Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Queen of the Night bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Large-Flowered Cactus, Sweet-Scented Cactus, Night-Blooming Cereus (Selenicereus grandiflorus).

More about queen of the night

About Queen of the Night

Selenicereus grandiflorus · also called Large-Flowered Cactus, Sweet-Scented Cactus · flowering

Selenicereus grandiflorus is a sprawling, vining cactus from the Caribbean and Mexico, famous for producing the largest and most intensely fragrant cactus flowers in the world — up to 30 cm wide — which open for a single night only. A dramatic flowering specimen for a bright, warm room. Needs support as it sprawls extensively. Generally pet-safe as a true cactus.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — Failure to bloom: Flowering requires a cool, dry winter rest (15-18°C), followed by warmth and consistent moisture in spring. Also needs mature stems — young plants rarely bloom.

The reasons queen of the night isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming queen of the night traces back to one of these, roughly in order of how common they are:

Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.
Too much nitrogen feed, driving lush foliage at the expense of flowers (very common with general or lawn feeds).
The plant has not been deadheaded, so it stops flowering once it sets seed.
Irregular watering — drought or waterlogging at the budding stage makes buds abort.
It is still too young or was checked by a transplant and is rebuilding before flowering.

Feeding queen of the night a high-nitrogen general feed and growing it in too little sun — you get a big leafy plant and almost no flowers.

The fix — how to get queen of the night to flower

Maximise sun. Give queen of the night the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers.
Switch the feed. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.
Deadhead regularly. Remove spent flowers often to keep it producing more rather than stopping to set seed.
Water consistently. Keep moisture even through budding and flowering — drought-then-flood swings make buds drop.

Light and feeding do most of the heavy lifting here. Dial in the spot with the light guide for queen of the night and get the feeding right with the queen of the night fertilising schedule — the wrong feed (too much nitrogen) is one of the most common silent reasons a healthy plant makes leaves instead of flowers.

Bloom season and what to expect

Queen of the Night flowers across its growing season (mostly summer) and, kept fed and deadheaded, can bloom for many weeks or right up to frost.

Post-bloom care so it flowers again

Deadhead, keep feeding lightly, and many will rebloom; collect seed from the best plants at the end of the season if you want to grow them again.

For everything else this plant needs day to day, see the full queen of the night care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Queen of the Night blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my queen of the night flower?

Queen of the Night blooms on the season's growth given enough sun, warmth and the right feed — there is no cold or photoperiod trick, just good growing conditions and a bloom-leaning feed. The most common reason it is not happening: Too little sun — most of these need full sun (or very bright light) to flower well; shade gives leaves, not blooms.

How do I make queen of the night bloom?

Give queen of the night the sunniest spot you have — for most bedding and fruiting plants, more direct light directly means more flowers. Move off high-nitrogen feeds and use a higher-potassium "bloom" or tomato-type feed as it comes into flower.

When does queen of the night normally bloom?