On any flowerbed there should be a flower that would attract attention, be in the center and be the king of the whole garden, alstromerias can also play such a role. Growing them is not too difficult, and even beginner amateur gardeners can do it. This guest came to our region from South America and immediately attracted many. Alstroemeria is grown in greenhouses, in pots for sale or cut into bouquets.
Due to the fact that the flower has a long stem, sometimes reaching more than a meter, it looks very beautiful and organic in bouquets. Since this is a heat-loving plant, some especially fastidious species are grown only in potted plants at room conditions; other species adapted to our climatic conditions can also be planted in the garden. The southern part of Russia and Ukraine is most suitable for alstromeria. Growing this flower is not problematic, so you do not have to buy a finished plant, but you can stock up on a bag of seeds.
In open ground, alstroemeria can be sown in April or May, when the earth warms up, but it is better to grow seedlings. To do this, in prepared pots, cups or boxes, you need to pour sheet and turf soil in a ratio of 2: 1, then put, having pressed a little bit and sprinkled with earth, alstroemeria seeds. Growing flowers involves stratification, which is carried out for a month at a temperature of + 5 ° C.
To seedlings were ready for planting by the end of May, the seeds should be sown in February or March. Prepared containers with alstroemeria are sealed in a bag and sent to a cold place for a month, after which, when exposed to a higher temperature, seedlings appear already on the 10th or 20th day. It is possible to plant in the open ground only when it gets warmer and there will be no frost, because
the alstroemeria flower is very thermophilic.
The plant is not very demanding, but prefers to grow on well-drained, fertile and acidic soils. Openwork penumbra or sunny in the morning, the site will be a great place for alstroemeria. Growing in such a place will provide lush flowering throughout the season.
In addition to seeds, the flower can also be propagated by dividing the rhizomes.
Young plants are best left untouched, as they may die, but adults are divided into parts with 10 points of renewal. When dividing, it usually does not do without slices, so all wounds must be treated with crushed coal (in order to avoid leakage of juice). During seed cultivation, alstroemeria blooms in the second year, and if divided into too small cuttings, the flower can be sick for a long time and will please the flowers only in the third year.
It looks like a butterfly, beautiful, not pretentious - all this is alstroemeria. Growing a plant in warm regions gives positive results, although it can grow in colder areas. If the winters are too harsh, then no shelter will help the flower, therefore, in late autumn, before the onset of severe cold weather, it is necessary to cut leaves and stems, and dig out the rhizome and put it in a container. You need to store it, like dahlias and gladioli, in a cellar or any other dark and cool room. With such a departure, alstroemeria will delight with its appearance and decorate the garden for many years.