There are tons of flowering cacti you could establish ina rock and roll gardenfor brilliant flowers during the day , but what if you desire to love your garden at Nox ? For that , you ’ll involve to embed a night - blooming cereus . If you have n’t heard of this remarkable cactus , you ’re in for a treat ! Here ’s everything you need to know about engraft and caring for it .

What is a night-blooming cereus?

dark - blooming cereus is the common name for a mathematical group of cacti that bloom at nighttime . Although many of the cacti are from the genus Cereus or a closely relate genus ( such as Hylocereus or Peniocereus ) , some are from a more distantly related genus , such as Epiphyllum or Harrisa .

No matter what genus each nighttime - blooming genus Cereus is from , there are a few reproducible things . In plus to being cacti that bloom at night , night - blossom genus Cereus have pale flowers . This makes them more visible in the dark , which is essential for them to pollenate . The principal pollinators of night - blooming cereus cacti are moth and bat . Additionally , the flowers tend to be large with a impregnable smell , so the pollinators can determine them more easily .

The grounds these flowers need to be extremely easy for pollinator to feel is that they are incredibly suddenly - lived plant . Some coinage flower for only one nighttime , while others might bloom for a week with individual flowers last only one or two nights .

Planting cereus

Here ’s how to embed your Nox - blooming genus Cereus :

Step 1 : opt a fitting variety .

Two popular ones are Queen of the Night ( Epiphyllum oxypetalum ) and Dragon Fruit ( Selenicereus undatusorHylocereus undatus ) .

Step 2 : implant your cactus where it will get morning sun and afternoon shade , or smart , indirect light indoors .

stride 3 : Plant it in sandy , well - enfeeble dirt , or use cactus - specific potting soil for indoor plants .

Step 4 : Choose a emplacement with plenteousness of room .

Nox - blooming cereus cactican grow quite gravid : between 10 and 20 feet grandiloquent ! Make certain to plant it away from structures and other plants .

Caring for a night-blooming cereus

Here ’s how to like for your cactus :

tone 1 : irrigate your night - blooming genus Cereus only when the soil is completely dry .

Watering a cactuscan be slippery , but these industrial plant do hold out drought . Cacti will reclaim from underwatering much more rapidly than they will overwatering .

Step 2 : Keep your cactuswarm in the winter .

If you ’re grow it indoors , be indisputable to keep it away from drafty windows or air vents .

Step 3 : come down lacrimation during fall and winter .

dance step 4 : look on intimately for flowers in too soon to summer solstice , typically around June .

Depending on the exact type of night - bloom genus Cereus you have , you may not see flowers until the cactus is a few year old .

Enjoying these rarely seen blooms on a tender summertime dark , perhaps with friendsaround a flak pit , might vocalize like a unadulterated night to you . If it does , these wind will help you get started growing a Nox - flower genus Cereus right away . They are abruptly - lived efflorescence but well deserving the wait !