Hippeastrum

Hippeastrum: a description of the indoor flower

Indoor flower Hippeastrum: photo of a plant

Hippeastrum belongs to the Amaryllis family. This culture includes about 90 varieties. The name of the flower in translation from Greek means "rider" and "star" (decoding of the two roots included in the name). It is often noticed that novice gardeners think that this is amaryllis, and not hippeastrum. But do not forget that this plant can be found growing wild in the American subtropics and tropics and in the Amazon River, and the second flower, which is a monotypic species, is found in the African south. These two cultures are relatives, representatives of the same family, but stand out in different genera. Hippeastrum appeared on the European territory in the 16th century, and its first hybrid variety has been inhabiting here since 1799, its name is Johnson's hippeastrum.

Characteristic features of the plant

Indoor flower Hippeastrum: photo of a plant

The Hippeastrum plant is a flowering bulbous perennial. The bulb is in the form of a circle, less often - a conical shape, it contains a thickened short stem and solid scales. The width of the bulb of Hippeastrum can be 50-100 mm, it depends on the type of plant. The base (bottom) has roots in the form of laces, which are collected in a bundle. Linear leaves are oppositely arranged in two rows, 50-70 cm long and 40-50 mm wide. The outer part of the sheet is grooved, the inner part is keeled. The leaves are green in color, but some of the varieties may be purple in color. The peduncle is empty, without leaves, in the shape of a cylinder, stretching to 35-80 cm, it also forms an umbrella-inflorescence, consisting of 2-6 flowers of both sexes, which reach 25 cm in cross section and grow to about 13-15 cm. The flowers are funnel-shaped or tubular, their petioles are elongated, the flowers are painted in different colors: bright red, pink, dark red, orange, white. The fruit is a box of angular shape or in the form of a ball, having 3 valves, containing small grains. Fresh seeds germinate in the future by almost 100%.

In order for the flower to be a decoration of your room for a long time, as well as for its optimal growth and development, it is imperative to know the characteristic features of the plant.

Hippeastrum flowers of white or light color indicate that the plant forms a small number of grains, which will subsequently sprout.

When it is warm outside, the culture is transferred to the garden plot, and the plant, together with the container, is buried in the soil.

Flowering can be adjusted, if you need, then you can make sure that the blooming of flowers occurs at a certain time. For example, a flower will be an amazing holiday gift, because when the plant is in bloom, it resembles an excellent bunch.

After the flowers open, each of them will wither after 10 days.

Large bulbs are selected for forcing, because they contain a large number of nutrients.

Hippeastrum: home care

Indoor flower Hippeastrum: video about the plant

Hippeastrum blooms from August to September days.

The hippeastrum needs bright illumination, but diffused. You need to grow hippeastrum on the southwestern, southern or southeastern windowsill.

Temperature conditions should be within 17-25 degrees.

Watering. In the first days of the growing season, scanty watering is introduced, and after the peduncle has formed, abundant water is formed, but you should not allow the water to stagnate in the root system. The bottom watering method is perfect.

Air humidity level. It grows when the air is normally humidified at home.

Top dressing. Fertilizers are applied systematically 2 times / 30 days. From the first days of the growing season, they are fed with liquid minerals for deciduous vegetation, and after the peduncle has formed, with minerals for flowering vegetation. The plant retires from October to January.

Transplanted flower 1 time / 3-4 years before the growing season or after the flowering of the plant.

Reproduction methods. Dividing the bulbs, with the help of children, by seeds.

Pests... Scabbard, aphid, spider mite, mealybug.

Diseases: peronosporosis, burn fungus, red rot.

Indoor flower Hippeastrum: photo of a plant

Illumination level.

It is necessary to grow flowers of Hippeastrum on windows with good bright illumination, but always diffused. Do not allow hot sunlight to fall on the leaves. The container can be located on the southeast, south, southwest window. The plant should be turned from time to time, because of this procedure, it will retain its compactness.

Temperature conditions.

When a flower is actively growing, it needs to provide a warm microclimate (temperature regime within 17-25 degrees). At a warm temperature, if possible, you need to transfer the plant to outdoor conditions, but you need to select such a site so that water does not stagnate in the root system of the flower.

Watering.

At the beginning of the growing season, watering is applied in a small amount. With the formation of a peduncle, and this is considered the beginning of the growing season, the volume of watering is gradually increased. From the time when the flower arrow appeared and until the flowers open, watering is carried out in large quantities, but it is worth making sure that there is no stagnation of water in the ground. Hippeastrum can be watered from a pallet or bottom. For this purpose, warm water is poured into the sump until the earthen coma is completely soaked. Water so that the water does not get on the bulb. After the flowering of the bush, the application of watering is reduced, in the future it stops altogether.

Fertilization.

After the peduncle reaches a length of 12-15 cm, the soil mixture is spilled with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. After 4-6 days, the plant needs to be fed with phosphorus. Top dressing is carried out regularly 1 time / 15 days. At the beginning of the growing season, liquid minerals are used for decorative leafy vegetation. After the formation of leaves in the hippeastrum, complexes are used for flowering vegetation, this will have a beneficial effect on the formation of buds. It is necessary to prepare the nutritional mixture competently, because at a high concentration of it, the root system can burn or burn. The leaves must always be clean, for this purpose, they should be regularly wiped with a damp soft cloth or the plant should be sprayed with warm water.

Hippeastrum: home transplant

Hippeastrum is rarely transplanted, 1 time / 3-4 years immediately after the flowering of the plant or before the dormant period begins. Choose the right container for planting, from the bulb to the wall, the interval should be kept within 20 mm. The soil mixture should consist of coarse sand (perlite), humus, leaf and sod soil, in a proportional ratio of 2: 1: 2: 2, respectively. Before transplanting, the substrate is sterilized. A good drainage system is mandatory at the bottom of the tank.

Transplanting Hippeastrum is carried out by the transshipment method, then the risk of injury to the root system will decrease. After replanting, one third of the bulb should rise above the surface soil layer.

Hippeastrum: reproduction

Hippeastrum can be propagated by seed or vegetative way. For sowing, fresh grains are used, because at a given time period they are distinguished by increased germination. Dried seeds will only sprout up to 30%. Hippeastrum is propagated by seed in very rare cases, because it is laborious, and can only be done if there are fresh grains; to obtain them, it is required to pollinate the flower artificially. Sowing and growing plants is pretty easy.

A quick and easy way of reproduction of Hippeastrum is a vegetative method. For this purpose, the baby is separated from the mother's bulb. Hippeastrum is propagated during the transplantation period. To separate the baby, a sharpened clean knife is used, the sections of the cuts are necessarily sprinkled with charcoal in the form of a powder. Next, the baby is planted in a separate container. For two years, the leaves are not cut from the bush.

Also, the Hippeastrum flower can be spread by dividing the bulb. The division is carried out in the third autumn month, because during this period the bulb contains a large number of nutrients. For this purpose, the surface soil layer is removed in the container so that only the bottom of the bulb is deepened into it. It is required to remove dried scales from it and cut off the leaves, and a small part of the top of the bulb is captured. Further, it is divided along the length into four equal shares, the cuts should be at the level of the surface soil substrate. Wooden or plastic knitting needles should be directly installed in the cuts, in cross section they should be 50-60 mm, there should be no connection of the particles of the bulbs. Bulb care is carried out identically to the care of an adult flower, you should not allow the soil ball to dry out. After the formation of leaves, the plant is fertilized and further fed in the same way as an adult plant. In the coming season, in the spring, the bulbs are divided and planted in individual containers.

Rest period.

The beginning of the resting stage of the plant falls on the September days, and the end - on the January days. If in the summer hippeastrum was kept outdoors, then in the fall season it is brought home again. In the same time period, watering is gradually reduced, after a certain period of time, the leaves dry out. When they are completely dry, they will fall off, after which the stem is completely cut off, the container is placed on its side in a dark, dry and cool (temperature regime 6-12 degrees) place, here the container will remain for 1.5-2 months. Watering the bulb during this time period is not required, the container is again placed on the windowsill after the end of the dormant period.

Flowering period of culture

Indoor flower Hippeastrum: video about the plant

To justify your efforts and efforts, in order for the plant to bloom in the room, you can use the following life hacks.

Before planting, the bulb should be placed in hot water (temperature - 43-45 degrees), kept for three hours. The result of this is that the hippeastrum will bloom magnificently already 20 days after planting.

In the last month of summer, all watering stops, the culture is transferred to where it is dry and dark. The bush is exposed on the windowsill only at the end of January, after which watering is applied again. Then flowering will begin in 4-6 weeks.

On July days, all leaves are removed from the plants, watering is suspended for four weeks. After the first watering, the hippeastrum needs to be fertilized in the form of a liquid complex. Then flowering will occur on August or September days.

Why does the plant not bloom.

The plant may not bloom, as it lacks nutrients. Since there is a small amount of soil mixture in the container, the root system of the nutrients will soon absorb everything. Because of this, it is necessary to make feeding systematically and competently.The same is the case with watering.

Also, flowers may be absent, because harmful insects have appeared on the plant, for example, a mealybug, spider mite or scale insect.

With stagnant water in the soil mixture, the bulbs can be affected by rot, therefore, the bush will not bloom.

Agrotechnics after the flowering period.

After flowering, the Hippeastrum plant begins to prepare for the dormant stage, the quality of the flowers next year will depend on the literacy and timeliness of this. From the 15th of September, watering stops, after flying around the dried leaves and cutting off the peduncle, the container with the bush is transferred to where it is dry, dark and cool. He will be in this place until the end of January or until the beginning of February. After that, the plant is rearranged on the window, and watering with top dressing is again introduced.

Growing difficulties

Indoor flower Hippeastrum: photo of a plant

In frequent cases, downy mildew, red rot, and red burn fungus can affect the hippeastrum. It can also be attacked by aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, scale insects. To get rid of pests, an insecticide solution is used.

The flower Hippeastrum itself will tell you with its appearance what struck him. The bulbs and leaves are covered with red spots - this is a fungal burn. The aerial part is covered with a bloom of white coloration - this is powdery mildew. There was rotting of the scales of the bulb and drooping of the leaves - this rot was an uninvited guest.

If the indoor flower Hippeastrum is struck by rot, all diseased fragments and roots are cut out, the bulb is very well dried and planted in a fresh disinfected soil mixture, the bulb is treated with Fundazol in advance. Powdery mildew is disposed of with specialized preparations purchased at a flower shop. If the plant is struck by a red burn, the bulb is dug out, its diseased fragments are cut out to healthy tissues. The sections are processed with a solution of copper sulfate with chalk (1:20), then the Hippeastrum bulb is dried in the open air for seven days. Then it is planted again in a fresh substrate, previously treated with fungicides.