"Hare ears" are called many indoor flowers. Usually these plants have two hanging pointed leaves. However, most often such a popular name is white-flowered hemanthus - a plant that can become just a wonderful decoration for any room and at the same time is unpretentious.
Hemanthus in nature
The hare ears flower is a thermophilic plant. In the wild, it grows in tropical Africa in the Cape Province. Here, on the slopes of the mountains in the shade of sprawling shrubs, this plant feels just fine. The name "gemanthus" was coined for it by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It translates as "bloody". Indeed, in nature, plants with bright red flowers are mainly common. However, over the centuries, other varieties have been bred that have flowers of a different shade. Among them is the white-flowered gemanthus. It is also quite a showy plant. Its inflorescence is large and looks fluffy due to the large number of stamens. Hence, another name for the gemanthus is “hare's tail”.
Generaldescription
Gemanthus 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 rabbit ears. Usually in one pot grows up to 4-6 leaves. In an adult hemanthus, their length can reach 30 cm. The height of the peduncle is 20-60 cm.
The hare ears flower is a bulbous plant, and therefore does not like stagnant water very much. It needs good drainage in the pot. The bulb of this indoor flower is very large - up to 12 cm.
In winter, the hemanthus has a dormant period. This plant reproduces by seeds, daughter bulbs and leaves. Its main features can also be attributed to the very slow growth of leaves. Also, apartment owners who want to buy this plant should be aware that it can cause allergic reactions.
Gemanthus planting
A flower pot for rabbit ears (the photo on the page clearly demonstrates its beauty) is taken shallow, but at the same time wide enough. There should be approximately 5 cm of free space from the edges of the bulb to its walls. Land for gemanthus can be bought at the store. Great for this indoor flower, a universal soil option is suitable. But if desired, the soil can be prepared independently. Its composition should be as follows:
- leaf land - 1 part,
- turf - 2 parts,
- sand - 1 part,
- peat - 1 part,
- humus - 1 part.
When planting 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.
Reproduction by leaves
To breed a plant such as a flower of rabbit ears, the easiest way is to use this particular method. The sheet is simply cut off with a sharp knife and stuck into the wet sand. Before this, it is advisable to sprinkle the tip 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. Transplantation should be done as carefully as possible. It is extremely undesirable to damage the roots of this plant. Otherwise, it will start to hurt.
Care
Hare ears - indoor flower, characterized by unpretentiousness. You can fertilize it from time to time with complex top dressing for indoor flowers. But the plant will develop well enough without performing this procedure. Organic fertilizers are contraindicated for hemanthus.
Water the bunny ear flower in moderation. If the water stagnates, the bulb may rot. However, it is undesirable to allow the soil to dry out in a pot.
Cut off the flower bunny ears, the care of which is extremely simple, as needed, removing dried leaves. You need to remove the peduncle after the formation of the ovary. Over time, it will die itself, but it can spoil the appearance for a long time.hemanthus. Spraying this plant also does not require. The usual humidity for city apartments of 60% is enough for him. The only thing is that you definitely need to arrange abundant diffused sunlight for 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 out to the balcony or garden. At the same time, it must be placed in partial shade. You can not leave gemanthus in the sun. Otherwise, burns will appear on its leaves.
For the winter, the hare ears flower, the photo of which you can see on the page, should be removed to a room with an air temperature of about 15 gr. However, this plant tolerates a good dormant period even being simply shaded. Watering in cold weather is reduced. The lump should remain practically dry.
Diseases
Hare ears - the flower is quite hardy and is rarely affected by insects. Sometimes it is attacked by a spider mite. In this case, the plant must be sprayed with an infusion of wormwood and watered with Aktara's solution. Sometimes the bulb rots in the plant. A similar problem can occur, as already mentioned, as a result of excessive watering and stagnant water in the pot.
As you can see, rabbit ears are an extremely unpretentious flower. All that is needed in order to achieve spectacular flowering is to water it from time to time and fertilize it occasionally. It can be a very good decoration for an apartment. Hemanthus is especially beautiful in summer, during flowering, which lasts about a month.
