All About Selenicereus

Selenicereus, or better known as the "Moon Cactus", has about 20 species. In its natural environment, it grows in the tropics and subtropics of America, including the West Indies. Today, breeders have created many hybrids that adorn window sills in apartments and houses.

Plants are sometimes confused with cacti from the genus Epiphyllum. The genus is known for its large, fragrant, night-blooming flowers, which are among the largest.

The stems of the "Queen of the Night" are curly or spreading, branchy, sometimes they form tangles that release aerial roots, hard, up to 10 m or more. The ribs are separated by wide, rounded intervals, and can be either slightly wavy or very bumpy.

The areola on the plant is small, there is a white or grayish-white pile, internodes 12-20 mm, thorns 5-18 mm. The needles are elliptical or round in cross section, yellowish-brown in color. White or brownish, mature areoles usually do not have hairs; young plants have shorter and smaller thorns; the epidermis is bluish-green, often purple, smooth.

The inner tepals are 7.5-10 cm long, shorter than the outer ones, gradually narrowed. Stamens 38-50 mm long, delicate, white, anthers 1.5 mm long, yellowish.

From the unofficial name, it is easy to guess that the flower of this plant blooms at night, but pleases with its beauty only once. In diameter, they reach 30 centimeters, in terms of aroma they are somewhat reminiscent of vanilla.

Pollinated by moths and less often by bats, as a result of which large fleshy fruits appearwhich are prickly and turn red when fully ripe. Some species creep along the ground, while others cling to trees with aerial roots. Stems are ribbed, angled or flat, usually with short thorns.

There are several more common species of the plant in question.

It has dense stems with short thorns. Flowers up to 12 cm long, 10-15 cm wide. The outer inner tepals are purple, the inner ones are creamy.

The flowers are 12 cm long; there are black hairs inside the vessel.

Stems with deep tread, about 28 cm wide. Flowers 32-38 cm long, 23-30 cm wide, very thorny at the base of the vessel. Can produce huge, white flowers with long, golden filaments, but very rarely.

Stems 1 cm thick, low ribbed, short spines. Flowers are 18 cm long.

The stems have up to five ribs. Flowers 15 cm long, thorny, hairless.

Shaft with 6-12 low ribs, spiny and glabrous. After blooming, the buds reach 15-16 cm.

Has zigzag, flat stems. Areoles with small spines are formed on the bundles. The flowers combine pink, purple and tempestuous shades.

This grandiflorus features hook needles. The flowers are creamy white, more elongated.

Large-flowered Selenicereus is easy to cultivate and grows quickly. Needs compost containing a lot of humus and sufficient moisture in summer. Dislikes lowering temperatures, prefers warm conditions. At + 5 C, it can simply rot, so do not forget that this is more of a tropical flower.The ideal temperature is + 18 C.

Additional light in early spring will stimulate the emergence of new flowers, which is important, since it is not so easy to get flowering from it. It blooms in late spring or early summer only one night a year or even in several years. The flower withers in just a couple of hours.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Selenicereus care is the soil. It would seem that a ready-made cactus would be perfect for this, but expert opinions were sharply divided on the issue of using mixes. They agree that Selenicereus needs a well-drained soil with plenty of air space for the roots to feel the natural circulation of air.

If you want to create your own soil, then you should mix 60% potting soil and 40% perlite. Other additives often include peat, orchid bark, sand, fine gravel, and foliage. In this case, the pH level should be at the level of 5.0 - 6.0. The pot and the ground are changed every 2-3 years.

Selenicereus does not like to be in the open sun, but instead prefers to receive bright filtered light.

As a houseplant, Selenicereus has gained demand among breeders due to its relatively low lighting requirements. It is enough to provide the morning sun, and the rest of the day the flower can be in the shade. An east-facing window ideally creates the necessary conditions - it is the light that affects the willingness to bloom. Many growers provoke the process by placing the plant in a dark cabinet for several weeks, so that the flower is in complete darkness for 12 or more hours.

It may be necessary to repot the flower if it outgrows its pot. As a rule, the procedure is carried out every time until the plant reaches its maximum growth.

Step by step guide.

• Remove the flower from the old pot, wash off the soil from the roots and inspect them for damage. If everything is fine, then it can be immediately placed in new soil. If not, the damaged areas are trimmed, followed by treatment with a solution of activated carbon.
• The pot must be picked up a couple of centimeters larger in diameter than the previous container. You should not take a pot "for growth" - the more free soil remains, the longer the roots are in the waterlogged soil, and, accordingly, they begin to receive less oxygen and simply rot.
• It is advisable to disinfect the container before use; a bleach solution is ideal for this.
• The soil is used commercially available or the mixture is made independently. In any case, it also needs to be disinfected. They warm up the soil to 80 C, but no more, since a strong exposure to high temperatures causes the destruction of nutrients in the soil.
• After transplanting, high-quality watering is performed. The pot must have good drainage; both sphagnum moss and small stones are suitable for it.

The unpretentiousness of the plant does not mean that the "Queen of the Night" does not need to be looked after at all. The plant breeder is obliged to ensure that the selenicereus receives enough water, the soil is not waterlogged, especially in summer.

Watering is done more often in summer, preferably several times a week. Before flowering, the volume of moisture is reduced, the plant is watered only once a week, while high demands are placed on the temperature and quality of the liquid used.

Distilled water is ideal; it or any other water must be at room temperature. The use of such a liquid allows the salt accumulated after fertilization to be washed out of the soil.But if it is not possible to purchase distilled water, you can use rainwater, thawed water or from a well. From the tap, it is also suitable for watering, but it needs to be defended during the day.

With the onset of autumn, watering is reduced to once every two weeks, the flower must be prepared for dormancy. In winter, the soil is moistened only once a month.

You will need to fertilize the plant regularly for best results. They do not apply top dressing in winter, as well as during the flowering period, since this is a big load for the flower. During the growing season, it is required to use liquid and dry balanced mixtures. Their number should be 4 times less than indicated on the package, fertilizer is applied every week along with watering. In no case dry dressings are added to dry soil, the soil must be always wet, otherwise you can simply burn the horse system.

In the process of caring for a flower, do not forget about diseases and insect damage. If the roots turn black or too soft, then it's time to study the root system in more detail - it may have begun to rot. In this case, the damaged areas are simply cut off and the selenicereus is transplanted into a new soil and container.

All fungal diseases, not only root rot, but also powdery mildew, can be treated with fungicides. Insecticides are effective against insects such as aphids, spider mites, nematodes, thrips. It is best to shower and treat pests with soap and water.

As for bacterial infections, there are no effective methods of struggle against them. If you managed to see the disease at an early stage, then you need to immediately remove the shoot and hope that the rest of the plant is not affected. If the bush is completely affected, it must be disposed of before other indoor plants get sick.

For information on how to grow selenicereus, see the next video.