Question
My son was given a Queen of the Night plant as a gift for his ordination to the priesthood. Of course the plant has found a home in my home, but my son still believes that it is his plant.  It has grown tremendously, but we have not yet seen it bloom.  As the caretaker of this plant, I need to know the precise way to care for it.  Should it be trimmed and when, or just let it do its thing?  I would appreciate any advice in the care of this plant.  Thank you, Joanne

Answer
Joanne,

Your plant is a Selenicereus also known as Night Blooming Cereus. It is native to Mexico. It is an epiphytic plant and will root and grow in a small amount of dirt or moss in branch crotches or in the ground. They will do fine in a small pot. Mine has been in a 6 inch pot for at least 10 years. It probably will not bloom until it is rootbound so a smaller pot is more advisable. The more sun it gets the better. It should be treated almost like a cactus but watered a bit more often. It does need to get very dry between waterings. Do not overwater. If you have room let it do it's thing and you will get more blooms. They generally bloom in March or April and only in the night. You have to watch them closely to catch them blooming. If it has a large bud you need to get up in the night to see it. It will open between midnight and 3 am and the flower will fade in the morning. They smell wonderful.

If you don't have room they should be kept in a pot no larger than 6 inches and you can prune them in June. If you fertilize it make sure you use a fertilizer for blooming plants.

The following sites may have more info for you:

http://www.jackeden.com/cgi-bin/sheets/viewdata.cgi?id=985368793

http://web.missouri.edu/~riceg/epiphyllum/

http://www.arhomeandgarden.org/landscaping/SpecGardening/night_blooming_cereus.h...

If you have more specific questions feel free to write again. Good luck.

Darlene