Night blooming cereus – Indoor House Plants

The night blooming cereus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum) is a night-blooming cactus. It achieves 20 feet in height. The dark green branches reach 3 feet long. This cactus lacks true leaves, its leaf-like growth is really flattened stems. Its showy blooms appear in late spring or early summer, and its white flowers are 11 inches long and 5 inches wide. This fragrant, nighttime blossom opens in the late night and closes again at sunrise. Queen of the night is commonly grown as a houseplant. The plant is best grown in a container.

Scientific Name: Epiphyllum oxypetalum.
Common Name: Dutchman’s pipe cactus, Night blooming cereus or Queen of the night.

How to grow and maintain Night blooming cereus:

Light:
Queen of the night plant do best in bright filtered light or partial shade. They do not like the direct full sun, but morning and late afternoon sun are okay.

Soil:
Night blooming cereus will grow in soil with a pH of 5.0 to 9, however, they prefer soils with a higher-alkaline pH of 6.2 to 7.0. Adding organic fertilizer can add nutrients to the soil, and can likewise help balance pH levels, as most organic fertilizers have a pH of around 7.0.

Temperature:
Normal room temperatures 60-75°F/16-24°C. To set blossom buds, the plant needs 8-10 weeks of cool 60-65°F/16-18°C days and 45-55°F/7-13°C evenings in winter.

Water:
Keep the soil wet spring through fall, while the plant is growing. In winter, water sparingly until the point that new growth starts in spring. Never enable it to dry out. Shriveled, limp stems are a sign the soil is too dry. After blossoming, rest one month before fertilizing. Don’t over-fertilize.

Fertilizer:
Fertilise Apply a diluted NPK 10-10-10 fertilizer once a month during the growth period and cactus fertilizer (NPK 0-10-10) to promote flowering.

Propagation:
Propagate from the seed in spring or late-spring. Remember that Queen of the night does not always come true from seed.  Also, propagate from stem cuttings in early summer.

Pest and Diseases:
Pest Mealybugs and scale insects. Also prone to fungal leaf spots and stem spots.