European Agency for Evaluation of Medicinal Products, dried or fresh overground parts of the Selenicereus grandiflorus plant are utilized in traditional human phytotherapy.
5. Night-Blooming Cactus is used as a reference to different cacti:
The term night-blooming cactus is usually used as a reference for four different plants under the cacti family.
These include Peniocereus greggii, Selenicereus grandiflorus. (both are also known as Queen of the night)
The other two are Hylocereus undatus (dragon fruit) and Epiphyllum oxypetalum.
Final Thoughts
The Selenicereus grandiflorus, night-blooming cactus, or Queen of the night, whatever you may call it, is truly a unique plant that blooms exquisite exotic white, yellowy, and creamy flowers.
Yes, it is not as demanding as the polka dots plant, but still, you can’t avoid the necessary caring requirements of the night cactus.
Follow our exclusive Selenicereus grandiflorus guide to see your plant thriving and magical as ever.
Lastly, let us know the next exotic plant you want to read about. Your opinion matters!