Raat ki Rani or Night Blooming Jasmine (Cestrum Nocturnum) is an evergreen shrub native to tropical regions like West Indies, India, Bangladesh, South East Asian nations, etc. It is known by different names like Raat Ki Rani Phool (in Hindi), Hasnuhana (in Bangla), Night Jasmine, Lady of the Night, Night Jessamine, Night-Blooming Jessamine, Night-Scented Jessamine, Poisonberry, Dama de Noche, Galan de Noche, Night Blooming Cestrum, Night Queen, Queen of the Night, Hasna Hena, etc.
Raat ki Rani flower or Night Jasmine flower is a very fragrant white flower which blooms in the nighttime. Hence it is named Night Flowering Jasmine or Queen of Night plant. It belongs to the species of potato (or tomato and pepper) family plant Solanaceae. They are in the true sense, not jasmine. They are referred to as Jasmines because of the fragrant flowers.
Cestrum Nocturnum or Night Jasmine Flowers are greenish-white in color with a very strong sweet perfume-like heavenly fragrance. The fragrance is so strong that one Raat ki Rani plant is sufficient to spread scent in your entire house. the flower has 5 acute lobes.
So if you are planning to grow a flowering plant with a strong refreshing scent, then Raatrani flower plant is a good choice.
The flowers and berries of Night jasmine are considered toxic by many however the authenticity of such claims is not known. It is considered a weed in many places around the world.
Raat ki Rani leaves are narrow, elongated green colored with a glossy smooth finish.
In this article, we will learn comprehensively about Night Blooming Jasmine care tips.
Contents
How to Grow Raat ki Rani Flower / Night Jasmine Plant?
Raat ki rani plant can be grown in pots or in your garden soil outdoors. It serves as an excellent house plant. It is grown in subtropical regions. It is grown as an ornamental plant in many households because of its mesmerizing look in the night as Night Jasmine flowers bloom only in the night as the name suggests.
They grow tall and the growth is columnar. To add to this, they are evergreen and hence make an excellent choice for hedging, fencing, and ornamental decoration. They are grown near to home or patio where one can enjoy the splendid view and fragrance of this plant.
When grown in pots, you needs to fertilize them at least biweekly for fuller growth.
Some of its prominent characteristics are :
- Smart choice of outdoor garden or if you have a sunny balcony
- It is evergreen- provides flowering round the year
- Easy to care for, grow and maintain
- Raat ki Rani flowers have a very strong scent
You can buy a good healthy plant from a nursery. If you wish to buy online, then amazon is a good option:
Types of Night Flowering Jasmine
There is one more variety of this plant with yellowish flowers.
Height of Night Jasmine
The maximum attainable height is around 3 to 4 meters (around 13 feet). They grow about 3 feet in width.
Optimum Temperature to Grow Raat ki Rani Plant
Cestrum Nocturnum grows well in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11. For other regions, it likes a tropical warm climate to grow. It blooms in the spring season around February & March in countries like India and Indian subcontinent.
16°C (60°F) to 30°C (86°F) is the ideal temperature for the growth of Queen of Night plant.
Sunlight Requirements for Cestrum Nocturnum
Night Jasmine is a very hardy plant that can withstand a wide range of climatic conditions. For optimum growth and bloom, place this plant in an area with about 4-6 hours of direct sunlight.
Excessive heat may cause the leaves to wilt. Therefore in extreme weather conditions, shift the plant to a place with partial shade.
It grows well in either full sun or partial shade. Do not place this plant in full shade. When grown in shade, the plant will not produce the flowers and hence no fragrance.
Best Soil Type/Potting Mix for Raat ki Rani Plant
Raat ki Rani plant loves moist soil which is slightly sandy and light with a good water drainage. It likes a soil with neural pH of about 6.6 to 7.5.
The soil should be well fertilized and rich in organic matter.
You can use soil with 35% soil, 30% sand and 35% organic compost for prepare the potting mix for this plant.
You can use cow dung cakes, neem cakes, vermi-compost for the organic compost. Neem cake also acts as an insecticide for the plant.
Another way is to buy the potting mix online. You can buy the potting mix from amazon as well:
Flowering in Queen of Night Plant
Raatrani tree produces greenish creamy white tubular flowers. The flowers grow in large bundles or groups.
The plant produces flowers throughout the warm weather. It stops flowering in winter season or cold weather.
They bloom from March to October.
When the flowers die, they produce white berries which are an attraction for various bird varieties to you garden.
Pruning/Repotting of Raat Ki Rani Plant
Choose a pot size of about 75 liters (20 gallons) with drainage holes at the bottom. Start with a small pot and as the plant grows, repot the plant with the increasing size of the rootball.
Prune the plant regularly to maintain the size and shape of the plant. The best time to prune is during the start of bloom season i.e. February to March in India or after the flowering stops in September/October in India.
When allowed to grow wildly, it trails like a vine or a climber. the stem becomes very thin over time and can grow over other pots in your garden.
Propagation of Raat Ki Rani Plant
Raat ki Rani is native to Carribean or West Indies where moths, bats, nocturnal birds and animals become the carrier for pollens.
When the flowers are pollinated, they produce white berries which can be planted to produce more plants. When grown indoors, chances are that plant will never get pollinated. In such cases, you should hand-pollinate the plant to produce seeds/berries.
Leave the berries on the plant until they shrivel and fall off the plant. Once fallen, collect the seeds from inside the berries and plant the seeds in a pot and keep the pot in a moist warm area.
Growing night blooming Jasmine from seeds to not easy and hence propagation by cutting method is the preferred method (explained below)
The second method of propagating the Night Jasmine Plant is by planting a cutting. Make a cut 3-4 cm below a node (choose a branch with a pencil-like thickness, do not choose a green branch). Remove all the leaves and flowers from the cutting and plant this cutting in an organic soil mixture under partial until the cutting starts developing leaves and shows sign of growth. Water the soil regularly until the development of shoots. Do not let the soil dry out.
The cutting can be rooted in water too before you transfer it to the potted soil.
In winters. cover the cutting with a polythene to keep the inside of the polythene moist and humid for proper growth in the cutting.
The best time to propagate by planting cuttings is during the start of bloom season i.e. in February and March in India or during spring season in other countries.
There is a third method of propagation by air-layering the Night Jasmine Plant.
Toxicity & Medicinal Uses of Night Flowering Jasmine
The family to which this plant belongs (Solanaceae) is considered somewhat toxic although some members of this plant species are consumed on a regular basis by humans without any adverse effects. The toxicity of its foliage and berries is not well established.
There are a few instances of respiratory problems from the scent of Night Jasmine flower while some have reported mild fever after ingesting the plant.
At present, there are no known established medicinal uses of this plant.
Plant Life Span
It is an evergreen perennial plant. This plant shows a very fast growth rate if given proper environmental conditions. It is a bushy plant.
Best Pot Material
I always suggest using earthen clay pots for plantation as they provide for the proper exchange of air with the soil and helps the plant to grow although you can use ceramic or plastic pots as well as per your choice.
Fertilizing Raat ki Rani Plant
Night Blooming Jasmine can be fertilized with a weak solution of seaweed and fish fertilizers.
The plant should be fertilized in the growing season- February to April; July to September. You can apply organic manures and fertilizers once every 2 weeks. You can use cow dung cakes.
If you are planning to use chemical fertilizers, apply once a month. You can use DAP and NPK fertilizers every 15 days. 1 spoon of NPK in 1 liter of water is sufficient for a 12-inch pot. You can use 1/2 spoon of DAP every 15 days. Both DAP and NPK can be applied in tandem.
Do not apply fertilizers when the plant is in the flowering phase.
Water the plant immediately after the application of manure or fertilizer for better absorption.
The fertilizer routine of this plant is similar to that of Chandani Plant/Crepe Jasmine plant.
Ensure that you apply the chemical fertilizers around the rim of the pot. Do not apply it directly on the plant roots as the plant may die due to concentrated application on the roots.
If you want to know more about which fertilizer to choose for a plant and how the application changes with the growth phase of a plant, read this article.
You can buy the fertilizers from a nursery of online from e-commerce websites like Amazon:
DAP:
NPK:
Winter Care of Raat Rani Plant
If you expect frost in your areas, move the plant inside or cover the plant to protect it from frost. Night Jasmine plant cannot tolerate frost very well. Preferably plant it under a large tree to protect it from frost.
During extreme winter, the plant will shed all the flowers and leaves and will appear dead. But WAIT! Don’t throw away your plant. It will bloom back in the spring season.
If you live in areas with warm climate even in winters, the plant will bloom and flower during the entire winter season as well.
Watering/Irrigating Raat Ki Rani
Although Raatrani trees can withstand overwatering and are also drought tolerant once established, prolonged overwatering or underwatering can kill the plant as it stimulates root rot or root dry-out.
Water the plant only when top 3-4 inches feel dry by inserting a finger in the top soil.
Night Blooming Jasmine needs to be watered regularly in the summers (like the one in tropical regions of India) while the frequency of water should be reduced in winter season.
Do not spray the leaves and flowers with water as it may stimulate fungus growth.
Watering should be done preferably in the morning or in the evening time.
Diseases & Pest Control
Raat ki Rani is a very hardy plant but it may get infected by a few pests and insects. It is very much prone to mealy bugs (cotton ball like structure under the leaves).
You can use neem oil or eucalyptus oil spray to treat the plant. Mix 4-5 drops (5-6 ml) of concentrated neem oil in 1 liter of water. Add 2-3 drops of liquid handwash/dishwasher soap in the oil and water mixture and shake the content for proper mixing. Apply/spray this solution thoroughly over the plant and under the leaves. Repeat the application every day for a week to get the results.
I recommend spraying the plant every 20 days even if there are no bugs and insects on the plant as a preventive care.
Raat Ki Rani Plant Benefits
- Night Jasmine Plant blooms 5 to 6 times in a year and the flowers spread their scent for around 7-10 days each time they bloom. They create a very peaceful fragrant atmosphere around them and are considered very lucky as per Vaastu Shastra.
- Raat ki Rani flowers are considered to reduce mental stress and are believed to help in muscular diseases.
- Night Jasmine flowers are used by many women in Asian countries for hair styling and decoration.
- Hasnuhana flowers are used to make perfumes.
- Queen of Night plant is believed to bring positivity to one’s life.
- They are very good insect repellants, especially for mosquitos.
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June 28, 2021 at 8:17 AM
Thanks for a good explanation.
Very comprehensive.
1 question, my raat ki rani’s leaves at the top are turning inwards.What could be the reason.
Also,it’s placed in an area where it gets 4 hrs of afternoon sun,is that ok?
July 22, 2021 at 2:15 PM
Dear Anjali, in the summers (in tropical countries), leaves curl due to excessive heat in the afternoon. Try putting your plant in partial shade in the afternoon.
March 21, 2023 at 8:03 AM
Would you be able to grow this plant in Scottsdale Arizona? I believe we are in zone 9b
July 11, 2021 at 8:37 AM
My raat rani plant have lot of flowers however have no fragrances !
July 22, 2021 at 2:08 PM
Sir, raat ki rani plant needs afternoon sun. Move your plant to a place where is receives full sun in the afternoon. Also, fertilize it regularly. Please check if the plant you have is actually the correct species.
August 10, 2021 at 1:03 PM
my plant is not flowering since 1 year though it looks good. what should i do?
September 8, 2021 at 3:41 AM
Hi Prashant, try adding phosphorous rich fertilizers to your plant. Phosphorous helps bud and flower formation.
November 21, 2021 at 1:35 PM
I planted my Hasnuhana at 8th November 2021, in a 8inch pot with a soil mix of 1part soil, 2part river sand, 1 part vermi compost, 1 part cocopeat, small amount of neem cake and 1 tea spoon of SAAF fungicide.
Its showing some new leaves.
When should I give it fertilizer? (I will use only organic fertilizer)
November 24, 2021 at 12:24 PM
Hi Sheikh,
Apply a handful of organic fertilizers (cow dung compost, vermicompost, etc.) once every 15 days. You can start by applying today.
February 6, 2022 at 5:12 PM
Hi Frienda, Is it good to give direct sunlight 🌞 to ratrani plant.
April 25, 2022 at 11:44 PM
Yes, you can keep the plant in direct sunlight.
May 30, 2022 at 6:44 AM
My raat ki rani has dropped all leaves and the stem is turning woody.
June 19, 2022 at 12:01 AM
Have you planted in a pot? If yes, please check if the plant has become rootbound.
July 5, 2022 at 11:08 AM
Thank you for the detailed explanation about this plant. A friend had a 3-4 feet raat rani plant which I bought and planted it in a old matka coz I dint have a pot that time. I had added organic fertilizer and cocopeat to the soil. Apart from a few yellow leaves the plant seems fine and is growing new leaves. My flat doesn’t get direct sunlight during monsoon. Will the plant flower though its in the shade? Or what can I do to get more flowers?
July 6, 2022 at 2:41 PM
Hi Khushi, raat ki rani plant needs sunlight for at least 2-3 hours a day. You can use grow lights to substitute for sunlight. However, it is an expensive alternative. Alternatively, try to find a spot around/outside your flat which receives 4-5 hours of sunlight during a week. Hope this helps. (You can also ask a nursery to take care of your plant during monsoon in exchange for some monetary compensation for their services! )
For more flowers, you should use a fertilizer rich in phosphorous content.
July 6, 2022 at 4:17 PM
I will try these alternatives. Thank you 😊
October 1, 2022 at 11:03 AM
Meri raat ki raani me earthworm ho gaye he…me kiya karu??
Iske saare patte peele ho gaye he..kaliyan aayi par khili nahi
October 1, 2022 at 12:34 PM
Hi Muskan, earthworms are good for the soil. If they are present in the soil, it means that your soil is of good quality.
For budding and flowering, add phosphorous-rich manure/fertilizer like NPK or DAP.
However, earthworms are food to other pests and insects and these other bugs may harm your plant.
You can spray neem oil as it acts as a natural pesticide. Spray for at least 2 weeks in the morning thoroughly.
April 6, 2023 at 5:07 AM
I am in zone 5b, last year I planted in the ground till September than took it inside for winter, I wish there was a way to over winter it in the ground.:)
September 3, 2023 at 7:22 PM
I have planted three raat ki ranis on the roof top of the building where I stay on the groundfloor. I am three stories down. so will the scent of the flowers reach me in my ground floor?]]
since my flat is in the garage I cannot keep them down as the sunlight is weak.
they are flowering on the roof but I am not getting the scent downstairs!