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The Epoch of the Great Geographical Discoveries brought the world not only a great deal of knowledge about unknown lands and peoples, but also helped to find and study many families and species of wild plants. One of these crops was gippeastrum, a bulbous perennial plant from the South American continent.
Since the 16th century, when the first specimens of the plant were discovered, scientists argued about the hippeastrum several times, discoveries were made, and the accepted classification changed. As a result, today more than eight dozen species have been opened and up to 2 thousand spectacular varieties and hybrids have been obtained for growing hippeastrum in the garden on room sills.
Like four hundred years ago, interest in the hippeastrum does not decrease, but, conversely, only increases. Seeing only once the flowering of Hippeastrum hortorum or hippeastrum of the garden, a species that has united most of the cultivated varieties, it is impossible to forget the huge bright, like in the photo, flowers of hippeastrum on high direct peduncles.
But nowadays, all new varieties are included in the culture, sometimes outwardly quite unlike the flower growers of hippeastrum with the usual and terry flowers of various colors. Depending on the variety, age and variety, the diameter of a round or conical bulb can be from 5 to 20 cm.
As the plant has pronounced periods of flowering, vegetation and dormancy, it is possible to see how an arrow with 2-6 large ones appears above the potbuds, then flowers consistently open and hold up to 3 weeks.
When flowering is in full swing, and almost all the flowers of hippeastrum, as in the photo, are revealed, the growth of elongated dense leaves begins. The subsequent period of hibernation, when it may seem that the development and growth of the bulb stopped, lasts up to three months. In fact, this is the most crucial time during which the foundation of the future flowering is laid and the bud of buds and peduncle is formed.
Hippeastrum today is the dream of many amateur growers, but with a skillful approach and knowledge of how to care for the hippeastrum, you can achieve regular flowering of plants, and you can reproduce without the help of a habit.
Selection of hippeastrum garden bulbs
A large healthy bulb becomes essential for abundant flowering and rapid growth of hippeastrum, which must be carefully inspected before purchasing or planting.
Good, well-prepared for flowering is indicated by dense, adjacent to each other scales without traces of mold, sagging or moisture on the surface. The top layer is made up of dry scales of golden brown color.
The roots are alive, ready for planting bulbs elastic, healthy, without blackening and rotting. If the root system of a garden hippeastrum has dried, is damaged by diseases or pests, it is necessary:
- to remove unviable roots;
- abundantly sprinkle the cut points with coal powder and treat with fungicide.
The flaccidity of the scales indicates that the bulb has not yet recovered from the previous flowering, in which case it must be planted in a nutrient soil, ensuring that the plant is properly fed.
The health of a potted plant is indicated by the elasticity and brightness of the leaves, dense peduncle and abundance, as in the photo, of gippeastrum flowers.
How to care for hippeastrum?
When the plant actively blooms and then releases the leaves, it will be comfortable in well-lit places, where the daytime temperature varies between 18-25 ° C, and at night it does not fall below 18 ° C.For the period of hibernation, the pot is transferred to a cool dark room. It is optimal if the temperature in it is 10–14 ° C and the air is dry.
For abundant flowering, the hippeastrum garden requires bright light, on particularly hot days the plant can be shaded, but much more painful than the midday sun, this type of bulbous leaves stays with a lack of lighting.
- The first sign of discomfort will be pallor and lethargy of foliage, stretching and peduncle.
- And if the flower is in the shade during the growing season, the hippeastrum may refuse to flower at all, because the bulb will not be able to recover from flowering and gain a new supply of food and energy.
How to care for hippeastrum during "hibernation", because the bulb does not show any signs of life activity? After the last flower withers, the stem is gradually cut off and removed completely when it dries. At the same time, reduce the frequency and intensity of irrigation. Wilting leaves is a sign to stop the supply of moisture and the readiness of the plant to retire. By this moment the bulb accumulates strength, becomes dense, elastic.
The duration of hibernation is from 6 to 12 weeks, and all this time the bulbs should remain in the dark at a low temperature. Watering is carried out under extreme necessity, if there is a threat of drying out the roots. In the garden hippeastrum bulbs that gave the children, before sending them to rest, the offspring is separated and the plants are planted in separate pots.
The soil for hippeastrum garden should be very nutritious, moisture-absorbing and loose. A bulbous plant feels great in a mixture:
- 1 part of sod land;
- 2 pieces of humus;
- 1 part high-quality purified peat.
To reduce the acidity of the soil, bone meal is added to it, wood ash will be a good top dressing; when planting, double superphosphate or complex fertilizer for bulbous may be applied to the soil. The same tool or any suitable composition with a predominance of potassium and phosphorus is used to support the plant during flowering and vegetation. Feeding in this period is carried out twice a month.
The feature of planting hippeastrum is not only the selection of the soil mixture, but also the capacity for the bulb. If the bulb is in a too wide pot, it will perfectly gain weight, will give abundant foliage and children, but may not bloom. Therefore, the diameter of the best pot is only a couple of centimeters larger than the size of the bulb itself.
For garden hippeastrum, drainage is required from fine expanded clay, 2–3 cm thick. Then they pour a cone-shaped soil mound on which the bulb is laid and, straightening its roots, is sprinkled with earth. At the same time most of the bulbs should rise above the ground level.
Since the actively producing flowers of hippeastrum, as in the photo, require abundant nutrition and form a powerful root system over the season, plants have to be repotted in 1–2 years.
For the summer months, spectacular bulbous plants are often planted in open ground. In the garden, hippeastrumas develop well, and in some cases, strong adult bulbs throw out new flower stalks. Flower growers noticed that in the open field the bulbs are more likely to form daughter plants, and pollination occurs more often, so you can multiply your favorite flower not only with children, but also with seeds.
You need to take care of hippeastrum in the garden or on the loggia just like at home. However, in this case, the florist’s concerns are added:
- need for thorough weeding;
- plant protection against diseases and pests;
- hiding landing during a cold snap.
When finding hippeastrum in the garden, it is easier to track the completion of the growing season of the crop and prepare the bulbs for a rest period. With a decrease in air temperature, leaves begin to wither, watering is limited, and feeding is stopped a month before the “hibernation”.Before the frosts begin in the fall, the bulbs ready for “wintering” are dug out for further storage in a cool place.
