Getting it to bloom

Why won't my Selenicereus pteranthus bloom? (and how to make it flower)

Also called Princess of the Night, Night-Blooming Cereus (Selenicereus pteranthus).

More about selenicereus pteranthus

About Selenicereus pteranthus

Selenicereus pteranthus · also called Princess of the Night, Night-Blooming Cereus · flowering

A sprawling, climbing epiphytic cactus from Mexico and Central America, prized for huge, vanilla-scented white flowers that open for a single night before wilting at dawn. The angular blue-green stems clamber by aerial roots and reach for the moonlight. Cool autumn nights and a dry winter rest trigger its dramatic, fleeting summer bloom.

Plant type: flowering

Watch for — No flowers: Usually from too much warmth and water in winter, or too little light. Give a cool, dry rest (around 12-15°C) for several weeks and bright light in early spring to set buds.

The reasons selenicereus pteranthus isn't blooming

Almost every non-blooming selenicereus pteranthus 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 selenicereus pteranthus 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 selenicereus pteranthus to flower

Maximise sun. Give selenicereus pteranthus 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 selenicereus pteranthus and get the feeding right with the selenicereus pteranthus 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

Selenicereus pteranthus 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 selenicereus pteranthus care brief and its watering schedule — a stressed, badly watered plant rarely has the energy to flower at all.

Selenicereus pteranthus blooming — frequently asked questions

Why won't my selenicereus pteranthus flower?

Selenicereus pteranthus 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 selenicereus pteranthus bloom?

Give selenicereus pteranthus 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 selenicereus pteranthus normally bloom?