How To Bloom Your Cactus: Cereus Hildmannianus

"Weeds Are Flower Too, If You Know Them" A. A. Milne

How To Bloom Your Cereus Cactus?

'Night Blooming Cereus' consists of Selenicereus grandiflorus, Epiphyllum oxypetalum and Hylocereus undatus. 

Cereus hildmannianus / peruvianus is sometimes also considered as 'Night Blooming Cereus' kind of cactus due to 3 main reasons namely:

a)  Very large and fragrant white blooms

b) Short living flower, no more than one day.

c) Night blooming and pollinated by nocturnal pollinator.

So, How Does A Cereus Flower Looks Like?

#  Saturday 30 November

# Sunday 1 Dec

# Monday 2 Dec

# Close Up

How To Induce Blooming Then?

You have two main choices which are either by rooting a mature cutting or growing Cereus to maturity.

The first option sometimes can be easiest, that is how I obtained the picture above.

a) Rooting mature cutting.

Mature Cereus cutting tends to flower right after getting separated from mother plant.

All you need to do is cut a branch and root them, preferably under shade to avoid too much shrinkage from evaporation.

They will put out bloom around a month or two, then will resume growth for another 3 years before reblooming.

In my experiences, 5 to 6 feet long cuttings will pit more blooms over a feet long cuttings, but both will take around 3 years to rebloom again regardless their size.

Maybe that is applicable to my climate. But young cuttings do not bloom at all, just keep growing.

b) Blooming mature Cereus

This is very straight forward, grow cuttings for 3 years or more and once matured, they will eventually bloom. This method will produce better blooms in term of quantity and quality.

Obviously, if you planning to produce fruit for consumption and breeding, this is the option.

Having said so, I have seen people grow Cereus in a condition so bad that it grow very slow and small that blooming the cactus itself is out of question.

To increase your success rate, fertilize  and water the them regularly will produce big and healthy cactus. To induce flowering, stop fertilizer and water when its getting cooler.

This different to Tropical grower, as we do not experience 4 seasons, stop fertilizer and water when the youngest branch turn dark green from green blue color.

Beware!

Cereus is strictly 'self incompatible' which means you need to cross with Cereus of different genetic background. Cutting them into many plants only produce more blooming plants but would not produce fruit.

Here are the pics of my recently rooted Cereus that bloomed few days ago.

Thanks for reading guys.

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Happy growing, adieu.