I find a lot of joy in propagating plants, just for the pleasure of taking care of them and watching them grow. I have already posted how to propagate Photos or Potus, which I suppose (almost) everybody knows.
But the propagation of the beautiful Night Blooming Cereus or Queen of the Night is not so popular. A friend of mine gave me a small cut with roots long years ago. She said I would have to wait a couple of years in order to see the blooms of splendid and fragrant flowers that last only one night. In the early morning, they die. I take pictures of the flowers every Summer and in a mild weather of Southern CA, I can see them blooming even in the early Autumn.
The Night Blooming Cereus does not like the wind and-or shadow. It needs a big clay pot to keep on growing, protected by winds and exposed to the sun. I have two, against a fence and they catch the (partially filtered) morning and first afternoon hours of sun.
To propagate the Queen of the Night, my favorite method is to cut a healthy leaf just in the union with the stem, and put it in a jar with water. Then I wait, changing the water every four days, and in approximately 15 days, a tiny root is seen, like in the first picture.
Roots of Night Blooming Cereus. Photo by Myriam Mahiques, personal archives.
A month has passed and I haven't planted it in soil yet. The roots are incredibly grown and there is another leaf showing up inside the water. In a few days I will get my soil delivery and the young plant will be ready to enjoy the Spring.
