How to Grow Raat Ki Rani at Home: Cuttings, Care and Safety (Video)

Transcript

Can a tiny white flower fill an entire street with scent?

Can a tiny white flower fill an entire street with scent?

Raat Ki Rani Basics

In this video you'll learn how to grow the fragrant night-blooming Raat Ki Rani from cuttings, keep it healthy, and avoid its poisonous berries, and stay tuned for the one pruning trick that guarantees a stronger scent after dark.

Poisonous plant alert

First thing you need to know is that every part of Raat Ki Rani is poisonous, especially the bright red berries, which can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and in severe cases even paralysis. Keep the plant out of reach of kids and pets, and wear gloves when you handle it.

Root cuttings easily

To start a shrub, grab a semi-hard stem about six inches long, cut just below a leaf joint, strip the lower leaves, and leave a couple of top leaves trimmed in half. If you have rooting powder, dip the base, then plant it two inches deep in a mix of sand and cocopeat. Keep the pot moist and warm, and roots will appear in a few weeks.

Pot, soil, light basics

Pick a pot that gives the shrub room to grow, something between fourteen and eighteen inches across, which holds about twenty-five to forty litres of soil. Fill it with a loam blend: two parts garden soil, one part compost, and one part sand. Place the pot where it gets full sun to shade, and if you’re on a plain, give it afternoon shade to keep the leaves from scorching.

Pot size

A container that's too small will choke the roots and limit flower production, while a pot that's too big can hold excess water and invite root rot. For Raat Ki Rani, a fourteen-to-eighteen inch pot gives enough space for the fast-growing shrub to spread its roots and stay stable, especially on a balcony.

Water & feed schedule

In summer, when it reaches forty to forty-five degrees, water deeply at dawn once the top inch dries, in a pot you may need to water daily. During monsoon, let the saucer dry. In winter, water every five to seven days and protect on frost nights. Feed compost every six to eight weeks from March to October, and a half-strength liquid feed monthly.

Pests & leaf tips

Whiteflies love the undersides of the leaves, so sprinkle yellow sticky cards and spray a mild soap solution at dusk to keep them at bay. Yellowing lower leaves usually mean over-watering or poor drainage, let the soil dry a bit between waterings. Brown tips in winter are a sign of frost stress; trim them back in February and give the plant a sheltered spot.

The one pruning trick

The secret to a stronger night scent is to prune right after the first flush finishes and berries start to form. Snip off about a third of the flowering stems, this removes the toxic berries before they ripen and forces the plant to send up fresh shoots, which will bloom again with an even richer fragrance.

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Read the full guide

The full guide is on thecareonline.com. General information only, so check with your doctor for your own case.