How to plant night-blooming cereus
This article brings you topics related to the cultivation of night-blooming cereus and the cultivation techniques of night-blooming cereus flowers, let's take a look together!
Flower Introduction: Night-blooming cereus, also known as night fragrant flower, night orchid, night fragrant tree, tropical white jasmine, night syringa, is a climber of the night-blooming cereus genus in the Asclepiadaceae family.
Flower Language: Seeking fun at the edge of danger.
Growth Habitat: Native to the tropical Americas, widely distributed in tropical Asia, and widely cultivated in South China.
Benefits of Growing Flowers: The fragrance of night-blooming cereus flowers is strong and can repel mosquitoes; the flowers, leaves, and fruits can be used for acute and chronic conjunctivitis, keratitis, corneal nebula, and conjunctivitis caused by measles; the leaves of night-blooming cereus can be used externally to treat ulcerative sores, boils, and eczema; they can also be eaten and cooked with eggs or meat as a delicious dish.
【Caution: People with high blood pressure or heart problems may experience respiratory discomfort if exposed to the strong fragrance of night-blooming cereus for a long time; normal people may experience headaches, coughs, and insomnia after prolonged exposure to this fragrance, so it is not recommended to place night-blooming cereus indoors during its full bloom period.
Flower and Leaf Appearance: The leaves are heart-shaped with soft hair on the edges, blooming at night, with clusters of yellow-green bell-shaped flowers in the leaf axils. The higher the humidity, the more the stomata on the petals open, releasing more essential oils, so the fragrance is stronger late at night and during rainy weather.
Variety Selection: Common varieties include Guangnan night-blooming cereus, Taiwan night-blooming cereus, and prostrate night-blooming cereus.
Plant Selection: The seedlings look like weeds at first, but after a period of growth, they form a rosette shape, which can then be transplanted.
Selection of Flower Pots: As the plant has a well-developed root system with many lateral roots, it is best to choose a slightly larger earthenware pot.
Preparation of Cultivation Soil: Night-blooming cereus prefers loose, well-drained soil rich in organic matter and slightly acidic. Therefore, the cultivation soil can be mixed with peat soil, decomposed leaf soil, and a small amount of farmyard manure.
Mixing Method: Mix peat soil or decomposed leaf soil with coarse river mud in a 3:2 ratio. Then, place some chunky broken bricks in the bottom of the pot to facilitate drainage.
Flower Cultivation: When potting the flowers, make sure the drainage is good, otherwise the plant will struggle to survive; ensure the drainage holes are clear. The plant has a large root system, so be careful not to damage the roots during potting. When planting seedlings, transplant immediately after digging and water and add soil continuously during planting, ensuring all roots are buried in the soil without exposing any part of the rootstock. Mature plants can be placed in a shaded, cool place and covered to prevent sunlight exposure and dehydration, and can be transplanted after some time, using the same method as for seedlings.
Fertilization: Night-blooming cereus enjoys fertilizer. During the growth process, fertilize according to the plant's needs. Apply a粪肥 or urea fertilizer once during the seedling growth period to promote growth. Apply a liquid fertilizer every 10-15 days during the plant growth period, and if using a compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, the effect will be better. Starting from late April, apply a thin liquid fertilizer every half month, and in early May, when the buds first appear, spray the flower bud strengthening agent or Spring Spring 883 or Hui Man Feng and other high-efficiency humic acid liquid fertilizers to promote strong flower buds and extend the flowering period. After the flowers fade, fertilize to ensure the nutritional supply for the plant's growth. Stop fertilizing in early October.
Do not use too high a concentration of fertilizer; apply thin fertilizer frequently.
Watering: Night-blooming cereus prefers a humid environment, so it is important to keep the potting soil moist. Water every other day from April to May; water daily from June to August; water every other day from September to October, in the morning and evening, and not at noon. For seedlings, spray the leaves with water 1-2 times a day. However, do not overwater to avoid积水, which can lead to root rot.
Pruning: Night-blooming cereus grows quickly and should be pruned in a timely manner. Pinch the tips of young plants to promote branching. Stop pinching one month before flowering. After flowering, remove the残花梗 and add fertilizer. After the flowers fade, prune the dried branches and dense branches, cut back the long branches, and thin out the dead and dense branches of the old plants to ensure good ventilation within the plant. After pruning, apply a healing antiseptic film to the wounds to promote quick healing.
Light and Temperature Management: Night-blooming cereus enjoys light and is highly adaptable to light conditions, growing well in full sun or half sun. Sufficient light is very beneficial for its growth and flowering, and under sufficient light conditions, night-blooming cereus flowers more and has a stronger fragrance.
For small potted plants, they should be placed in a semi-shaded or lightly shaded area. For woody night-blooming cereus that has been kept in a semi-shaded environment for a long time, do not suddenly move it to strong sunlight, as it may easily burn the leaves.
For potted plants that have been kept on the balcony for a long time, they can be moved slightly inward in the summer, but also need to be shaded appropriately at noon depending on the intensity of the sunlight. In spring and autumn, night-blooming cereus can be exposed to full sunlight, and in winter, it should be placed in front of a south-facing window with plenty of light.
The optimal temperature for night-blooming cereus growth is between 20°C and 30°C. When the temperature exceeds 32°C in summer, use shading nets or build a shed to provide shade, and also spray water to increase humidity and lower the temperature, creating a humid and cool environment for the plant. By mid-to-late October, as the temperature drops, move the plant indoors. Generally, when the temperature drops to around 5°C, it should be moved indoors, as temperatures below 5°C can cause the leaves to turn yellow and fall off or even freeze to death.
Flower and Fruit Management: The flowering period of night-blooming cereus is from May to October, with July to September being the peak flowering period. Each inflorescence can bloom 10-100 flowers, which start to decline after 7-8 days. Before the plant sets buds, fertilize to promote bright and beautiful flowers. After flowering, prune the dead branches and flowers to prevent nutrient waste and supplement fertilizer in a timely manner to promote reblooming. Night-blooming cereus enjoys light, and if you want to delay flowering, you can reduce the amount of light or lower the temperature to slow down its metabolism and ensure the flowering period is postponed.
Repotting: As night-blooming cereus grows rapidly, it needs to be repotted every year. The best time for repotting is in early April before the plant is moved outdoors. During repotting, remove some of the old soil and roots and replace them with new cultivation soil, and prune the plant to promote new growth.
Keep the potting soil moist after repotting, but ensure good drainage and avoid积水, which can cause root rot. If the young leaves start to droop slightly, water immediately.
Propagation: Night-blooming cereus can be propagated through cutting, division, and seeding.
Propagation by Cutting: This can be done in spring, summer, and autumn. Night-blooming cereus has a strong regeneration ability and easily produces adventitious roots. You can cut a part of the mother plant's twig and insert it into the soil to promote root growth and develop into a new plant.
The best matrix for cutting is sandy loam, which can be mixed with rice husk ash and fine sand in a 1:1 ratio to create a mixed cutting matrix that facilitates drainage and helps root growth. The optimal temperature for cutting is around 20°C. The cuttings should be from the current or second-year mature branches of a strong plant. Keeping a section of the stem connecting the young and old branches is more beneficial for the survival of the cuttings.
The best time for cutting is on a cloudy and rainy day when the air humidity is high, reducing the evaporation of plant moisture and allowing for immediate cutting and insertion.
In spring, cutting can be done just as the branches are beginning to bud but before the leaves have grown. Cut strong branches into 10-20 cm long cuttings, insert them into the matrix to a depth of 1/3 to 1/2, then water thoroughly. Keep the cutting matrix moist and water as needed. In a temperature of 20°C to 30°C, the cuttings can develop a complete root system in about one month.
In summer and autumn, cut the current year's branches when they are semi-woody, which can be done from June to October. Cut a section of the base of the branch, about 15 cm long, remove the top tender shoots, and leave only 1-2 leaves, then insert them into the matrix to a depth of about 1/2 the length of the cutting. Water thoroughly and cover the pot with plastic film, securing it tightly, and move it to a shaded area or under the dense shade of a tree. Keep the temperature below 35°C. After about half a month, the cuttings will develop fine, white roots. Once the roots have grown, they can be transplanted into pots for normal management.
Division Propagation: Based on the characteristic of night-blooming cereus easily sprouting root suckers, the plant can be divided into two or more parts from the root for propagation. This method of propagation produces seedlings quickly. The best time for division is in spring or autumn when the weather is cool and the survival rate is high.
During division, first remove the soil around the root zone, carefully observe, find the sprouting root suckers and the connecting part with the mother plant, then use a sharp knife to separate them. The separated part should have roots, stems, and leaves, and the cut surface should be coated with charcoal powder or paint to prevent decay, then planted in a pot.
Seeding Propagation: In warm regions, seeding can be done in spring or autumn. Before sowing, level and rake the seedbed, then apply a small amount of superphosphate to strengthen the seedling roots. Water the seedbed to keep it moist, wait for the water to fully penetrate the seedbed, then sow and cover with soil. Do not cover the seeds too thickly, just enough to cover them.
After sowing, sprinkle a layer of straw evenly on the seedbed surface to reduce moisture evaporation. If the soil dries out, water directly on the straw.
The optimal temperature for seedling growth is between 15°C and 25°C. Generally, seedlings can emerge in about one week.
When the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, transplant them once to strengthen them, and when they have 6-7 true leaves, transplant them into pots.
Autumn sowing should be done in October. Pay attention to solving the problem of winter protection for the young seedlings. The following spring, they can be transplanted into pots.
Overwintering: Indoors, maintain a temperature of no lower than 5°C, especially for seedlings from the current year's cuttings, otherwise, they may easily suffer from frost damage. If it gets very cold, simply cover with a plastic bag and place it in front of a south-facing window with direct sunlight to ensure safe overwintering. Move the plant outdoors when the temperature stabilizes at around 10°C in the spring.
Disease and Pest Control: The main pests that harm night-blooming cereus are mites and scale insects, and the main disease is wilt.
To control mite pests, you can spray 25% mitacide emulsion 800 times or 73% krotox 2000 times.
To control scale insects, you can spray 40% dimethoate emulsion 600-800 times, or use other pesticides such as cinestrole, cypermethrin, and quickly kill the pests.
To control wilt, you can spray wilt-resistant 600-800 times or 50% carbendazim 600 times. Remove and burn the diseased branches and apply lime to the soil around the diseased plants to kill pests and sterilize.
Best Placement: In front of a south-facing window with plenty of sunlight.
The above () introduces how to plant night-blooming cereus and its cultivation techniques in detail. I hope this article can bring you some help in green plant management!