Indoor plants bulbous hippeastrum. Indoor lily hippeastrum - care at home

Blooming hippeastrum fascinates with its beauty. Only once a year he pleases us with huge star flowers. And what a disappointment it can be when the long-awaited flower does not appear, or the plant begins to fade altogether. To avoid such troubles and be able to enjoy the contemplation of this miracle flower, you need to know some secrets of care and stick to them. The grateful plant will certainly please the eye with generous flowering.

Description of hippeastrum

Appearance

Hippeastrum (lat. Hippeastrum) - perennial bulbous plant. The leaves are linear, shiny leaves, 50–70 cm long, 4–5 cm wide, and have shallow grooves on the surface. The leaves are arranged in two rows. During the flowering period, the plant produces a powerful, tall (up to 60–80 cm) peduncle.

The name of the flower is translated from ancient Greek as “star horseman”.

Hippeastrum during flowering is a source of pride and admiration

The flowers are funnel-shaped. Their color range is quite wide: red, white, orange, pink, purple, sometimes yellow or greenish shades. The main tone can be supplemented with strokes or specks.

The flowers are large - up to 20 cm in diameter, collected in an umbrella inflorescence. Hippeastrum has a very faint odor. Some species have no smell at all. This is a great advantage for people prone to allergic reactions.

Natural habitat and home maintenance

The homeland of hippeastrum is the American tropics and subtropics, in particular the Amazon basin. It was brought to Europe in the 16th century and quickly gained admirers around the world. In 1799, the first hybrid Hippeastrum Johnson was bred. Today these flowers are widely used as a houseplant and are also grown for cutting. Hippeastrums are not particularly difficult to care for. Even novice gardeners can easily cope with this task.

Variety of hippeastrum varieties

This plant belongs to the Amaryllis family and has about 90 species and more than 2 thousand varieties.

In indoor floriculture, the hybrid hippeastrum (hippeastrum hybrida) is most often cultivated. The classification of varietal hippeastrums is based on two characteristics: flower size and shape. Depending on this, plants are conventionally divided into 9 groups, which are indicated in the table.

The most popular groups and varieties of hippeastrum - table

Group name	Popular varieties
Large-flowered simple	Apple Blossom, Charisma, Showmaster, Minerva, Hermes
Medium flowered simple	Lemon Star, Magic Green
Small-flowered simple	Santa Cruz, Giraffe, Baby Star, Bianca, Neon
Terry large-flowered	Blossom Peacock, White Peacock, Sweet Nymphs, Dance Queen, Aphrodite, Lady Jane
Terry medium-flowered	Alfresco, Uniquay, Double Record, Elvas, Pasadena,
Terry small-flowered	Zombie
Sibistr	La Paz, Emerald, Chico, Rio Negro, Tiramisu, Melfi
Orchids	Papilio, Exotic Star, Ruby Star
Tubular	Pink Floyd, Amputo, Santiago, Germa, Rebecca

Magnificent hippeastrums in the photo

Similarities and differences with amaryllis

Amaryllis is often classified as a hippeastrum variety, but this is erroneous.

Hippeastrum is often confused with amaryllis or the names of these flowers are considered synonymous. Even hippeastrum can be sold under the name “amaryllis” or vice versa. They are indeed relatives, belonging to the same botanical family - amaryllidaceae, but representing different genera.

Externally, these plants are very similar and require almost the same care. Biologically, they are structured differently. The main differences are presented in the table.

Biological differences between hippeastrum and amaryllis - table

Characteristics	Hippeastrum
Rest period	September–February.	June–September.
Flowering period	February March.	Autumn (at home - closer to winter).
Reproduction	Children are formed quite rarely.	Babies are regularly formed in the bulb.
Peduncle structure	Hollow.	Full-bodied.
Number of flowers in inflorescence	2–6.	8–12.
The smell of flowers	Practically absent.	Fragrant.
Features of the appearance of the peduncle	After the appearance of the fourth leaf or simultaneously with them.	First the peduncle appears, and towards the end of flowering the leaves appear.
Possibility of change life cycle	It is possible to artificially retire at any time, as well as stimulate flowering on a given date and re-blooming.	Life cycles cannot be “programmed”.

Optimal conditions for growing a flower

The practice of cultivating this plant shows that the beauty of hippeastrum depends on the optimal temperature, humidity and light levels. Intense flowering ensures a full dormant period in a dark, dry and cool place for at least 8-10 weeks. “Tired” hippeastrum most often produces small flowers on a short peduncle or does not bloom at all.

At the moment the bulb awakens, the conditions should be gradually (but not radically) changed: move the plant to a warm, but not too brightly lit room and increase watering to moderate. In this way, the formation and development of peduncles is stimulated. In cold climates this process slows down greatly.

When a plant comes from the dark directly into bright light, combined with excess moisture, it stimulates the rapid growth of green mass, but noticeably inhibits the development of the peduncle.

Planting and transplanting

The time for planting hippeastrum bulbs can be selected depending on the desired flowering period. This can be done regardless of the season. The plant will delight you with flowers approximately 5–9 weeks from the moment the shoots appear. Hippeastrum bulbs sold through the retail chain are ready to bloom. They have passed the dormant period and do not need darkness. For planting, a deep (up to 15 cm) and narrow (no more than 5–6 cm larger than the diameter of the bulb) pot is required, preferably ceramic, and must be stable on a horizontal surface. A narrow pot is necessary to prevent excessive moisture and rotting of the roots. The optimal substrate should be drainage, which fills the lower part of the pot, and a soil mixture consisting of equal parts of sand, turf soil, humus or peat.

Drainage is a prerequisite for preventing excessive soil moisture and rotting of the bulb and roots

The bulb is planted in a slightly moist soil mixture, deepening it to a maximum of 2/3 of the height.

A narrow pot and shallow planting help create optimal conditions for hippeastrum

After planting, the plant only needs warmth. There is no need to water the hippeastrum until sprouts appear.

If any damage is noticed on the bulb, it must first be healed. This procedure includes trimming the rotten parts, soaking for 30 minutes in a fungicide solution (Fundazol, Maxim) or ordinary brilliant green and drying for 24 hours.

Such a bulb must be planted in soil where humus is replaced with a small amount of sphagnum (peat moss).

It is advisable to bury the reanimated bulb into the soil to no more than 1/4 of its height. With such planting, it is easier to control its condition and, if necessary, carry out spraying. After the bulb has recovered, it is easy to add soil mixture to the usual level.

Having planted the plant in moist soil, place it in a warm, slightly shaded place (you can cover it with an empty pot) and exclude watering until the peduncle is forced to a height of 10 cm.

The optimal frequency of hippeastrum transplantation is once every 3–4 years. A favorable time is the threshold of the rest period or its end. It is advisable to use the transshipment method when replanting - moving the plant along with the earthen lump. In this case, the root system is minimally damaged, which contributes to the rapid rooting of the bulb and its active development.

Transshipment method - a method of transplantation with minimal damage to the root system

Basic rules for caring for hippeastrum

Watering and fertilizing

As discussed above, the intensity of watering of hippeastrum is directly related to its life cycle. However, it is important to provide the plant not only with the required amount of moisture, but also to correctly deliver it to the root system.

For example, it is not recommended to pour water on the onion - it may rot. It is better to combine top watering with tray watering. This way the moisture will be evenly distributed throughout the earthen ball, which will prevent rotting of the roots. The main rule for watering hippeastrum: it is better to underwater than to overwater. You also need to regularly wipe the leaves from dust or wash them with warm water.

During the growth of the peduncle, when it reaches a height of 12–15 cm, it is useful to water the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. 5-6 days after this, you need to feed the plant with phosphorus fertilizer.

Hippeastrum is fertilized regularly, at the beginning of the growing season - once every two weeks with liquid nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (7:3:6) fertilizer (for deciduous plants). After the leaves appear for stimulation active formation Hippeastrum buds require less nitrogen and much more potassium, so the ratio of mineral components changes to 4:6:12 (for flowering plants). The frequency of feeding is maintained.

A month before the onset of the dormant period, hippeastrum needs fertilizers with a small amount of nitrogen and phosphorus and a large amount of potassium (4: 4: 12).

Carefully read the directions for applying fertilizers on the packaging and do not exceed the specified concentration of minerals. Otherwise you may get burned root system plants.

Timely balanced feeding promotes high-quality flowering and growth of foliage mass. The bases of the leaves form the scales of the bulb and it increases in size. With insufficient nutrition or complete absence of fertilizing, the bulb will use nutrients accumulated from the leaves, but they are not enough to ensure flowering.

Some secrets of flowering

Sometimes hippeastrum disappoints gardeners by refusing to bloom. Why? There may be several reasons:

1. Most often, the plant does not throw out a peduncle due to exhaustion of the bulb. Hippeastrum requires a significant amount of nutrients for flowering. It is not surprising that the soil in the pot quickly becomes depleted. To avoid such problems, it is necessary to fertilize regularly and in sufficient quantities.
2. A plant affected by pests (spider mites, scale insects or scale insects) tries to fight them and does not have the strength to flower.
3. Hippeastrum does not bloom even when the bulb rots, which occurs due to waterlogging of the soil.

To admire the blooming hippeastrum year after year, you should not allow such situations. It is also useful to know some tricks of experienced gardeners to ensure 100% flowering of this plant:

• treating the bulb before planting with hot (43–45 ºC) water for three hours will cause the plant to bloom in three weeks;
• if you stop watering in August, move the plant to a dark, dry place and keep it there until the end of January, and then resume watering, the flowers will delight you in 1.5 months;
• If you cut off all the leaves in July and do not water the hippeastrum for a month, and introduce a liquid complex fertilizer with the first watering, the flowers will bloom in August or September.

To avoid burning the roots, fertilizer should be applied only after preliminary moistening of the soil.

Immediately after flowering, it is necessary to cut off the withered peduncle, continuing to water and fertilize. And prepare the plant for good rest(rest period). The next flowering directly depends on this.

Rest period

The natural dormant period of the hippeastrum lasts quite a long time: from September to January. If your plant grew outdoors in the summer, by the beginning of autumn you need to bring it into the house and gradually reduce watering until the leaves stop completely and dry out. You can independently trim the yellowed leaves from which the bulb has already taken nutrients.

The quality of the next flowering depends on the dormant period

After this, you should place (or place the pot with the plant on its side) in a dark and cool (5–12 ° C) room. Many gardeners keep them at a higher temperature - about 17–18 °C. The soil must be lightly moistened once every 2–3 weeks to prevent the roots from drying out. It is not recommended to wet or spray the bulb.

The dormant period should last 1.5–3 months, depending on the planned time of subsequent flowering of the plant. During this time, the hippeastrum does not “show signs of life.” The development of leaves and peduncles occurs only inside the bulb.

After the rest period, it is time for the hippeastrum to wake up. Leaves and flower stalks appear on the surface of the bulb.

Simultaneous appearance of leaves and peduncle

Problems waking up after wintering

If the bulb does not wake up, you can, of course, be patient and wait for it to awaken on its own. But, as a rule, a “late” bulb will not produce full flowering.

In this case, it is worth remembering in what state the plant “retired”. After all, the peduncle is formed in the axil of every fourth leaf. If last year the green mass was not sufficiently expanded, the bulb will be weakened.

And if there were fewer than four leaves, then the hippeastrum will probably refuse to bloom in the new season. Dry content can hardly help here. It is necessary to provide very warm temperature, actively water and feed.

Care errors and their correction

Caring for hippeastrum is not very difficult, but it is necessary to follow the rules of watering, fertilizing and lighting at different periods of the plant’s life cycle.

Common mistakes in caring for hippeastrum - table

Care errors	Their manifestation	Fixes
No rest period (air temperature above 18°C, regular watering and/or fertilizing)	Lack of flower bud formation and, as a result, flowering.	Follow the described rules for watering and fertilizing, maintain a temperature regime corresponding to each stage of the plant’s life cycle.
Low air temperature (below 17°C) during flowering
Poor lighting during active growth
Violation of the rules of watering and fertilizing (lack of it)
Overwatering	Abrupt cessation of growth, rotting of the bulb, development of pests in the soil.	Dig it up, free it from the soil, remove damaged parts of the plant if necessary, and replant it in clean soil.
Keeping at low temperature or damp	Darkening or blackening of flowers.	Cut off damaged flowers, move the plant to a warm, dry place and maintain optimal growing conditions.
Insufficient feeding with potassium fertilizers or keeping them in too dry a room during the growing season	Browning of leaf tips.	Feed with mineral fertilizer containing macro- and microelements and fertilize in accordance with the phase of plant development, humidify the air.
Lighting too bright	Fading flowers.	Provide diffuse lighting, avoiding direct sunlight.

Diseases and pests of hippeastrum

Hippeastrum is not too susceptible to disease. It is most often affected by red burn (red burn fungus or stagonosporosis), red rot and downy mildew. Some pests can also bother this plant: spider mites, scale insects, aphids, and scale insects. You can determine what ails a plant by looking at its appearance.

Reproduction

Hippeastrums reproduce in two ways: seed and vegetative.

Seed method

The seed method is quite complex and time-consuming. Seeds are formed only 1.5–2 months after flowering. But they do not form on their own. It is necessary to artificially pollinate the pistils and stamens. The grown ovary has the appearance of a large tricuspid box.

Ripening of hippeastrum seeds

Inside the box there are rows of flattened seeds of irregular round shape. They are characterized by a black color with a brown tint and the presence of thin black wings.

Bulb separation

They are separated with a sterile sharp instrument, treating the cuts with crushed coal. Planted in accordance with the rules for planting an adult bulb.

For two years, the newly planted plant is not deprived of foliage and is not put to rest. The growth of the bulb and the formation of a peduncle in it depends on the intensity of leaf growth. At good care the children will throw out flower stalks in 2–3 years.

Dividing the bulb

Split onion

Division is carried out during the maximum accumulation of nutrients in the bulb - in November.

Division process algorithm:

1. Remove the top layer of soil, leaving only the bottom of the bulb in the soil.
2. Remove external dry scales.
3. Cut off the leaves along with top part bulbs.
4. Cut the onion into four equal parts to the surface of the soil.
5. Insert knitting needles with a diameter of 5–6 cm into the cuts to prevent the parts of the bulb from closing.
6. Follow all the rules for caring for an adult plant.
7. When the leaves appear, fertilize and continue fertilizing according to the standard scheme.
8. Next spring, divide the bulb and plant the parts in separate flowerpots.

You can divide the onion in another way: cut it, leaving a piece of bottom and scales in each part. It is useful to sprinkle the sections with charcoal or activated carbon. Plant the resulting slices in a light peat mixture.

surface planting in light substrate

After 40–50 days, babies appear and need to be planted in pots in the spring.

Attention! When seating, one must not forget about the presence of toxic substances in hippeastrum bulbs and adhere to safety rules

Among indoor flowers, hippeastrum is particularly attractive, as it is at the same time a rather complex plant in terms of planting and care. For this reason, not all gardeners manage to achieve its flowering. Below we will tell you everything about growing it and overcoming possible problems.

Hippeastrum - description of the flower

Hippeastrum flowers belong to a perennial plant emerging from a bulb. When it blooms and grows, large linear leaves are formed, which can stretch up to 70 cm and have a width of 4-5 cm. They are arranged in two rows, opposite each other.

Did you know? Although most hippeastrums have leaves with a familiar green color, a number of varieties have purple leaves, which makes the plant especially attractive even without flowering.

At proper care an inflorescence with 2-6 flowers appears on the hippeastrum. The flowers are large, can reach 15 cm in length, and their width is often 25 cm.

Their color can be very different: from white to dark red. After flowering, a fruit is formed in the form of a box, in which the hippeastrum seeds ripen.

When fully ripe, they can be used for planting and obtaining bulbs; fortunately, they have 100% germination rate.

However, in home growing This plant is quite complex, as it differs in a number of features:

1. It is almost impossible to obtain seeds suitable for future sowings from light and white varieties of hippeastrum, since they are hybrids.
2. For full growth of the plant in the summer, it is good to plant it in the garden, digging it together with the pot into the soil.
3. Despite the fact that it is quite difficult to achieve hippeastrum flowering at home, you should be prepared for the fact that all efforts will be made for only 10 days of flowering.

Choosing a pot for hippeastrum

The size of the pot will directly depend on the size of the hippeastrum bulb. Please note: when planting, the bulb should be placed in the middle of the pot, leaving 5 cm to each edge. Thus, the pot for this flower must be at least 15 cm in diameter.

As for the height of the pot, on the contrary, it should not be too high, because the bulb does not need to be completely immersed in the soil ( its upper part remains half above the ground). In addition, at the bottom of the pot it will be necessary to lay out drainage from stones, and above it there is still a fairly large layer of soil.

There are no clear restrictions regarding the material of the container for hippeastrum, but it is still better to use ordinary plastic pots for this plant.

This is due to the fact that ceramics can heat up intensely in the sun, often causing overheating of the flower bulb. In this case, his death will be inevitable.

Choosing soil for hippeastrum

Hippeastrum flowers are quite demanding on the composition of the soil in the pot, so it must be prepared especially carefully.

The most important requirement is lightness of the soil, which could quickly pass moisture through itself and provide good air supply to the bulb.

It is also important that the soil contains a lot of organic fertilizers, and its acidity level does not exceed 6 pH.

It is quite difficult to obtain such a soil mixture by mixing it yourself, so it is better to go to a specialized store and purchase ready-made soil for bulbous indoor flowers. It’s true that it wouldn’t hurt to add a little sand to the purchased soil.

If you still decide to prepare a soil mixture for hippeastrum yourself, then use the following components for it (the ratio is indicated in numbers):

• clay-turf soil (2);
• leaf soil(1);
• humus (1);
• peat (1);
• sand (1).

Which hippeastrum bulbs are best to choose?

Most often, hippeastrum is propagated by bulbs, which can be purchased at a regular flower shop. However, when choosing bulbs, you must remain as careful as possible, since spoiled planting material will only bring you trouble.

It is worth going for them in spring or autumn, since this is the ideal time for forcing a flower.

The most important key to getting a large and healthy flower is This is the use of large bulbs that store a sufficient supply of nutrients. Thanks to this, not only will a large plant grow from the bulb, but it will also be guaranteed to bloom.

But in addition to its large size, the bulb must also have a strong neck and bottom. It’s great if its upper scales are dry and brown. If there are seals, red or dark spots, or rot on the bulb, it has already deteriorated and is not worth buying.

But often bulbs are sold not just in bags without soil, but also in pots. In such cases, when purchasing a flower, it is necessary to inspect the roots of the bulb, which should be visible through the hole in the bottom of the pot.

A healthy bulb will be indicated by:

• roots are white;
• the body of the bulb is hard and strong to the touch;
• dry, brown scales;
• absence of wet or discolored areas.

Important! If the store offers significant discounts on hippeastrum bulbs, be sure to ask the sellers what they are connected with. Very often this is done to sell rotten planting material, although prices may also be reduced due to the end of the planting season.

Where to place the hippeastrum?

Hippeastrums love moderate temperatures, which during their growing season should not exceed +23 ˚С, but should not fall below +17 ˚С.

However, if we are talking about the plant’s dormant period, then it is better to remove the bulb from the room and take it to the basement, where the temperature is at +10 ˚С.

Since hippeastrums love a lot of sun, their place is only near a window, into which light falls almost throughout the day. But the sun's rays should not shine directly on the flower; it is better to curtain the window with thick tulle so that the leaves and flowers of the hippeastrum do not get burned.

In this case, the flower pot should be constantly rotated, otherwise it may stretch to one side.

Hippeastrum needs good lighting even after flowering, since without it the bulb and seeds in the box will not be able to fully ripen for the next planting.

Air humidity is also important for the flower, and if it is low, it will need spraying (just make sure that drops of water do not fall on the flowers).

Planting and propagation of hippeastrum

Hippeastrum suggests the possibility of planting the most different ways, among which you can use both seeds and plant parts at home. You can try each of them.

Seed method

Planting hippeastrum in a pot by seed involves the full maturation of the box formed after flowering.

It is very important that during this period the plant receives enough nutrients, moisture and sunlight, since otherwise the seeds may not ripen.

When the box with them is completely dry, it is simply torn off, after which the seeds can be immediately used for sowing.

Please note that when propagating hippeastrum from seeds, in the first year of sowing, the bulb in the ground is just beginning to form, which means that only the next year it will be able to produce an arrow with leaves. It may take another 1-2 years before full flowering occurs.

However, despite the need for a long wait for flowering, it is thanks to the seed method that it is possible to obtain varietal hippeastrums with a clear manifestation of all characteristics.

Vegetative methods

Vegetative methods of propagating hippeastrums involve either the use of daughter bulbs that are formed near the main one (they can be separated only after the diameter reaches at least 2 cm), or by dividing the bulbs into two parts.

Both of these options are used only when transplanting a flower, when the bulb is dug out of the soil.

When planting hippeastrums with the help of daughter bulbs, flowering also does not occur in the first year. They need 2-3 years to ripen and gain strength for flowering.

Landing technology

When planting a bulb in pre-prepared soil, it is important to consider the following nuances:

Important! If during planting or transplanting the bulb there are scales on it that can be easily removed with your fingers, it is better to remove them immediately, since they are already dead and will rot if they come into contact with moisture.

Growing hippeastrum in a pot

When growing hippeastrums at home, the flowers need to be given a lot of attention and care. Although in general it is to ensure good place for growth, watering and feeding, yet this plant has its own requirements for all these aspects.

Watering hippeastrum

Hippeastrum is quite whimsical in watering, since it cannot be over-filled with water, nor allowed to suffer a lack of moisture. Also, during each growing season of a flower, it requires special water balance:

Please note that water should not fall on the bulb - it should only be poured into the soil.

Fertilizer and feeding

Fertilizer for hippeastrum must be selected taking into account the stage of flower development. In addition, it is important to alternate mineral and organic fertilizers.

First, it is better to buy special fertilizers intended for bulbous indoor plants. Feeding the hippeastrum proceeds according to the following scheme:

Hippeastrums respond best to fertilizing with potassium fertilizers. In general, soil fertilization should be done every two weeks, but nutrients should not be applied to dry soil.

In addition, if you have just transplanted or planted hippeastrum, the first feeding must be done no earlier than after 1 month.

How to make hippeastrum bloom?

It often happens that a bulb produces arrows with leaves for several years in a row, but a peduncle does not appear on it. The first reason may be that the bulb is too small, which simply does not have enough strength to flower,

Plant hippeastrum (lat. Hippeastrum) belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family. There are about 90 species of hippeastrum. The name of the flower consists of two roots of the ancient Greek language, meaning “horseman” and “star” in translation. Hippeastrum is often confused with amaryllis, but you should know that beautiful amaryllis (the only representative of the genus) grows naturally in southern Africa, and hippeastrum grows in the tropics and subtropics of America, in particular in the Amazon basin. Amaryllis and hippeastrum are relatives belonging to the same botanical family, but representing different genera. Hippeastrum was brought to Europe in the 16th century, and in 1799 the first plant hybrid, Johnson's hippeastrum, appeared.

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Planting and caring for hippeastrum

• Bloom: Aug. Sept.
• Lighting: bright diffused light (southern, southwest or southeast windows).
• Temperature: 17-25˚C.
• Watering: at the beginning of the growing season - scanty, with the appearance of a peduncle before flowering - abundant, but not excessive. It is recommended to use the bottom watering method.
• Air humidity: usual for residential premises.
• Feeding: from the beginning of the growing season - once every two weeks with liquid mineral fertilizers for deciduous plants, and from the moment the peduncle appears - in the same regime, but with solutions of mineral fertilizers for flowering plants.
• Rest period: from October to January.
• Transfer: once every 3-4 years after flowering or before the start of the growing season.
• Reproduction: seeds, children and dividing the bulb.
• Pests: scale insects, aphids, spider mites, mealybugs.
• Diseases: peronosporosis, burn fungus, red rot.

Read more about growing hippeastrum below.

Hippeastrum flower - features

Hippeastrum flowers are bulbous perennials. The round, sometimes conical bulb of the hippeastrum consists of a short thick stem and closed scales. The size of the bulbs, depending on the type, ranges from 5 cm to 10 cm in diameter. At the base (bottom) of the bulb there is a bunch of cord-like roots. The leaves of hippeastrum are linear, grooved on the surface, keeled below, 50-70 cm long, 4-5 cm wide, arranged in two opposite rows. Some varieties may have purple leaves, but they are mostly green. An umbrella-shaped inflorescence of 2-6 bisexual flowers 13-15 cm in length and up to 25 cm in diameter is formed on a cylindrical, hollow, leafless peduncle 35-80 cm high. The flowers, funnel-shaped or tubular, are located on long petioles; the color of the flowers is very different: dark red, bright red, orange, pink, white, etc. The fruit is a tricuspid capsule, spherical or angular, in which small hippeastrum seeds ripen. The germination rate of freshly harvested seeds is almost one hundred percent.

Homemade hippeastrum has several features, things to consider if you decide to grow it:

• varieties with light and white flowers produce few full-fledged seeds;
• in the summer, hippeastrum is best kept in the garden, buried in the ground;
• the timing of the flowering of hippeastrum can be adjusted by timing it to certain dates - this is very convenient, considering that a blooming hippeastrum is a wonderful gift that replaces an expensive, exquisite bouquet;
• Each hippeastrum flower blooms for only ten days;
• For forcing, you need to use only large bulbs, which have accumulated a large supply of nutrients.

In the photo: Hippeastrum flowering

Caring for hippeastrum at home

How to care for hippeastrum

The hippeastrum should be kept in a well-lit place, preferably on a south, south-east or south-west windowsill, covering the flower from direct sunlight and turning it around its axis from time to time so that it maintains its compact shape. The temperature during the period of active growth is preferably from 17 ºC to 25 ºC. As already mentioned, in the summer the hippeastrum feels great in the fresh air, but you will have to arrange it outdoors in such a way that it does not suffer from waterlogging.

Water the hippeastrum at the beginning of the growing season, you need to do it very sparingly, gradually increasing watering only from the moment the peduncle appears - a signal that the plant has begun the growing season. As the flower shoot grows and before flowering begins, watering should become abundant, but nevertheless moderate, so that the soil in the flowerpot is moist and not wet.

It is best to water from the bottom or from a tray, gradually adding warm water until the earthen ball is wet. Avoid getting water on the bulb.

After flowering, watering is also gradually reduced until it stops completely.

In the photo: Growing hippeastrum at home

When the hippeastrum peduncle reaches 12-15 cm in height, water the soil with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate, and after 4-6 days feed the plant with phosphorus fertilizer. In general, hippeastrum is fertilized at the beginning of the growing season twice a month with liquid mineral fertilizer for deciduous plants, and after the leaves appear and for better formation of buds - with fertilizers for flowering plants in the same regime. Make sure that the concentration of minerals is not too strong, otherwise, instead of fertilizing the plant, you will burn its roots.

Do not forget to wash the leaves from dust in a warm shower or wipe them regularly with a damp sponge.

Hippeastrum transplantation

Hippeastrum is replanted once every three to four years before the dormant period or before leaving it. It is very important to choose the right pot for the flower: the distance from the bulb to the wall of the pot should not be more than 2 cm. The soil should be approximately the following composition: two parts perlite (or coarse sand), leaf and turf soil and one part humus. The soil must be sterilized before use. Don't forget about the drainage layer. Planting of hippeastrum is carried out by transshipment in order to cause as little damage as possible to the root system of the plant. The bulb is placed in the ground so that at least a third of it is above the surface.

Reproduction of hippeastrum

Hippeastrums reproduce by seed and vegetative methods. It is better to sow seeds immediately after collecting them, while they have one hundred percent germination. If you allow the seeds to dry out, then the ability to germinate becomes only thirty percent. Actually, sowing seeds is a simple, routine procedure, so there is no point in talking about it, especially since the seed method can only be used if there are seeds, and they can appear if you artificially pollinate the flower.

It is much easier to reproduce vegetatively, namely, by separating the hippeastrum babies from the mother bulb. This is done during transplantation. We separate the baby with a sterile sharp instrument, treat the cuts on it with crushed coal, put it in a separate pot and do not deprive it for two years. young plant foliage even during the dormant period.

In the photo: How hippeastrum blooms in an apartment

There is another way of vegetative propagation of hippeastrum - by dividing the bulb. It is carried out in November, when the bulb contains the maximum amount of nutrients. Remove the top layer of substrate so that only the lower part of the bulb remains in the soil. Remove outer dry scales. Cut off the leaves, taking some of the top of the bulb. Cut the onion vertically into four equal parts so that the cuts reach the surface of the substrate; vertically insert plastic or wooden knitting needles with a diameter of 5-6 cm into the cuts so that the parts of the onion do not overlap. Care for the bulb as you would an adult plant, avoiding allowing the substrate to dry out. As soon as the leaves appear, fertilize and continue fertilizing as usual. Next spring, divide the bulb and plant the parts in individual flowerpots.

The rest period of the hippeastrum

The resting period of hippeastrum is from September to January. If your plant has spent summer holidays in the yard, then by the beginning of autumn it’s time to bring it into the house. At the same time, they begin to gradually reduce watering, as a result of which the leaves of the plant dry out. After complete drying, the leaves fall off on their own, and the stem is cut off, the plant is transferred to a dry and dark room, the pot is placed on its side and stored at a temperature of 6-12 ºC without watering for 6 to 8 weeks until it is time for the hippeastrum to wake up.

Hippeastrum flowering

How to make hippeastrum bloom

• Firstly, Bulbs can be treated before planting hot water 43-45 ºC for three hours. After such extreme temperatures, the plant blooms in three weeks.
• Second way effects: stop watering the plant in August, move it to a dry, dark place and keep it there until the end of January, after which resume watering. In a month and a half you will be able to enjoy the flowering of hippeastrum.
• And the third way beliefs: cut off all the leaves of the hippeastrum in July and do not water it for a month, and with the first watering, introduce liquid complex fertilizer (to avoid burns, first moisten the soil thoroughly, then add fertilizer).

In August or September, your hippeastrum will bloom like a darling.

In the photo: Handsome white hippeastrum

Hippeastrum does not bloom - why?

Sometimes this happens due to a lack of nutrients, because the hippeastrum plant is a gluttonous plant, and there is very little soil in the pot, so it is quickly depleted. For this reason, fertilizing should be sufficient and regular, as should watering.

And it happens that a plant throws all its strength into fighting pests, such as

Hippeastrum (care at home is easy and anyone can do) is a very beautiful plant and easy to grow, because it is very unpretentious. However, it still has some of its own characteristics.

Distinctive features of the flower

South America is considered the birthplace of the flower; the largest number of them is in Brazil. It is here that they can be found both in high mountain meadows and on desert plateaus.

In its appearance, hippeastrum is truly unique in its beauty. Each flower is white inside, and its outer walls are red. also in wildlife You can quite easily find a special species with carmine flowers, that is, bright red, which seem to shimmer with velvet.

Representatives that love dampness and shade do not have an intense color, purple slowly turns into pink and then white.

Hippeastrum indoors is a bulbous plant with large flowers, about 20 cm in diameter, which are located on high stalks. As a rule, hippeastrum flowers are collected in umbrella inflorescences. Each inflorescence contains no more than 2-5 flowers.

The leaves are linear-flat, the color of which varies from bright green to dark shade. The length sometimes reaches 70 cm. The leaves, if the plant is healthy, are slightly curved.

Hippeastrum, the varieties of which are quite diverse, is very unpretentious in care. For a little attention to itself, it will thank you with a large number of bright flowers.

How to properly care for a plant?

Hippeastrum (care at home is quite easy) came to us from tropical countries, but despite this, most of the representatives can be found in mountainous areas. In view of this, it follows that caring for the plant should be special.

First of all, you need to take into account that even dry air is easily tolerated by the plant.

Required room temperature

The ideal temperature at which the plant feels quite comfortable is the range from 17 to 25 degrees Celsius. Moreover, in winter period it can be lowered a little. But temperature changes are still undesirable, since this can negatively affect the growth of the hippeastrum. A drop in air temperature by a slight 5 degrees can make the flowering process impossible. That is why you need to carefully monitor the stability of the temperature in the room.

The flowering period can be extended by lowering it to 15 degrees.

Light mode

This plant loves light very much, and this should never be forgotten. Direct sunlight is not scary for him, but it is still better to avoid such situations. The best place For the placement of a pot with a plant, the southern, southwestern or southeastern sides are considered. Diffused light is preferable.

During the dormant period, hybrids of this plant actively lose leaves, which is why it is recommended to move it to a darker place with a lower temperature during this period.

Features of watering

The plant's dormant period ends in December. During this period, it is recommended to move the hippeastrum pot to a place that is fairly well lit. You can start watering only when flower shoots begin to appear and reach a size of about 10 cm. You need to water in small portions, otherwise you will provoke premature growth of leaves.

You should not pour water directly into the pot; it is better to do it in the pan. This method will prevent liquid from getting directly onto the bulb, which could cause it to rot.

Watering should be increased during the period when flower arrows begin their active growth.

After flowering, hippeastrum devotes all its energy to the bulb, which begins to actively grow, as well as to the leaves of the plant. During this period, flower stalks are laid, which will be activated next year. Regular watering of the hippeastrum will contribute to this.

It is necessary to completely stop this procedure at the end of summer, when the plant begins a special period in its life - the dormant period. Right now, flowers, hippeastrum loves it very much, need to be placed in a fairly cool place, and access to water should be excluded. If you are unable to provide the plant with such conditions, and it is forced to stay in a room with a high temperature, you cannot stop watering. It’s enough just to do it in small portions occasionally. This procedure is required to ensure that the hippeastrum bulb does not dry out. But spraying should not be carried out, since the plant tolerates dry air quite easily, and during the dormant period such conditions are considered ideal.

Feeding rules

There is no need to rush to feed your plant. This should only be started when the arrows are at least 15 cm high. If such a flower was transplanted quite recently, then the soil most likely still has a sufficient amount of various nutrients, and fertilizing should be done much later.

Hippeastrum (care at home is very simple) is a plant that prefers potassium and phosphate fertilizers. They are the ones that can significantly speed up the appearance of flowers, contribute to the accumulation of substances necessary for growth in the bulb itself, and the successful establishment of flower stalks. It is recommended to completely exclude nitrogen fertilizers, because they can cause such a nuisance as gray rot, which can lead to the death of hippeastrum.

During the growing season and active growth, it is recommended to fertilize no more than once every two weeks. Approximately a month before the plant's dormant period begins, fertilizing must be stopped completely.

How to care for a plant after flowering?

Hippeastrum goes dormant after flowering. In order for it to please you with beautiful and truly unique flowers next year, you need to follow certain rules of care after flowering:

1. After completing the flowering process, the flower arrow must be cut off, leaving about 2/3 of its previous length. This is necessary so that the bulb can receive a certain part of the nutrients. You can remove the arrow only when it completely fades. To do this, you can carefully pull it out of the bulb.
2. Provide the plant with plenty of sunlight and systematic watering. It is this kind of care that will guarantee a large number of flowers for the next year, since this period is needed so that the bulb can form the rudiments of new flower shoots.
3. To restore the bulb, you need to ensure that the hippeastrum produces as many leaves as possible over the summer. This process can be facilitated by watering with a weak infusion of mullein or a special complex fertilizer, intended for flowers.
4. Its leaves speak about the health of a plant. If they are large, juicy, bright green in color with shine, then the development of the hippeastrum is successful. Special attention should be given to those plants whose leaves lose their elasticity and may break and turn pale. If this happens, you need to increase the amount of sunlight. The ideal option is to transplant it into the garden. However, in this case, you additionally need to ensure that snails and slugs do not harm the leaves.

Having sent the hippeastrum to rest in time, flowering in next year you will definitely get it.

Secrets of successful reproduction

There are three ways to propagate hippeastrum:

• using seeds;
• raising children;
• dividing the bulb.

To obtain seeds, the plant is artificially pollinated. They ripen for 2 months. Moreover, the brighter the color of the flowers, the more likely the seeds are to germinate. They need to be planted immediately after harvesting; the planting depth should be about 2 cm. This method is not very convenient, since flowers appear only after 3-4 years.

The easiest way to implement is the method of reproduction by children. Bulbs with a diameter of about 2 cm are suitable for this, provided that the roots are well developed.

If you have a hybrid plant, then it will not produce children. Then dividing the bulb would be appropriate. As a result of the procedure, you should receive several segments with a well-developed root. If you do not want to ruin the hippeastrum, the bulb must be divided with a sterile instrument.

Before planting directly, parts of the bulb need to be slightly dried and covered with coal chips. Ideally, you need to use a peat-sand mixture as a substrate. After planting, it is recommended to place the pots in plastic bags to create a greenhouse effect. Watering is carried out through the tray.

Possible problems during cultivation

Many gardeners may have questions. The most popular of them: “Why does the hippeastrum not bloom, although all the rules of care are strictly followed?”

This plant is famous for its gorgeous bright flowers, but it depends on two factors:

• the presence of the required amount of nutrients in the plant bulb (can be regulated by feeding);
• a proper period of rest that should never be ignored.

If you follow these two rules, the question: “Why doesn’t hippeastrum bloom?” - you won't have any more problems.

There is also an option to speed up the flowering process. To do this, before planting the bulb directly into the substrate, it must be kept in sufficient hot water(about 45 degrees) up to 3 hours. In addition, you can trim the leaves and stop watering for 30 days. This procedure also contributes to the rapid onset of flowering.

All sorts of insects can also cause harm to the plant, such as mealybugs, spider mites, onion mites, and scale insects. If you see these representatives, you need to remove them with a cotton swab and alcohol. After this, it is recommended to treat the plant itself with a solution of fitoverm or karbofos.

In order for the flower to delight you with its beauty and brightness long time, just choose the right maintenance regime, the hippeastrum (care at home is not difficult) will thank you with abundant flowering.

Houseplants with bright, beautiful flowers are the pride of any gardener. One of these impressive and spectacular specimens is the hippeastrum flower. Caring for it at home is not at all difficult, and all the work more than pays off with unusually beautiful flowering. A huge variety of species and a fairly simple propagation process make this plant a frequent guest in the collections of gardeners.

The houseplant hippeastrum is a flowering bulbous plant. Its homeland is tropical South America, predominantly the Amazon basin. From this area, bright “gramophones” on long stems spread throughout all subtropical and tropical regions. The number of varieties known today reaches 90, and the number hybrid varieties It's long since passed 600.

With proper care, the hippeastrum bulb lives for many years and regularly produces flower stalks - long stems on which several large buds, up to 14 cm in diameter, appear. Some bulbs can produce 2 peduncles per season, but for this they must be large and quite leafy. Arrows with future buds are formed in every fourth scale, therefore, for flowering it is necessary that the plant produces at least 4 leaves.

Hippeastrums bloom between January and April. At first, the bulb quite quickly shoots out an arrow up to 1.2 meters long. Then large buds appear on it, the flowering time of which is 2-3 weeks.

Reproduction of hippeastrum

Can happen in several ways. The simplest and most natural way is to monitor the appearance of children on adult bulbs and separate them.

Vegetative method

The baby is planted in a small pot, replanting as it grows. The first peduncle will appear on it no earlier than in 3 years.

Tip: to avoid damaging the baby, separate it with a confident rotating motion.

Another option for vegetative propagation is dividing the bulb. To do this, an adult, strong and large-diameter onion is cut into equal parts (from 2 to 8) so that each of them has roots. The resulting slices are sprinkled with crushed charcoal in the cut areas and planted in the prepared substrate. During the season, with proper care, each part will give rise to a new baby.

You should work with bulbs carefully, because their juice is poisonous. No hit large quantity taken internally may cause vomiting and diarrhea. It is also better to avoid contact of the bulbs with the skin and mucous membranes.

Propagation by seeds

You can grow hippeastrum from seeds. This method is longer and more labor-intensive, and it will most likely not be possible to reproduce the variety due to the fact that most of these plants are hybrids. The advantage of the method is that, if successful, it allows you to obtain many seedlings at one time. The gardener’s algorithm of actions should be as follows:

1. Using a brush, transfer pollen from the stamens of one flowering hippeastrum to the stigma of another. For pollination to be successful, it is better to carry it out twice, choosing sunny days for this.
2. If fertilization is successful, a fruit will appear from the mother flower at the end of flowering - a box with seeds. In a fairly warm climate, at a temperature of at least 22°C, the seeds ripen in about 60 days. If the box has dried out and started to crack, it’s time to start collecting and sowing.
3. The substrate for hippeastrum seeds consists of turf and leaf soil, sand and humus in a ratio of 1:2:2:1. The soil should be moist, but not too wet.
4. For seed germination, an air temperature of up to 25°C is important.
5. When the seedlings have 2 leaves, they can be transplanted into small pots.

Plant care

Growing hippeastrum at home does not require a lot of time and effort from the gardener. The plant is quite unpretentious, and its important advantage is the ability to regulate flowering time. It is important to separate the periods of flowering and dormancy so that the plant develops and delights with beautiful flowers.

Air temperature and humidity

The temperature comfortable for the plant is determined by the period of its growth. To drive the peduncle and flower, the air must be warmed to 22-25°C, and during the dormant period 15-13°C is sufficient. High humidity is not required; it is enough to maintain it at an average level, occasionally spraying the plant.

Lighting

During the flowering period, hippeastrum needs bright light. West or east window - best option. The south side is good if it is possible to shade it. The north side is absolutely not suitable.

Watering

During flowering, hippeastrum should be watered quite often, but not too much. The soil should be moist, not wet, and have time to dry out between waterings. Watering should be increased from the moment the peduncle reaches 10-12 cm in length. During the dormant period, watering should be stopped.

Fertilizer

Proper care of hippeastrum involves feeding the plant. It should be produced during the growing season with complex mineral fertilizers. It is better if the concentration is small and the frequency is 2 times a month. You should not use organic fertilizers, because they provoke the development of fungi, which often infect bulbous plants.

The soil

The substrate for hippeastrum must be fertile and loose. Garden soil with the addition of humus and coarse sand is suitable. Good drainage made of expanded clay and a pot with a hole are a must.

Planting and transplanting

A correctly planted bulb rises halfway above the soil surface. You should not take a very large pot, otherwise the plant will spend a lot of energy developing the root system. It is optimal if there is 1.5-2 cm from the bulb to the wall of the pot. Hippeastrum is transplanted as needed, usually once every 2-3 years, after the end of the growing season.

Rest period

Hippeastrum after flowering should go into a dormant period. By this time, yellowed leaves should be removed, fertilizing removed and watering gradually stopped. The pot with the bulb is transferred to a dark and cool place. As a rule, the dormant period lasts from early autumn to January. After this, the plant is placed on a shady windowsill until the peduncle hatches.

Advice: to speed up the release of the peduncle and the flowering of the hippeastrum, you can arrange stressful conditions for it. To do this, cut off the existing leaves, stop watering and place the pot in a dark place for a month. After this, place it on a sunny windowsill and begin abundant watering. warm water. Within a month, a peduncle appears.

Possible difficulties in care

Providing comfortable conditions for the growth, development and flowering of hippeastrum is not so difficult, however, there are some problems and pests that gardeners may encounter.

The leaves and flower stalks of the plant can be affected by powdery mildew, scale insects, aphids and spider mites. Their appearance is indicated by plaque and any changes on the surface of the leaves.

In addition, bulbous plants are often affected by fungal diseases and rot. To avoid this, it is recommended to control the degree of soil moisture, treat the bulbs with foundationazole and the soil with fungicidal agents before planting.