Selenicereus grandiflorus is a succulent native to Cuba and Jamaica. It is an epiphyte, which means that in nature it needs support from another plant to live, although it feeds on its own.
It looks very exotic, but its greatest decoration are the flowers that bloom at night . In addition, we can grow the plant at home. How to care for it?
Selenicereus grandiflora it grows to enormous sizes, forming a rosette of numerous shoots, each of which resembles a separate one cactus. The plant’s shoots can be up to 5 meters long.
Growing the plant at home is not easy because Selenicereus grandiflora is quite capricious. In apartments it does not grow as large, and its shoots lie down, are shorter and thinner. It is worth adding that they have sharp spines.
The greatest decoration of the plant are, of course, the huge, white flowers that bloom only at night. Each of them blooms in the evening and fades the next morning. However, there are a lot of flowers, and Selenicereus grandiflora can bloom even several times a season – if we take care of it properly.
Queen of the Night home care is not easy because the plant has high requirements. All of them must be fulfilled if we want it to develop healthily and bloom.
First of all, the plant needs a lot of diffused light – mainly in the morning or afternoon.
It also requires an appropriate substrate, consisting of 1/3 potted flower soil, 1/3 shredded tree bark and 1/3 gravel with well-fermented compost. Do not choose a pot that is too large for the plant – Selenicereus grandiflora will prefer a tighter one.
Another important element of care is allowing the plant to go dormant. From September to February it should be placed in a cooler place, without fertilization and with limited watering.
Selenicereus grandiflora requires proper care, including proper fertilization and watering. Best to apply to cacti, thus supporting the plant throughout the season, every 10 days. This support will help the plant bloom.
When it comes to watering, it is best to water Selenicereus grandiflora with rainwater. As in the case of orchids, it is worth watering the plant with plenty of lukewarm water, repeating the action only when the top layer of the soil is dry again.
Selenicereus grandiflora also requires regular watering until it blooms.
