Professional growers consider one of the most beautiful flowering plants amaryllis. Care at home for him is simple, and large inflorescences-bells of various colors please 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 wonderful aroma, some love this plant because it can be made to bloom by a certain date, for example, a birthday or March 8th. Buying a very small bulb, you can admire the 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 belt-like long leaves and surprisingly beautiful flowers, located on a high peduncle. Both are bulbous.
However, they also have significant differences:
- hippeastrum is odorless, while amaryllis flower has a delicate, delicate fragrance;
- amaryllis flower stalks are strong and dense,hippeastrum they are very fragile because they are hollow inside;
- Hippeastrum first blooms and only then throws out leaves, in amaryllis these processes occur simultaneously;
- hippeastrum flowers are very large, sometimes they reach 12 cm in diameter, amaryllis flowers are smaller - rarely exceed 8 cm, but there are up to 11 pieces on one peduncle;
- amaryllis is represented by only one species, there are hundreds of varieties of hippeastrum;
- imported from South Africa amaryllis, a native of the tropics of South America is hippeastrum.
In flower shops, we are most often offered to buy hippeastrum, but if you want to grow amaryllis, then it is better to purchase a flowering plant, so you will not be mistaken by identifying it by smell.
Onion
Typically, an adult amaryllis bulb is about 12 centimeters in diameter. From it grows one, in some cases two naked and thick peduncles, which are crowned with a bud. The flowers resemble a large bell with a wide variety of colors - from white to red, as well as several shades of purple.
Both successful planting and caring for amaryllis largely depend on the quality of the planting material. Having purchased a bulb of this flower in a store, carefully look at its condition at home: it should be elastic and have flower buds. The ideal option is a bulb with roots that have appeared. Caring for amaryllis is not difficult, but it is important to follow the sequence of all necessary procedures when growing.
Immediately you need to start preparing the bulb forlanding. To avoid the appearance and development of various rots that the plant often suffers from, it is advisable to hold the bulb in a solution of Fundazol or potassium permanganate for 20 minutes.
Flower container
The first pot for the plant should be small - two centimeters larger than the bulb. So you prevent the appearance of numerous baby bulbs, and the plant will bloom longer. The pot must be treated with alcohol or Fundazol. They should also shed the soil - this will also help to avoid the appearance of rot.
Soil
Experienced flower growers believe that this is a rather unpretentious flower - amaryllis. Planting and caring for it are procedures that will not cause problems even for novice indoor plant lovers. However, experienced flower growers recommend that you carefully consider the choice of soil. The easiest way is to buy a ready-made composition for bulbous plants in a flower shop, but if this is not possible, then you can make it yourself. For this you will need:
- lowland peat - one part;
- turf land - two parts;
- sand - one piece;
- last year's humus - one piece.
Soil acidity 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 set the bulb in the center like thisso that a third of it protrudes from the ground. 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.
Where to put the flower
In many publications on indoor floriculture you can see photos of amaryllis flowers. Caring for this ornamental culture is much easier than, for example, a capricious azalea. Although the plant also needs good lighting. If you bought an adult plant, place it on a southwest or southeast window sill. In summer, amaryllis can be planted outdoors on the south side - they grow well in the fresh air.
Temperature
Amarallis care does not involve any strict temperature restrictions. During the period of growth and flowering, the plant feels great at a temperature of +22 … +25 ° C, easily tolerates night 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 foam under the pot. Like most flowering plants, amaryllis is sensitive to drafts.
Water and humidity
Care and cultivation of amaryllis is impossible without abundant and uniform watering. This is especially important during the period when the plant throws out an arrow and begins to form a bud. During this time, the soil should be constantly moist. If amoisture is not enough, amaryllis will upset the owner with ugly, faded and deformed flowers.
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.
Feeding
The plant gives a lot of energy to the formation of buds and flowering. That is why amaryllis care should include regular feeding. The first one should be carried out as early as two weeks after planting the bulb, and then regularly repeated twice a month.
Stop fertilizing by September, when the plant enters a dormant period. Organics should not be added, as pathogenic microbes can be brought into the soil with it. Use ready-made preparations for bulbous plants in liquid form with a reduced nitrogen content.
Flowering
Proper care of amaryllis (you can see a photo of the flower in the article) ensures that the plant will bloom a month after planting. Flowering lasts from two to three weeks. It can be extended by cutting off the first peduncle (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 amaryllis was cared for.
How to care for a plant after flowering
So, your amaryllis has blossomed safely, its luxurious bluebell flowers have drooped, appearanceplants became not so attractive. At this time, many novice flower growers make the mistake of cutting flower stalks, sometimes even with leaves.
When growing bulbous plants not only at home, but also in the garden, this cannot be done, because after the leaves and peduncle dry, the nutrients return to the bulb. Therefore, only completely wilted buds should be cut.
Cutting
After cutting the buds, move the flower to a cooler and shaded place (do not immediately put it in the dark). The rate of watering gradually decreases and top dressing stops. When the peduncle becomes soft and turns yellow, it is cut off. The same goes for leaves. The bulb can be left in the soil, but the pot should be removed for two months in a dark place.
The bulb left in the soil for a dormant period after a while begins to grow, it becomes overgrown with children. Sometimes the roots begin to rot. Thus, the plant signals that it needs a transplant. The bulb is taken out of the pot, the rest of the soil is removed from it and the roots are carefully examined: they are cut too overgrown or diseased. If signs of disease are found, it makes sense to treat the bulb with a fungicide.
Reproduction
For anyone interested in how to properly care for amaryllis, it is important to know how the plant reproduces. This can be done in two ways:
- young onions;
- seeds.
Seed propagation
With this method, you will have to wait five years for flowering, but if you are interested in the process itself, you canexperiment. Use the art brush to pollinate the plant. In other words, transfer the pollen from the stamens to the pistil. Then wait until the seeds in the boxes ripen. Collect them, seat them in a moist and loose substrate. Seedlings are grown in a warm and bright place.
Reproduction with bulbs
This method is much faster and more efficient. In he althy and strong bulbs, babies appear along the edges of the pot. Sometimes they immediately release leaves. It is better to dig them out separately, without waiting for the next transplant, and fill the voids that form in this case with soil. Children are seated in small cups, and as they grow, they are transplanted into a more suitable container.
If you want to grow a he althy and strong bulb and a large peduncle, sacrifice the first flowering of the plant. In this case, the bulb will be able to save strength for further growth.
Why doesn't amaryllis bloom?
Lovers of indoor plants know how disappointing 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 to our today's hero, if, judging by the description, care for amaryllis is quite simple? There may be several reasons for this:
- The plant is in a too dark room. The lack of light prevents the flower bud from waking up.
- The flower didn't have a dormant period. Perhaps you forgot to remove the plant, did not let it recover.
- The pot is too small, almost all the space in itfilled with bulbs.
- Scarce soil, lack of trace elements.
- Low temperature delays flowering.
- Pests or Fusarium.
- The bulb is very young (peduncles, as a rule, 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 is suffering, something is wrong with it. When should you be concerned?
- Pale flowers and pale leaves indicate that the plant does not like direct sunlight. Just move it to another place.
- Darkened, almost black flowers indicate that the plant is freezing, the soil under it is waterlogged.
- When the leaves turn pale and the flowers droop - watering is insufficient, 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 bulb cancer (fusarium). In this case, it is extremely rare to save the plant.
- Root rot is quite common and is caused by improper watering. Amaryllis needs an urgent transplant.
In this article, we described the features of the ornamental culture and posted a photo of amaryllis. Caring for him is easy. If you follow the basic rules, an unusually beautiful plant will appear on your windowsill.
