"Bunny ears" are called many indoor flowers. Typically, these plants have two drooping peaked leaves. However, most often such a popular name is white-flowered hemanthus - a plant that can become just a wonderful decoration of any room and at the same time is unpretentious.
Hemanthus in nature
The flower of hare ears is a thermophilic plant. In the wild, it grows in tropical Africa in the Cape. Here on the slopes of the mountains in the shade of spreading shrubs this plant feels just fine. The name “hemanthus” was coined by Karl Linney in 1753. It translates as "bloody." Indeed, plants with bright red flowers are mainly distributed in nature. However, over the centuries, other varieties having flowers of a different shade have been bred. They include white-flowered hemanthus. It is also quite a spectacular plant. Its inflorescence is large and fluffy due to the large number of stamens. Hence, another name for the hemanthus is “hare tail”.
general description
Hemanthus leaves have a dark green saturated hue. The plates themselves are quite wide and thick. They grow vertically upwards in pairs, and their tips hang down on both sides, which gives them the appearance of hare ears. Usually in one pot grows up to 4-6 leaves. In adult hemanthus, their length can reach 30 cm. The height of the peduncle is 20-60 cm.
The flower of hare ears is a bulbous plant, and therefore does not like water stagnation. In the pot for him you need to arrange a good drainage. The bulb of this indoor flower has very large sizes - up to 12 cm.
In winter, a period of dormancy begins in hemanthus. This plant propagates by seeds, daughter bulbs and leaves. Its main features can also include a very slow growth of leaves. Also, apartment owners who want to purchase this plant should know that it can cause allergic reactions.
Hemanthus planting
The pot under the flower of rabbit ears (the photo on the page clearly demonstrates its beauty) is taken shallow, but at the same time quite wide. From the edges of the bulb to its walls should be approximately 5 cm of free space. Hemanthus land can be purchased at the store. Great for this indoor flower is a universal version of the soil. But if desired, the soil can be prepared independently. Its composition should be as follows:
- sheet land - 1 part,
- turf - 2 parts,
- sand - 1 part,
- peat - 1 part,
- humus - 1 part.
When planting a hemanthus, one important rule must be observed - the bulb should not be completely buried in the ground. At the end of the procedure, the flower is watered.
Leaf propagation
For breeding a plant such as rabbit ears, the easiest way to use this method. The sheet is simply cut with a sharp knife and stuck in wet sand. The tip before this is preferably sprinkled with charcoal powder. The leaf takes root very quickly. Soon young plants appear on it. They bloom in the third year. Hemanthus is transplanted once every 2-3 years as the bulb grows. If this is not done, the plant may stop flowering. Perform a transplant as carefully as possible. The roots of this plant are extremely undesirable to damage. Otherwise, it will start to hurt.
Care
Hare ears - indoor flower, characterized by unpretentiousness. You can fertilize it from time to time with a complex top dressing for indoor flowers. But the plant will develop well enough without performing this procedure. Hemanthus organic fertilizers are contraindicated.
Watering the hare ears flower should be moderate. With water stagnation, the bulb may vytryat. However, it is undesirable to allow the soil to dry out in a pot.
The rabbit ears are cut off the flower, the care of which is extremely simple, as necessary, removing dried leaves. You need to remove the peduncle after the formation of the ovary. Over time, he himself will die, but he is able to spoil the appearance of the hemanthus for a long time. This plant also does not require spraying. The usual humidity in urban apartments of 60% is enough for him. The only thing is that it is necessary to arrange abundant diffused sunlight in the plant. It is best to put a flower on the window on the west side of the apartment. On warm days, it is advisable to take the plant to the balcony or to the garden. At the same time, it must be placed in partial shade. Hemanthus should not be left in the sun. Otherwise, burns will appear on its leaves.
For the winter, the flower of the rabbit ears, the photo of which you can see on the page, should be put into a room with an air temperature of about 15 grams. However, this plant tolerates a good dormant period and being simply shaded. Watering in the cold reduces. The lump should remain almost dry.
Disease
Bunny ears - the flower is quite hardy and is rarely affected by insects. Sometimes a spider mite attacks him. In this case, the plant must be sprayed with infusion of wormwood and pour with a solution of "Actara". Sometimes a bulb rots in a plant. A similar problem can arise, as already mentioned, as a result of excessive watering and stagnation of water in the pot.
As you can see, hare ears are extremely unpretentious flower. All that is needed in order to achieve spectacular flowering is to water it from time to time and sometimes fertilize it. Decoration for an apartment, it can be very good. Hemanthus is especially beautiful in summer, during flowering, which lasts about a month.