Characteristics

• Night blooming cereus has deep green, succulent stems. Unlike many cacti, it's stems are smooth to the touch and have no spines. It grows quickly and is capable of climbing up to 40 feet by attaching aerial roots to any suitable surface it comes into contact with. The blooms appear during middle summer and, if pollination occurs, are followed by edible crimson fruit.
  
  

Bloom Cycle

• Buds begin to develop along the edges of the stems during mid-summer beginning when the plant is 3 to 5 years old. They swell quickly and are ready to open within one or two weeks. The blooms start to unfurl in early afternoon and continue to open very slowly until the entire flower appears, usually around midnight. The blooms last only until dawn, when they gradually begin to wither and wilt. Each bloom opens only one time. The flowers continue to appear every two weeks until October.
  
  

Unpredictable Growth Habit

• The stems of night blooming cereus have an erratic growth habit, with some reaching upward while others trail toward the ground. Night-blooming cereus is capable of covering an entire wall in a short amount of time if provided with something to cling to. If growing the plant indoors it will probably be necessary to keep growth in check, which is best done by cutting the stems back as often as needed to maintain the desired size.
  
  

Caring for Night Blooming Cereus

• Night blooming cereus should be planted in a commercial cactus mix or a mixture made of equal parts perlite, potting soil and peat moss in a pot that is at least 10 inches in diameter. Allow the soil to dry completely before adding moisture, as this plant is succulent and stores water in its stems. Night blooming cereus benefits from a spring feeding of houseplant fertilizer mixed at half the recommended strength. In late August cut the amount of water added by half to allow the plant to become dormant.