Hippeastrum

 
гиппеаструм

Amaryllis family. The birthplace of hippeastrums is tropical America. About 75 species are common in nature.

Currently, there are a large number of varieties that differ in the shape and color of flowers, all of them are combined in the form of Hippeastrum hortorum garden Hippeastrum. This plant has a large bulb - up to 20 cm in diameter, which deepens into the soil only half. Leaves of a belt-like shape are collected in a basal rosette, about 50 cm long. Flowers are collected 2-4 pieces in an umbrella-shaped inflorescence on a peduncle long (up to 1 m). Perianths are wide, up to 20 cm in diameter, bell-shaped, in a wide variety of shades: white, pink, red, burgundy, yellow, variegated. It has large stamens with bright yellow anthers. It blooms in February - early March.

Hippeastrum care

Hippeastrum Care - in the Frequently Asked Questions section.

Temperature

The optimal hippeastrum for growth in summer is about 23-26 ° C during the day and 17-23 ° C at night. Of course, it is better to place the plant in the summer in the fresh air. You can take out pots in the garden in early June, when the weather is warm even at night. It is advisable not to transplant the bulbs into the ground from the pot. On the one hand, growing in the ground contributes to powerful growth, good development of bulbs, on the other hand, the plant is more difficult to protect from caterpillars, from waterlogging in wet rainy weather. The pot can be put on an elevation anywhere in the garden, under the shade of the openwork crown of trees and in a place protected from the wind. During the rest period, the bulbs are stored at 10 ° C in dryness.

Lighting

Bright diffused light. Shade the leaves from direct sunlight in the afternoon (very hot on the south, southwest window). After flowering, hippeastrums need full sunlight to develop and mature bulbs.

Watering and humidity

Abundant during flowering and growing - water the soil when it dries in the upper third of the pot. Hippeastrum is very sensitive to long drying of the earth, after heavy watering it is worth periodically loosening the top layer of soil, closer to the edge of the pot. During the rest period, the bulbs are kept dry. If the plant is in a room with very dry air, then you can slightly spray the leaves.

гиппеаструм

Dormant period or Hippeastrum after flowering

The dormant period in hippeastrums falls in autumn from mid or late September, until about the end of December. Sometimes the plant itself clearly expresses a desire to go to rest - the leaves dry out, this means an automatic reduction in watering.

The stem is only cut when it is completely dry. If the hippeastrum does not show signs of wilting, and the deadlines have already come, it must be forced to retire. Otherwise, the plant will not have the strength and reserves of nutrients for the next flowering. Therefore, watering is reduced, then they stop watering altogether, but the plant is transferred to a cool place.

You can, after drying the leaves and trimming, remove the onion from the pot, shake off the old earth and put it on its side for storage (in a paper bag). If children are found, they need to be separated and seated in pots. Children do not need to be sent to rest, they are too weak, they can die. They need to be placed on the windowsill and watered according to the temperature, as the soil dries. However, it is worth making sure that they have enough light .

Fertilizer

Once every one to two weeks with liquid fertilizer for flowering indoor plants, diluted in the concentration recommended by the manufacturer. Feeding of hippeastrums begins as soon as the growth of the peduncle begins, and it ends when the growth of new leaves stops.

If you need strict instructions for feeding, focus on the physiological stage of development.

  • So the first dressing at the beginning of the growth of the peduncle (about 10-12 cm from the base to the tip), when the bud has already been formed, we use fertilizers with an NPK ratio, where there is more potassium and phosphorus than nitrogen, approximately a proportion of 1:2:3.
    • In the
  • middle of flowering, this is about two to three weeks after the first top dressing, it is worth switching to fertilizers, where the NPK ratio is 1:1:3 - at this stage you do not need a lot of nitrogen and phosphorus, but the need for potassium remains significant. Such fertilizer should be fed every 1.5-2 weeks 4-5 times.
  • The flowering is over, the hippeastrum remains with green leaves, the need for potassium remains, like in any bulbous and flowering plants, so it is worth choosing a fertilizer where the NPK proportions are 2:1:2.

You can choose fertilizers with the desired ratio in the store (for example, there is a huge selection in the OBI). Or use dry fertilizers for the house and garden, like urea, potassium sulfate, double superphosphate. Dilute in the required proportions in dry form, then dissolve in water before use. However, ready-made complex fertilizers are preferable - they usually contain additional trace elements, also necessary for the growth, development and flowering of hippeastrums. If you doubt how and how to feed hippeastrums, just buy fertilizer for bulb flowers, breed according to the instructions. Never exceed the dose of fertilizer so as not to burn the roots.

Flight connections

Hippeastrum is transplanted as needed. The growth rate of bulbs is different, young ones grow energetically, quickly, they need to be transplanted annually. Old plants grow bulbs weakly, but they should also be transplanted annually into fresh land, but into an old pot, if it has not become small. This is necessary because the soil accumulates insoluble salts, loses its structure and becomes of little use to the plant.

Soil for hippeastrum: 2 part of turf, 2 part of sheet earth, 1 part of humus, 1 part of gravel chips (2-3 mm) and 1/2 part of vermiculite. It is better not to use ordinary sand.

Reproduction

Hippeastrums are propagated by daughter bulbs during transplantation, seeds. Separated children are planted in the prepared soil mixture in separate pots with a diameter of about 12 cm, so that a third of the bulb height remains above the soil surface. With good care, they will bloom in 2-3 years.

Indoor hippeastrum

Very often, the hippeastrum is called amaryllis, but in fact, amaryllis is very easy to distinguish - its flowers are fragrant, and hippeastrums do not smell at all. And most importantly, the blooming hippeastrum always has leaves. Flowering amaryllis is only one peduncle, without greenery.

You can observe an interesting feature of the cyclical development of hippeastrum. If you look closely, you will notice that its leaves are somewhat different: some close tightly at the base (form a closed vagina), others do not.

Such leaves alternate on the plant: after the development of three leaves with a closed vagina, one open one develops, a peduncle is formed on its inner side. This formula: 3 + 1 + peduncle - one development cycle. There could be two or three in a year.

But what is noteworthy, the peduncle in the cycle is just laid, and begins to develop slowly. He will begin to grow after the leaves from his cycle grow, vest and die out. The period of formation of the peduncle from laying to its appearance of the flower arrow is 18-20 months.

Hippeastrum cultivation

Hybrid hippeastrums are most often grown as a houseplant, the bulbs of which are sold in flower shops, including via the Internet, according to catalogs. But among true lovers of amaryllis on the windowsill, you can always see one of the species (wild) hippeastrums, for example, collectors love the species Hippeastrum mandonii. Read more:

Growing problems

If after planting the bulb, the hippeastrum does not grow, although the conditions are good, take out the bulb and check its condition, it should be healthy and firm to the touch. If within 1.5 months after planting the bulb does not start growing, then it is clearly not viable.

In the second year, the bulb does not grow an escape - this happens if there was a lack of nutrition during the first year. Always continue to feed the plant until the leaves begin to wilt.

The leaves of the hippeastrum turn pale green, the flowers droop: perhaps the plant was not watered for a long time. During growth and flowering, watering should be sufficient, without overdrying the soil.

The plant grows well at first, then growth suddenly slows down: perhaps damage to the bulb by pests. Check if pests have appeared, if necessary, treat the plants with insecticide. Also, stopping growth causes a sharp change in temperature, waterlogging of the soil or overfilling, overfilling with fertilizers.

Flowers darken or blacken: too cold and/or damp. Cut off the damaged flowers, and rearrange the plant in a warmer place. Loosen the soil if necessary.

Flowers and leaves turn very pale: too much sun. Shade the hippeastrum from direct sunlight between 12 and 16 hours.

The leaves become very pale, lethargic, drooping like rags, the earth is damp: prolonged drying of the soil after watering leads to decay of the bulbs. Make large drainage holes and drainage in the pot. Before the next watering, let the soil dry well.

See also: Treatment of hippeastrum rot.

Hippeastrum does not bloom: if a dormant period was not provided, if the plant was not fed in the previous year, if the place for it was not bright enough, if it is too cold, if nitrogenous fertilizers are fed, or a lot of humus is added to the soil.