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Hippeastrum is found in the wild in South America, where a number of varieties live in the tropical climate in the wild, in Hippeastrum found in South America, where a number of varieties live in the tropical climate in a wild nature, they are found in South America, where a number of varieties live in the tropical climate in the wild, found in South America, Hippeastrum is found in the subtropical climate, in the wild nature of South America, Hippeastrum is found in South America, where a number of varieties come into the subtropical climate, in a wild nature, Hippeastrum is found in South America, where a number of varieties come to the subtropical climate, in the wild nature they are found in South America, and a number of varieties live in the tropical climate in the wild, found in South America, hippastrum is found in South America, where a number of varieties come to the subtropical climate, in a wild environment, Hippeastrum is found in South America;growth is very severe. In Europe, the first bulbs came in the second half of the XVI century, and the flowering of hippeastrum made a great impression in the countries of the Old World, where the fashion for bulbous cultures was gaining momentum.
Gradually, the plant was studied, the Europeans learned how to grow hippeastrum and how to care for the flower. A hundred years later, the first hybrid plants were bred. And if in nature there are several dozen species of these bulbous plants, then the number of varieties already exceeds two thousand. Today, any gardener who has ever seen a spectacular flowering of hippeastrum probably will not leave the thought to decorate its own window sill with a luxurious plant.
Hippeastrum: features of the plant
Depending on the species and age, the bulb of hippeastrum has a diameter of 5 to 10 cm and consists of a short section of the stem and surrounding closed scales.
In the bosom of every fourth scale, the rudiments are formed:
- peduncle, as it grows to a height of 40–80 cm;
- future large, collected in inflorescences of 2-6 pieces of flowers.
The leaves of hippeastrum are opposite each other, depending on the variety, do not exceed 4–5 cm in width, and reach 50–70 cm in length. A florist who is going to grow gippeastrum should know that the year of this plant is divided into three clearlypronounced period:
- bloom;
- vegetation;
- rest.
When the long-awaited time of flowering comes, on the tops of the hollow peduncles red, white pink, striped and spotty flowers sitting on the petioles are revealed.
Large bulbs can form two or three peduncles, but specimens with less than four leaves or not reaching a diameter of 6–7 cm this season are unlikely to be pleased with flowering.
The leaves appear one at a time about once a month, and when the plant leaves flowering after flowering for 2 to 3 months, there are no external signs of the development of the bulb, but it actively accumulates strength. Arrows with bright colors appear once a year, but with proper care, as in the photo, at home gippeastrum pleases with flowering twice. The terms and duration of this period depend on the selected variety, the characteristics of care, in particular, on the room temperature. On average, flowering lasts about three weeks.
However, sometimes flower growers can not get the flower arrows from the plant. How to care for the hippeastrum, so that in addition to the leaves, the bulb regularly formed flower stalks? The reason for the lack of flowers often become improperly selected growing conditions of hippeastrum or onion properties:
- An onion that stays for a long time in a shaded area or on the northern windows, where there is not enough light all year round, can refuse to bloom.
- In an oversized or cramped pot, hippeastrum also sometimes does not bloom.
- Negatively affecting the quality of flowering is influenced by improperly chosen watering, fertilizing and even the composition of the soil.
- Do not forget about the rest for 2.5–3 months, which is necessary for the bulb, when the hippeastrum is necessarily sent to a cool, dark place.
If there are no visible reasons for refusing flowering, the bulb is healthy and well-fed, you can get it to throw away the peduncle, using one of their proven methods:
- In the middle of summer, all the leaves are cut from the bulbs and stop watering. After a month, watering is resumed and a one-time complex feeding is carried out. By the beginning of autumn, buds and flowers appear on the hippeastrum.
- A set of buds is also noted after 20–25 days after a three-hour treatment of the bulb with water heated to 43–45 ° C.
- For spring flowering of hippeastrum in August, the plant ceases to be watered and, until January, a dark place is transferred to a darkened cool place. After 5-6 weeks after the resumption of irrigation, the bulb gives buds.
For quality flowering, it is important that during the growing season and the rest of the bulb was able to recover and form a flower stem. If the bulb lacks nutrition, it is possible that the time has come when it is simply necessary to transplant hippeastrum. This can be indicated by the entanglement of the roots of the whole earthen coma. Do not forget about carrying out dressing hippeastrum.
Longer recovery during the vegetation phase and in the dormant period require small bulbs, as well as some diseases or attacks of pests.
The resting period provides for the removal of healthy, well-prepared bulbs in a cool dark place. Most often, the bulbs hippeastrum "fall asleep" from September to January. How to care for a flower to hippeastrum bloom in due time? Special care is not required at this time, and special conditions are created for the bulbs:
- The optimum temperature is 12–14 ° C.
- Full blackout.
- The air is dry, the humidity does not exceed 50–60%.
- Watering and feeding completely stop.
How and when to replant hippeastrum?
Hippeastrum quickly master an earthy ball in a pot and literally suck out all the nutrients from the soil.
Therefore, it is possible to replant a plant almost every year. When to replant gippeastrum more convenient and painless for the plant? The best period for transplanting an onion is time:
- before being sent for storage during the rest period;
- after their hibernation;
- before flowering;
- after completion of flowering, if we are talking about a newly acquired plant, located in the transporting pot and substrate.
Before replanting hippeastrum:
- carefully remove dead scales from the bulbs;
- examines the root system, cutting off rotted or damaged roots, if necessary, and treating cutting sites with a fungicide.
Soil for hippeastrum should be light, loose, with low acidity and a high content of nutrients and mineral salts.
If you have to buy ready-made mixture, it is better to choose soil for bulbous crops for growing hippeastrum, and then shift it with vermiculite or sand to make it friable.
When the earth mixture is prepared independently, three parts of leafy earth and an additive from one part of humus are used; if necessary, sand and dolomite flour are mixed into the ground:
- For growing hippeastrum there is enough pot, the walls of which are 3 cm apart from the bulbharm to bloom.
- At the bottom of the necessarily arrange a drainage layer.
- And the bulb is planted so that most of it remains above the ground.
In the summer months, the bulbs can be planted in open ground, where the same care for the hippeastrum continues, in the photo, as in the home. And before the frost bulbs dug and transferred into the room.
Illumination when growing hippeastrum.
Hippeastrum are light-requiring and best of all feel in the most illuminated places, suffering even a direct hit by the sun.
But in the shade the plant does not bloom well, the bulb recovers more slowly and grows. The lack of light can be judged by the pale, elongated leaves and peduncles. In the shade, your plant may not give buds at all. If you want to see beautiful blooming inflorescences on your window, choose windows on the south side of the house.
Air temperature and irrigation features when growing hippeastrum.
In order to have flowers on the plant for as long as possible, care for hippeastrum at home provides for the creation of optimal temperature and humidity conditions.
- Daily air temperature is 20–22 ° C;
- At night, the air should be somewhat cooler, around 18 ° C.
Hippeastrum do not like temperature changes, during storage it is important not to lower the temperature drops below +5 ° C, which can damage flower buds. But in the garden short-term frosts down to –1 ° C, the plant, if covered with non-woven material, withstands.
The optimum air humidity for this type of bulbous is 75–80%.
Watering when growing hippeastrum also has its own specifics. Until the arrow rises 10–15 cm, the plant is moistened moderately, making sure that the top layer of soil dries out between waterings.
As the flowers begin to open, they increase the amount of moisture, trying to prevent the roots from overflowing.
Hippeastrum
Top dressing of hippeastrum is carried out not earlier than 4–6 weeks after the plant “awakens”.Then the flower should receive support in the form of fertilizer every two weeks, and the last feeding is carried out for a month before sending the bulbs to rest.
Top dressing is always combined with irrigation so that the fertilizer gets into the wet soil.
Potassium is considered the most important element in the nutrition of the hippeastrum elements. When hippeastrum blooms, it is fertilized with a phosphorus-potassium mixture with a slight addition of nitrogen. As leaves appear, the proportion of nitrogen is increased, bringing to the amount of phosphorus. From May to the end of the summer, you can alternate feeding with organic and mineral fertilizers. If you use a complex finished composition, it is better to choose a mixture for bulbous, where the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is 1: 3: 4.5.
How to care for hippeastrum, if the plant is grown without soil, in a solution of nutrients? In this case, 10 liters of water will require:
- 3 grams of magnesium sulfate;
- 9 grams of potash;
- 3 grams of ammonium nitrate;
- 7 grams of superphosphate,
- and a mixture of trace elements.
When growing hippeastrum, one must remember that a surplus of nitrogen threatens diseases. Such bulbs can rot and do not tolerate a dormant period.
