Selenicereus Growing Cactus

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

When the "Queen of the Night" blooms

For a quarter of a century of careful study and comparison of the sights of St. Petersburg, I came to the conclusion that in our city - a monument, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful cities in Russia (probably due to its two hundred year period as the capital of the Russian state), there are very, very many interesting places that you can admire endlessly. But, in my opinion - the look of a person who has seen the main sights of the city many times, the five wonders of St. Petersburg and its suburbs include the Golden Pantry of the State Hermitage, the Porcelain Museum of the Lomonosov Porcelain Factory, the Amber Room of the Catherine Palace (Pushkin), the Peterhof fountains and a blooming cactus (Cereus) "Queen of the Night" from the State Botanical Garden. Not blooming, this succulent seems unremarkable from the outside. Such a gorgeous name may even seem ridiculous, the more amazing is then the effect of meeting with the "Queen of the Night" who has blossomed her flowers - she causes delight and admiration. In natural conditions, there are more than 20 species of these cacti belonging to the genus Selenicereus, which includes both creeping and curly forms - with relatively thin 3-12-ribbed stems on which aerial roots develop. Botanical gardens mainly cultivateand curly forms - with relatively thin 3-12-ribbed stems, on which aerial roots develop. Botanical gardens mainly cultivateand curly forms - with relatively thin 3-12-ribbed stems, on which aerial roots develop. Botanical gardens are mainly cultivated

selenicereus large-flowered (Mrs. Macdonald's selenicereus - S. macdonaldiae (5-6-ribbed stem) and

selenicereus hook-shaped S.hamatus(4-5 - ribbed stem with large hook-shaped processes along the edge of the stem) One of the oldest plants in the country (since 1824) is located in our Botanical Garden of the BIN RAS. During the season, this large specimen of Mrs. MacDonald's Selenicereus sometimes releases up to 100 buds, half of them open. "Queen of the Night" throws out large (25-40 cm in size) beautiful flowers with a vanilla aroma, with white petals and golden yellow sepals, with a long flower tube and ovary covered with scales, spines and hairs. Flowers appear only once a year, which, incidentally, occurs during the white nights. Most of St. Petersburg gardeners will hardly be able to bring this "thorny joy" into their collection and wait for it to bloom, since the plant needs a fairly high room:the length of its creeping stems (up to 1.5-2.5 cm in diameter) can reach 6-7 meters or more, and before the flowering period, it can be a little capricious. In its homeland (tropics and subtropics of America), Selenicereus with long climbing snake-like stems with many aerial roots clings to trees, using them as props, or uses them when crawling (and for feeding) on the ground It is impossible not to note its endurance and the peculiar structure of leathery, covered with a waxy coating on the stems: this allows the plant to grow normally in rooms with dry central heating air and tolerates temperature fluctuations. Selenicereus has spines on the stems. This is nothing more than modified leaves, which contain a large amount of calcium, therefore, when growing it, it is important that the soil is sufficiently saturated with this element. The thorns must be handled carefully, since, when broken, they do not recover: this is taken into account when transplanting or transporting a plant. On the ribs of the stems of the selenicereus, there are non-pubescent areoles (special tubercles), on each of which there are bundles of 7-11 short yellowish-green spines. In these areoles flower buds are laid, buds and flowers appear, "babies" are formed. The flowering of the St. Petersburg "Queen of the Night" with huge flowers (up to 30 cm in diameter and 15-20 cm long) is an unforgettable sight, therefore the plant received such a "royal" name. In late May - mid-June, with the onset of the evening, it opens its flowers, which persist only for several hours until the morning. As a rule, this perennial succulent forms many buds,therefore, flowering often stretches over many days: flowers bloom one after another. You can only afford to grow such a giant with beautiful and unusually fragrant flowers indoors if you have a fairly spacious light (but not very sunny) room. The stems must be tied to a solid support, guiding them, for example, along a specially provided ladder. An unpretentious plant grows well when planted in the soil of a greenhouse near the wall. It develops normally on any fertile soil, but the most suitable substrate is a mixture of clay-sod land, deciduous soil and a large fraction (2-3 mm in diameter) of washed river sand (ratio 1: 2: 0.5), but sufficient moisture and breathable. An adult cactus is kept in large pots or flower wooden tubs. Selenicereus grows relatively quickly, therefore it takes a lot of nutrients from the soil: for powerful growth and subsequent flowering, it should be periodically fed with solutions of complex mineral fertilizers. Spring and summer dressing is done with a weak solution of fermented infusion from organic fertilizer. From the beginning of budding until the end of summer, the "queen of the night" is regularly watered; in winter, watering is reduced (temperature 15 … 17 ° C). If an amateur florist wants to get this succulent plant for vertical gardening of the room (he will tie its stems to a trellis), let him mean that it is propagated by cuttings of shoots. Cuttings root better and form a root system more quickly if they are sprayed with warm water from a spray bottle,or by placing them under a glass jar. In the future, I recommend that residents of the northern capital and guests of the city do not miss the announcements of night tours that appear during the flowering of the "Queen of the Night" cactus in order to get the opportunity to look at this miracle. The specialists of our Botanical Garden, located on Aptekarsky Island (not far from the Petrogradskaya metro station), worked hard to preserve this Selenicereus during the wars of the last century and in the difficult years of perestroika, with great difficulty keeping warm in winter in greenhouses. They say there is a sign: the one who saw the blooming "Queen of the Night" will be happy, and at the same time will recall with delight the aroma and charm of her flowers. In the future, I recommend that residents of the northern capital and guests of the city do not miss the announcements of night tours that appear during the flowering of the cactus "Queen of the Night" in order to get the opportunity to see this miracle. The specialists of our Botanical Garden, located on Aptekarsky Island (not far from the Petrogradskaya metro station), worked hard to preserve this Selenicereus during the wars of the last century and in the difficult years of perestroika, with great difficulty keeping warm in winter in greenhouses. They say there is a sign: the one who saw the blooming "Queen of the Night" will be happy, and at the same time will recall with delight the aroma and charm of her flowers. In the future, I recommend that residents of the northern capital and guests of the city do not miss the announcements of night tours that appear during the flowering of the cactus "Queen of the Night" in order to get the opportunity to see this miracle. The specialists of our Botanical Garden, located on Aptekarsky Island (not far from the Petrogradskaya metro station), worked hard to preserve this Selenicereus during the wars of the last century and in the difficult years of perestroika, with great difficulty keeping warm in winter in greenhouses. They say there is a sign: the one who saw the blooming "Queen of the Night" will be happy, and at the same time will recall with delight the aroma and charm of her flowers.that on Aptekarsky Island (not far from the Petrogradskaya metro station), they worked hard to preserve this Selenicereus during the wars of the last century and in the difficult years of perestroika, with great difficulty conserving heat in winter in greenhouses. They say there is a sign: the one who saw the blooming "Queen of the Night" will be happy, and at the same time will recall with delight the aroma and charm of her flowers.that on Aptekarsky Island (not far from the Petrogradskaya metro station), they worked hard to preserve this Selenicereus during the wars of the last century and in the difficult years of perestroika, with great difficulty conserving heat in winter in greenhouses. They say there is a sign: the one who saw the blooming "Queen of the Night" will be happy, and at the same time will recall with delight the aroma and charm of her flowers.