Amaryllis flower attracts with its large bright petals. They can be completely different shades - from white to maroon and even green. You can grow it in an apartment or on a personal plot. The flower has its own characteristics of content.
Origin
Africa is considered the birthplace of the amaryllis flower. In the natural environment, he loves warmth and can hardly tolerate cold climates. Planting it in the harsh conditions of Russia became possible thanks to the development of hybrid resistant varieties.
Fragrant flowers
A person who for the first time decides to purchase a plant bulb will be interested in what the amaryllis flower looks like. Its leaves are distinguished by a linear, linguistic structure. The aerial part of the flower is dense and juicy. At the end of the peduncle, an inflorescence is formed, which consists of six to twelve buds. Their size is about eight centimeters. Two arrows can come out of one bulb.
Amaryllis blooms most often in the fall. Under good conditions, it can bloom again in early spring. The buds bloom after the leaves die.
Many confuse amaryllis with its hybrid hippeastrum. Both plants have beautiful flowers. But in amaryllis, they have a fragrant aroma.
Care and propagation of indoor amaryllis flowers
The flower will feel great on the windows on the south side of the house under direct sunlight or scattered room lighting. But in the darkened part of the room may not form inflorescences.
The flower loves good air circulation, so the room should be ventilated daily. In the cold months of the year, the temperature regime of 10-15 degrees Celsius above zero is enough for him. In the warmer months, air temperature should fluctuate between 18-25 degrees Celsius above zero.
Watering the plant depends on the air temperature - in cold time, humidification is carried out no earlier than two days after drying of the upper layer of the substrate, in warm time, moisten the soil immediately after it dries. The condition of the soil should be monitored so that it is not soured or moldy. It is not necessary to spray the flower itself, but spraying water near it is desirable.
Transplant Features:
- The change of container and substrate should be carried out once every one to two years.
- The container should not be large, as the created space will reduce the flowering. The distance from the tuber to the walls of the pot should be about three centimeters. It is better to choose a heavy ceramic pot that will not allow the plant to turn itself over during flowering.
- When transplanting, it is important not to damage the root system. To remove the bulb without damage, the soil should be moistened a few hours before manipulation.
- The flower is not recommended to disturb the transplant until the peduncles have dried.
The plant requires constant pruning. Especially if it often blooms. Otherwise, the stems will become more elongated, and the leaves will decrease. Shoots are removed when the plant has enough sunlight. Typically, pruning is done at the end of October. Elongated stems are removed, and also dried and yellowed zones are removed.
Street care
The plant can be planted in open ground. Especially successful is its combination with conifers. During periods of spring and autumn frosts, the flower must be covered. At the end of September, its bulb can be dug to be transplanted into a pot or stored until spring.
Amaryllis flower, which takes time to take care of, can be grown in a container. So it will grow on the street until the onset of cold weather. It is noteworthy that flowering in the open is more magnificent.
The hole should be dug on the south side. The place should be protected from drafts and winds. It is advisable to feed and loosen the soil. Decorative stones are suitable for the background.
When planting several tubers, it is important that the distance between them is at least thirty centimeters. Tubers planted to a depth of fifteen centimeters.
Growing technology
Planting Amaryllis flowers is carried out according to a certain technology:
- Substrate - prepared from high-quality soil mixture. It should consist of sand, peat, humus. The drainage layer will be able to protect the roots from possible stagnation of water.
- Top dressing - the flower requires constant fertilizer application. For this, special means designed for indoor crops are used. Top dressing can be reduced at the end of the flowering period. Fertilizing stops when the flower enters the dormant stage.
- Choice of container - shallow containers of any material are well suited. They can be installed indoors, on the flowerbed, on the balcony. The tuber should look slightly out of the ground. Dug bulbs for the winter can be folded in the refrigerator.
- Planting - the bulb should be placed in the ground in late November or early spring. Expanded clay, pebbles are laid at the bottom. Two handfuls of sand are poured on top, then the prepared mixture. Before lowering the tuber into the substrate, it should be moistened in a solution of "Humisol". After planting, the soil is moistened with water.
Like any plant, it can be susceptible to insects. What are the main problems with amaryllis?
Main problems
Plants living at home often encounter ticks. It is a flat red and spider parasite. The plant immediately loses its decorative effect. Folk remedies are rarely able to cope with the problem. Chemicals are much more effective. It is important that the product is certified and chalk the instructions for use.
Another dangerous parasite is scale insects. These creatures have a light and dark brown color. They settle in the lower part of the plant, then the leaves of the amaryllis flower turn yellow. Excrement of parasites leads to the formation of fungus. They are recorded on new plants.
Worms can damage the root system. Their presence can be seen on cotton lumps in the axils of the leaves. The insects themselves are quite large, and on the leaves they lay eggs.
Excessive watering can also destroy the plant. This causes red rot that affects tubers. Fundazol can get rid of the problem. At the first sign of illness, amaryllis is removed from the container, damaged areas are removed, and the cut sites are treated with crushed charcoal. A flower with dried tubers is placed in a disinfected pot. The soil requires sterilization for thirty minutes.
From the above pests, Actellik has well established itself. Most often, the cause of infection of the flower is the carelessness of the owner, as well as the acquisition of plants in unverified stores. Preventing infection is much easier than curing it. Often, several courses of chemicals are required.
Prevention
Amaryllis white flower, like its other varieties, should be regularly examined for parasites. The place of cultivation can be etched with a solution from a soap solution (only laundry soap without additives is suitable). When transplanting, the container is necessarily cleaned of the remnants of the old substrate. Rotting of the roots can be avoided by moderate watering.
Amaryllis does not bloom
Amateur gardeners often complain that the amaryllis flower does not bloom. Such plant behavior is associated with the following negative factors:
- The bulb has not yet ripened, has not reached the desired size.
- Rest time was too short.
- At the vegetation stage, the plant was in a hot microclimate.
It should also be understood that the number of inflorescences depends on the size of the bulb. During the acquisition of the bulb, it is worth checking its appearance. If the tuber is soft with dark spots, you should refuse to buy.
Bulb propagation
Amaryllis flower can be propagated at home. During the next transplant, daughter bulbs can be separated from the main tuber. Two years after planting, they will become the size of the mother plant. The process of planting a new bulb is no different from planting a mature tuber.
Seed propagation
Amaryllis flower is able to reproduce by seed. In order for the fruits to form during flowering, it is necessary to pollinate the flower. This will require a small brush. With its help, cross pollination is carried out, that is, pollen from one flower is transferred to another. Then you need to let the plant ripen.
The process takes more than one month. When seed bolls form, it is necessary to wait until they become a tan color. Each fruit has three branches. They contain about fifty seeds. They must be collected and thoroughly dried. For this, the rudiments are laid out on a clean cloth or pallet and left for one month.
Prepared rudiments are placed in water at room temperature. There they will hatch, and after another three weeks they can be planted in the ground. The root system is still very fragile, so a separate container is prepared for each amaryllis.
Dried seeds can also be placed in the ground. For this, a shallow container with holes for draining water is suitable. Sand and turf are suitable as a substrate. Seeds are scattered across the surface. Seeds do not have to be planted immediately, they can be stored in the refrigerator, but not more than one year.
The rudiments in the soil must be sprinkled with a small layer of soil. Watering is best done every day so that dry soil does not damage them. Moisture can be stored with polyethylene covered from above. But seedlings should be aired every day. A month later, the first sprouts should sprout. Then add watering to watering.
A plant that has appeared by the seed method can bloom only after seven years. While the onion variant will give inflorescence in the third year of life.
The flower is not for the nursery
The flowering of the amaryllis flower is unusually beautiful, but do not put it in the children's area. All its areas have an increased concentration of toxic substances. The plant can cause a gag reflex. If flower juice enters the body of the animal, swelling, pain in the mouth and stomach, and breathing problems appear. Children and pets should not have access to the plant.
In rare cases, flowering of amaryllis can cause allergic rhinitis, irritation of the skin. In this case, you should say goodbye to the flower.
If the flower does not cause allergies, they can enjoy it for many years. In order not to harm yourself with poisonous juice, all manipulations with it should be carried out in protective gloves.