Overwintering guide
How to overwinter queen of the night
Winter watering
Cut watering right back — queen of the night uses far less while growth slows, and cold, wet compost is the usual cause of winter root rot. Stop feeding until spring.
The mistake that kills queen of the night in winter
Watering on the same schedule as summer. In winter that keeps the roots sodden while the plant is barely drinking, and queen of the night rots from the base.
More queen of the night care
- Overwintering night-blooming cereus — the species this cultivar belongs to
- Full queen of the night care guide
- Queen of the Night temperature range
- How often to water queen of the night
- How to prune queen of the night
- Common queen of the night problems & fixes
- Best plant identifier apps — tested and ranked
Overwintering queen of the night — FAQ
Does queen of the night need to come indoors for winter?
Queen of the Night is hardy to roughly USDA zone 10 — winter lows around -1°C. That means it will not survive frost and needs to come inside. Queen of the Night is frost-tender, so overwintering means bringing it inside and letting it rest rather than pushing it to grow. Move it indoors well before the first frost, give it the brightest spot you have (light levels indoors drop sharply in winter), and keep it away from both cold window glass and hot radiators — the swing between the two does more damage than the cold itself.
When should I move queen of the night for winter?
Bring indoors when nights start dropping below about 10°C, ahead of the first frost.
How often should I water queen of the night in winter?
Cut watering right back — queen of the night uses far less while growth slows, and cold, wet compost is the usual cause of winter root rot. Stop feeding until spring.
What kills queen of the night over winter?
Watering on the same schedule as summer. In winter that keeps the roots sodden while the plant is barely drinking, and queen of the night rots from the base.