Professional flower growers consider one of the most beautiful flowering plants of amaryllis. Home care is simple for him, and large inflorescences-bells of various colors delight with their appearance for a long time.
An elegant and unpretentious flower belonging to the bulbous family, sometimes blooms twice a year. Many people like its marvelous aroma, some love this plant because it can be made to bloom by a certain date, for example, on its birthday or on March 8th. Having bought a very small bulb, you can enjoy magnificent flowering for 10-15 years.
Amaryllis flower and hippeastrum: description and comparison
Sometimes this flower is mistaken for hippeastrum. And this is understandable: the plants have strap-shaped long leaves and amazingly beautiful flowers located on a high peduncle. Both are bulbous.
However, they have significant differences:
- hippeastrum is odorless, and the amaryllis flower has a delicate, delicate aroma;
- amaryllis peduncles are strong and dense, in the hippeastrum they are very fragile, because they are hollow inside;
- hippeastrum first blooms and only after that throws leaves, in amaryllis, these processes occur simultaneously;
- in hippeastrum, the flowers are very large, sometimes they reach a diameter of 12 cm, in amaryllis they are smaller - rarely exceed 8 cm, but at the same time up to 11 flowers per peduncle;
- Amaryllis is represented by only one species, there are hundreds of varieties of hippeastrum;
- Amaryllis was introduced from South Africa; Hippeastrum is a native of the tropics of South America.
In flower shops, we are most often offered to buy hippeastrum, if you want to grow amaryllis, it is better to purchase a flowering plant, so you won’t be mistaken in determining its smell.
Bulb
Usually, an adult amaryllis bulb is about 12 centimeters in diameter. From it grows one, in some cases two bare and thick peduncles, which are crowned by a bud. The flowers resemble a large bell with a wide variety of colors - from white to red, as well as several purple shades.
Both successful planting and care for amaryllis largely depend on the quality of planting material. Having acquired the bulb of this flower in the store, carefully look at its condition at home: it must be elastic and have flower buds. The ideal option is the bulb with the roots that appeared. Caring for amaryllis is not complicated, but it is important to follow the sequence of all necessary procedures during cultivation.
Immediately you need to start preparing the bulbs for planting. To avoid the appearance and development of various rot, which often affects the plant, it is advisable to hold the bulb in a solution of Fundazole or potassium permanganate for 20 minutes.
Capacity for flower
The first pot for the plant should be small - two centimeters more than the bulb. So you will prevent the appearance of numerous bulb children, and the plant will bloom longer. The pot must be treated with alcohol or Fundazole. They should also shed soil - this will also help to avoid the appearance of rot.
The soil
Experienced flower growers believe that this is a fairly unpretentious flower - amaryllis. Planting and caring for it are procedures that will not cause problems even for novice lovers of indoor plants. However, experienced flower growers recommend that you carefully consider the choice of soil. The easiest way is to buy a ready-made composition for bulb plants in a flower shop, but if this is not possible, then you can make it yourself. To do this, you will need:
- lowland peat - one part;
- turf land - two parts;
- sand is one part;
- last year's humus is one part.
The acidity of the soil should be close to neutral. Add a handful of wood ash to five liters of soil mixture, which will reduce the risk of disease.
When the preparatory work is completed, pour expanded clay on the bottom of the pot, a layer of two centimeters, then the soil mixture and in the center set the bulb so that it protrudes from the ground by a third. Fill all the voids with soil and pour the plant with settled warm water.
Amaryllis at home: care, photo
As already mentioned, the plant is relatively unpretentious, but if you want to admire really beautiful inflorescences, pay attention to the following points.
In many editions of indoor floriculture, you can see photos of amaryllis flowers. Caring for this decorative culture is much easier than, for example, for the capricious azalea. Although the plant also needs good lighting. If you bought an adult plant, put it on the southwest or southeast window sill. In the summer, amaryllis can be planted in open ground on the south side - they grow well in the fresh air.
Caring for amarallis does not imply any strict temperature restrictions. During the period of growth and flowering, the plant feels great at a temperature of +22 ... + 25 ° C, easily tolerates nighttime drops to +18 ° C. The flower should not be placed close to heat sources, and if the window sill is too cold, substitute a piece of polystyrene under the pot. Like most flowering plants, amaryllis negatively refers to drafts.
Care and cultivation of amaryllis is impossible without abundant and uniform watering. This is especially important during the period when the plant throws an arrow and begins to form a bud. At this time, the soil should be constantly moist. If there is not enough moisture, the amaryllis will upset the owner with ugly, faded and deformed colors.
By September, watering is recommended to be reduced, gradually reducing it to nothing - the plant enters a dormant period. Amaryllis should not be sprayed, especially in a flowering state. You can only wipe the leaves with a damp cloth.
The plant gives a lot of energy to the formation of buds and flowering. That is why care for amaryllis should include regular feeding. The first of them should be carried out two weeks after planting the bulbs, and then regularly repeated twice a month.
Fertilizing should be stopped by September, when the plant enters a dormant period. Organics should not be added, since pathogenic microbes can be brought into the soil with it. Use ready-made preparations for bulbous plants in liquid form with a low nitrogen content.
Bloom
Proper care of amaryllis (flower photo you can see in the article) ensures that the plant blooms a month after planting. Flowering lasts from two to three weeks. It can be extended by cutting off the first flower stalk (of course, if there are two of them), or by lowering the temperature to +18 ° C and the light intensity. The beauty of the flower, its brightness, the correct shape allow us to judge how well the care for amaryllis was carried out.
How to care for a plant after flowering
So, your amaryllis has safely blossomed out, its magnificent bell flowers have dropped, the appearance of the plant has become not so attractive. At this time, many beginning flower growers make a mistake by cutting flower stalks, sometimes even with leaves.
Growing bulbous plants not only at home, but also in the garden, this cannot be done, because after the leaves and peduncle have dried, the nutrients return to the bulb. Therefore, only completely wilted buds should be cut.
Pruning
After cutting the buds, rearrange the flower in a cooler and shaded place (do not immediately remove it in the dark). The rate of watering is gradually reduced and feeding is stopped. When the peduncle becomes soft and yellow, it is cut off. The same goes for the leaves. The bulb can be left in the soil, but the pot should be removed to a dark place for two months.
The bulb left in the soil for a dormant period after a while begins to grow, it is overgrown with children. Sometimes the roots begin to rot. Thus, the plant signals that it needs a transplant. The bulb is removed from the pot, the rest of the soil is removed from it and the roots are carefully examined: too sprouted or patients cut. If signs of disease are found, it makes sense to treat the onion with a fungicide.
Breeding
Everyone who is interested in how to properly care for amaryllis needs to know how the plant reproduces. There are two ways to do this:
Seed propagation
With this method, you will have to wait five years for flowering, but if you are interested in the process itself - you can experiment. Use a brush to pollinate the plant. In other words, transfer the pollen from the stamens to the pestle. Then wait for the seeds to ripen in boxes. Collect them, plant them in a damp and loose substrate. Seedlings are grown in a warm and bright place.
Bulb propagation
This method is much faster and more efficient. In healthy and strong bulbs, babies appear along the edges of the pot. Sometimes they immediately release leaflets. It is better to dig them out separately, not expecting another transplant, and fill the voids that will form in this case with soil. Children are seated in small glasses, and as they grow, they are transplanted into a more suitable container.
If you want to grow a healthy and strong bulb and a large peduncle, sacrifice the first flowering plant. In this case, the bulb will be able to retain strength for further growth.
Why amaryllis does not bloom?
Fans of indoor plants know how insulting it is when everything seems to be done for the flowering of a plant, but it refuses to please the owner with beautiful inflorescences. Why is this happening with our today's hero, if, judging by the description, amaryllis care is pretty simple? There may be several reasons for this:
- The plant is in a too dark room. Lack of light prevents the flower bud from waking up.
- The flower did not have a rest period. Perhaps you forgot to remove the plant, did not allow it to regain strength.
- The pot is too small, almost the entire space in it is filled with onions.
- Poor soil, lack of trace elements.
- Low temperatures delay flowering.
- Pests or Fusarium.
- The bulb is very young (peduncles usually appear in three-year-old bulbs).
Diseases and Pests
Experienced flower growers know that the slightest change in the appearance of a flower is a cry for help: the flower suffers, something is wrong with it. When should I be wary?
- Turning pale flowers and light leaves indicate that the plant does not like the direct sunlight to hit it. Just rearrange it to another place.
- The darkened, almost black flowers indicate that the plant is freezing, the soil under it is waterlogged.
- When the leaves turn pale, and the flowers peel off - insufficient watering, its volume should be increased.
- Leaves turn yellow for no apparent reason? Most likely, the plant was attacked by pests.
- The most common diseases of this plant include cancer of the bulb (fusarium). In this case, it is extremely rare to save the plant.
- Rot on the roots is quite common and is caused by improper watering. Amaryllis needs an emergency transplant.
In this article we described the features of decorative culture and posted a photo of amaryllis. Caring for it is simple. If you follow the elementary rules, an unusually beautiful plant will appear on your windowsill.