Hippeastrum - an elegant ornamental flowering plant. It will decorate both the suburban area and the interior of a city apartment.
Taking care of a flower is quite simple, and the variety of species allows you to choose a green "pet" for every taste.
But in order for the plant to always please the owner, it is important to know how to care for hippeastrum.
Content:
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Description
Abundant and bright flowering
Hippeastrum belongs to the Amaryllis family. The name translates as "cavalier star". This bulbous plant common in tropical and subtropical regions of South America, specifically in the Amazon basin.
It also occurs naturally in Mexico. In the 18th century, seafarers, who often brought various overseas curiosities from their travels, brought hippeastrum to Europe. And in the 19th century, he reached the Russian Empire and immediately became popular with flower growers.
In height, the hippeastrum stretches up to 50 cm, although the length of the peduncle is even longer. The onion is round, large, 5-10 cm in diameter. On the bottom (base) there is a bunch of cord-like roots.
Hippeastrum has linear leaves 50-70 cm long, up to 5 cm wide, arranged oppositely. Usually the color of the leaves is green, but there are varieties with leaves of a purple hue.
Close-up view of flowers
The long peduncle is crowned with large, up to 20 cm in diameter, funnel-shaped flowers, collected in luxurious inflorescences. On the arrow, their number varies from two to six pieces. The flowers are bisexual, have a variety of petal colors: white, red, orange, pink and lilac.
Through the efforts of breeders, varieties have been obtained that have mixed colors, spots, stripes and blotches. Often the petals are terry to the touch.
The fruit of the plant box spherical or angular shape. In the box, small seeds ripen with a high percentage of germination.
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Hippeastrum is very similar to another member of the family - amaryllis. Therefore, amateur flower growers often confuse two plants. A number of differences allow you to avoid making a mistake.
Homeland of amaryllis not South America, but South Africa. Hippeastrum is higher than amaryllis by an average of 15 cm. The flowers are also larger, they differ in a large number of colors.
Hippeastrum has a mild odor, while Amaryllis has a subtle, characteristic aroma. Also, amaryllis more often has up to 6-12 flowers on a peduncle, and hippeastrum - an average of 2-6 pcs. When amaryllis blooms, leaves do not form around the peduncle, but in hippeastrum, the stem is surrounded by leaves throughout the flowering.
The bulb also helps to distinguish two similar plants. In hippeastrum, it is more round or elongated, with yellowish-brown scales. The amaryllis bulb resembles a pear in shape, and the scales are gray.
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Application and benefits
Use in home interior
The main use of the flower is decorating garden plots or residential premises. Hippeastrum looks great in the hall, living room or office. It is advisable to select a spectacular container for the plant, for example, a beautiful flowerpot.
Compositions from several flowers of different shades at once look better, but harmoniously combined. For holidays, such as March 8, many hippeastrums are bred using the forcing method and delivered to retail outlets.
The plant also has useful properties that make it so popular in interior design. It is believed that it improves performance, so it is good to keep it in educational and work areas - offices, classrooms, libraries. Hippeastrum also radiates positive energy, energizes, uplifts mood and stimulates mental activity.
Varieties
Beautiful colors obtained by breeding
Botanists have counted about 90 species of hippeastrum in natural conditions. Such species diversity made it possible for the active work of breeders. Today, the number of plant varieties is approaching two thousand.
The most popular and beautiful varieties:
- "Lady Jane"
- "Regina"
- Hippeastrum Leopolda
- Hippeastrum Parrot
- Hippeastrum Reticulated
For home cultivation, the species Hippeastrum hybrid, or garden (Hippeastrum hybrida) is more suitable. Based on it, many attractive varieties have been created.
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Landing
Flower growers who decide to start this beautiful and sophisticated plant at home can buy an already blooming hippeastrum in a flower shop.
In this case, you need to pay attention to the appearance of the leaves. They should be a rich green hue, strong and healthy in appearance. Spots and dots on the leaf plate, drooping appearance of foliage indicate a disease.
It is better to grow hippeastrum on your own from the bulb, especially since this process is simple. First you need to choose the right planting material, soil and container for the flower.
Bulb selection
Dug onions with a developed root system
Bulbs should be carefully inspected upon purchase. Each copy should be fresh, have a smooth surface and strong roots. The scales are painted in a pleasant golden color.
There should be no offensive odor, moisture, mold or rot, red borders or dots. It is better not to plant unsuitable specimens: a diseased plant will have to be treated.
Priming
As with most plants, hippeastrum requires moisture-intensive and loose soil.
Hippeastrum is suitable for a loose substrate with a lot of nutrients. According to acidity, it is recommended to choose a neutral or slightly alkaline soil. Ready-made substrate for bulbous plants is already sold in flower shops.
If you prepare the soil mixture yourself, take:
- Peat - 1 part
- Sand - 1 part
- Humus - 1 part
- Turf land - 2 parts
Pot
The correct ratio of pot and bulb in bulbous plants
When choosing a container for bulbous plants, a not too large volume is preferred. The distance between the bulb and the walls of the container should not exceed 2 cm. Tubers will begin to grow on the bulb in a too loose pot. All the forces of the plant will be spent on maintaining their viability, and it will not bloom.
A heavy and stable container is chosen: a lush “cap” of flowers forms in the plant, which can outweigh, and the hippeastrum will tip over. Therefore, it is better not to grow it in plastic pots. Drainage is necessarily placed at the bottom of the tank - a layer of expanded clay with a thickness of about 2 cm.
Then a small mound of earth is poured into the pot, the bulb is planted on it with a blunt end (roots down). The roots are straightened, and the bulb is carefully covered with earth to half: the upper part should peek out of the ground. Then carry out watering through the pallet.
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After planting, it is required to follow the recommendations for the maintenance of hippeastrum: its appearance and well-being depend on it.
Lighting
Properly organized lighting
The plant prefers diffused light. It is better to place it on the windowsill of the east or southeast window.
It is categorically undesirable to put it on the north side: it will be too dark for a native of the tropics, he will refuse to grow and bloom. From bright daytime sunlight, the flower should be shaded if it grows on the south side.
Temperature regime
The optimum air temperature in summer is +20-25°C
In the summer, hippeastrum is suitable for room temperature + 20-25 degrees. If it is too low, the appearance of flowers can not wait. In winter, they are kept in conditions of low temperature and lack of moisture so that the plant can rest.
Watering and humidity
Watering hippeastrum with a watering can
In the initial phase of the growing season, the flower is watered carefully and sparingly. The volume of watering is increased only when the plant releases an arrow of the peduncle. This means that it has entered a phase of active development. At the same time, it is important to keep the soil moist, not wet.
Ideal for hippeastrum watering through the pan. It is desirable that water does not fall on the surface of the bulb.
Spraying the plant is not required: air humidity can be maintained with the help of artificial humidifiers. It is also recommended to regularly dust the leaves with a sponge and give the plant a warm shower. When the flowering period is over, watering is gradually reduced.
top dressing
Phosphorus-potassium fertilizer
In spring and summer, the plant can be fed with mineral phosphorus mixtures. And it is undesirable to introduce liquid nitrogen compounds: they can lead to a dangerous disease - root rot.
Feed every 2-3 weeks. Stop fertilizing the plant when preparing it for a dormant period.
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Hippeastrum propagation by seeds
Hippeastrum is propagated in four ways, each of which has a number of nuances:
- Clubbing babes
- dividing the bulbs
- bulbous scales
- With the help of seeds
babes
Reproduction by tubers
The most popular and easiest way to plant a new hippeastrum is vegetative propagation by daughter bulbs. They are separated from the mother bulb during flower transplantation.
Children are carefully cut off, the places of cuts are treated with coal powder. Then they can be planted in separate small pots, so that the distance to the walls remains about 2 cm: this will ensure rapid flowering.
dividing the bulbs
dividing the bulbs
Babies do not appear on all bulbs, so the division method is also used. The onion is divided into 2-4 parts; each should have a bottom with roots.
Sections are also sprinkled with crushed charcoal or activated charcoal, then specimens are left for 2-3 days. After planted in the ground, deepening only the lower part.
Scales
Propagation of hippeastrum by scales of bulbs
The method is similar to reproduction by division, but the onion is divided into a larger number of fragments - 8-16. They also make sure that each fragment has roots.
seeds
Hippeastrum - planting seeds
For seed propagation, cross-pollination is necessary. Therefore, this method is rarely used at home: it requires good knowledge and experience.
Usually the method is used by breeders to develop new varieties.
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Hippeastrum, planting and care at home
A young plant is transplanted annually, otherwise it will begin to become cramped. An adult plant does not require frequent “moves”: it is enough to transplant the hippeastrum once every two to three years.
The procedure is carried out in the spring. In addition, it is important to renew the top layer of soil in a pot several times a year: this helps to preserve the nutritional properties.
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Waking up after winter
In the cold season, it is desirable to provide hippeastrum "hibernation". The dormant period begins in mid-autumn and lasts until January-February. Begin preparation with a gradual reduction in watering; stop fertilizing.
When the leaves dry and fall off, you need to carefully trim the peduncle, and move the pots with onions to a dark, cool and dry place. If the leaves do not fall off, they are removed on their own - this is the only pruning that the plant needs.
The optimum temperature is not higher than + 6-10 degrees. In the middle of winter, the hippeastrum is prepared for "awakening": take it out to a bright place, gradually resume watering.
You can grow it all year round and without a dormant period. But then the plant needs to ensure the constancy of temperature and light. Water the earthen ball with tepid water, do not forget to feed.
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Pest daffodil fly
The main problems in growing:
- Lack of flowering. There are many reasons why the hippeastrum does not bloom. This happens when there is a lack of nutrients in the soil, too wide a capacity, or overcooling of the plant. You can make the hippeastrum bloom by artificially creating rest conditions for it, and then “waking up”
- Leaves turn yellow. The reason is the rotting of the root system, it is necessary to transplant, removing the affected areas of the roots.
- Diseases: red rot, powdery mildew (mealybug), peronosporosis, stagonosporosis (red burn). All diseased parts of the plant must be removed. The cut sites must be treated with a fungicide - a drug against fungal diseases (for example, Fundazol, Fitosporin)
- Pest damage. Hippeastrum is attacked by spider mites, thrips, scale insects and narcissus fly. The plant is isolated from other domestic flowers, treated with soapy water and insecticide preparations: Actellik, Fitoverm, Aktara. If the plant is severely affected and the measures taken do not help, it will have to be thrown out.
Conclusion
Hippeastrum - a beautiful flower, great for breeding at home
If you properly care for him and protect him from diseases and pests, he will thank the owner for many years with beautiful flowering and charge him with positive energy.
Details on growing hippeastrum can be found in the video below.
Video: Hippeastrum: flowering, planting and care
Hippeastrum: flowering, planting and care
How to care for hippeastrum so that it blooms: the rules and secrets of growing and breeding | (Photo & Video)
