When to transplant hippeastrum. When and how to transplant hippeastrum? Hippeastrum flowering video

Hippeastrum- a beautiful houseplant, which is often grown on windowsills. He earned his fame thanks to the original colors that attract attention.

It is a bulbous plant native to Latin and Central America. Belongs to the genus Amaryllis.

Flower growers have bred many interesting varieties. It differs from real amaryllis in that the hippeastrum on a hollow peduncle has up to 6-7 flowers.

You will learn how to care for Hippeastrum at home, how to transplant a flower, what land is needed for Hippeastrum and much more in this article.

A photo

Home care
Hippeastrum flower does not require special care at home. It develops well and blooms at home. It is considered an excellent plant for forcing, it is only important to create the necessary conditions for flowering and choose the right time to start the growing season.
Important: effective flowering occurs under conditions of maintenance close to natural.

Conditions and temperature
Moderate temperatures are suitable for him in summer, within 22-25 degrees. Hippeastrum tolerates wintering calmly. However, special care is required for Hippeastrum in winter. At this time, the bulbs go into a dormant state, so they need to provide cool conditions, around 10-12 degrees. Lowering the temperature below this limit is not recommended, as well as storing in too warm conditions to avoid unwanted germination or drying out of the bulb.

Humidity and watering
Indoor Hippeastrum comes from dry areas, so they do not need much additional spraying, and at low ambient temperatures this can also be harmful. Also do not spray during flowering.
Watering should be taken with all responsibility: severe waterlogging can damage the bulbs. Allow the soil to dry out a little between watering.
By the end of the growing season, when flowering stops and the leaves begin to dry out, watering is gradually reduced. Bulbs that have fallen into a dormant period do not need watering, but if they are too dry, you can moisten them a little.
Attention: a dormant period is required for this plant.

Placement and lighting
For Hippeastrum choose a light placement. He feels good both in diffused light and in direct sunlight. Good light is essential for full flowering. Lack of lighting can even cause the hippeastrum home to refuse to bloom.

Ground and planting
Planting is recommended to be done in the soil from a mixture of soddy soil, peat and sand. Since the plant has a pronounced dormant period, there is no need to completely replace the earth annually, you can do it less often if there is additional feeding.

pruning
The rest period lasts from about the end of October to the beginning of February. The flower stalks begin to dry out on the plant, and then the leaves. The peduncles themselves are cut off when they dry, and the leaves are left until they are completely dry, then they can be carefully pinched off.
After the leaves have dried, the bulbs are moved to a dark, cool place: during this period, light and moisture are not needed.

Cultivation and reproduction
For full flowering, a dormant period must necessarily pass, usually it lasts 2-3 months. It is necessary to prepare for flowering in advance, it takes 6-8 weeks. Pots with bulbs are planted in the ground and brought into a warm room.
Before planting, the bulbs should be checked, cleaned of dry roots. The pot is not recommended to be taken too large, its diameter should not be more than 10 cm than the bulb itself. After that, it should be lightly watered, but not too much, so that the still dormant bulbs do not rot. In a few weeks, the plant will give a beautiful bud.

top dressing
Fertilizers are given during the period of active growth, about once every 3 weeks. A month before the start of the dormant period, top dressing is no longer given. Fertilizers for Hippeastrum should be applied mineral or for flowering plants.

Bloom
Flowering lasts approximately 3-4 weeks. At this time, you need to feed. To achieve the beginning of flowering, the bulb is kept slightly moist, but not flooded. When the first sprout appears, watering is slightly increased.
Flowering occurs in about 1 or 2 months, depending on conditions and the presence of sufficient light.
After flowering, the dried arrow is cut off, but the leaves do not touch. The green peduncle is not cut off, but allowed to dry on its own.
After that, it continues to grow green mass and recover. The next flowering will be much more effective if the plant has a dormant period.
During flowering, the bulb gives one or two arrows, on which 4-6 large flowers are located, a bit reminiscent of a lily in appearance.

Transfer

Useful video
You can learn more about caring for Hippeastrum at home in the video below:

Diseases and pests
Hippeastrum at home does not always bloom. In some cases, it is not possible to achieve flowering. Often this is due to improperly organized period of rest. In addition, watering affects the condition - if it is excessive, the bulb may begin to rot. A lack of minerals and an incorrectly chosen location can also be the reason for the lack of flowering in hippeastrum.
Sometimes it is attacked by pests. The most common - spider mite, scale insect and worm. Fight them with the help of special drugs. Pest control products recommended for indoor use should be selected.

Benefit and harm
Indoor flowers Hippeastrum are poisonous plants. Care must be taken when handling bulbs. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after any work.
Pets and children should not touch the poisonous parts of the plant to avoid an allergic reaction and poisoning.
Hippeastrum- An interesting plant that can transform any interior. Its bright flowers leave no one indifferent. Fears can be caused by a forced dormant period, but if it is properly organized, the hippeastrum will delight with flowering twice a year.
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The hippeastrum flower is a perennial bulbous handsome man with wide, linear, shiny leaves, attracting the eye with large bright flowers. Belongs to the Amaryllis family. The genus includes 75 species with characteristic features - a bulb with a short neck and membranous scales. There are filaments of different lengths.

Hippeastrum flower varieties

Early flowering (January-February)

Beautiful lady
Dutch Bells

Medium flowering (until March)

Belinda
Emperor
Joker

Late flowering

White Christmas

Hippeastrum care basics

Flower growers recognized the hippeastrum as an unpretentious flower, with a relatively low complexity of growing.

Hippeastrum prefers to live in southern, eastern or western rooms with weak winter heating.
During the active flowering period, it loves light very much. In winter, it is indifferent to lighting.
The temperature should correspond to the period of the flower's life. During the dormant period, it is best to rearrange it in a cool place. The ideal temperature is 7-9 degrees. However, for flowering to begin, it is enough to lower the temperature to 15 degrees.
For planting and transplanting, any universal mixtures are used.
The flower prefers moderate watering. During the rest period, they should be reduced to economical - 1 time per week. Watering is carried out exclusively in the pan. After the plant is saturated with liquid, the excess should be poured out of the pan.
Sometimes you need to spray, although the plant feels comfortable without them.
During the active growing season, the flower needs regular fertilizing with solutions of organic fertilizers.
A rest period of 6 weeks must be strictly observed. At this time, the flower is transferred to a darker place, top dressing is completely stopped and watering is reduced.
Hippeastrum is transplanted at least 1 time in 2 years.
Propagated by seeds, but most often by children.

Video: Home care for the hippeastrum flower

What to do if the hippeastrum does not bloom

The most common cause of flower growers' frustration is the lack of flowering in a green pet. One of the most important factors influencing this is non-compliance with the rest period. However, this is not all. In order for the hippeastrum to delight you all winter with its luxurious flower, you must adhere to the following rules:

The plant should grow in a narrow but deep pot. With an annual transplant, it changes, focusing on the bulb. Between the bulb and the wall of the pot should not be more than 2 cm.
The planted bulb should be halfway out of the ground.
When the flowering period has passed, leave the peduncle alone. Don't touch or cut it.
A plant that has not given full roots should not be fed.
Until the moment of flowering, the flower is also not fed.

Video: Hippeastrum flower, flowering

Sometimes flower growers resort to more stringent measures and in the summer they drop hippeastrum in their front garden. During this time, the flower will grow a strong rosette. The main thing is to have time to dig up the whole plant before the first frost and dry it well. The leaves will dry out, and all the nutrients will remain in the bulb. It is very important to wait for natural drying. After that, return the bulb to the pot and put it in a dark place.

Subject to all the rules, you can enjoy the beauty of hippeastrum up to two times a year.

In the wild, hippeastrums are found in South America, with a number of varieties living in subtropical climates and the tropics, others prefer rocky slopes, where conditions for growth are very harsh. The first bulbs came to Europe in the second half of the 16th century, and the flowering of hippeastrum made a huge impression in the countries of the Old World, where the fashion for bulbous crops 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 grower who has ever seen the spectacular flowering of hippeastrum will certainly not leave the thought of decorating his own window sill with a luxurious plant.

Hippeastrum: plant features

Depending on the species and age, the hippeastrum bulb has a diameter of 5 to 10 cm and consists of a short section of the stem and surrounding closed scales.

In the sinus of every fourth scale, rudiments are formed:

peduncle, as it grows, reaching a height of 40–80 cm;
future large, collected in inflorescences of 2-6 flowers.

The leaves of the hippeastrum are located opposite each other, depending on the variety, they do not exceed 4–5 cm in width, and reach 50–70 cm in length. period:

flowering;
vegetation;
rest.

When the long-awaited time of flowering comes, red, white pink, striped and spotted flowers sitting on petioles open on the tops of hollow peduncles.

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 please flowering.

Leaves appear one at a time approximately once a month, but when, after flowering, the plant goes dormant for 2 to 3 months, there are no external signs of bulb development, but it actively accumulates strength. Arrows with bright colors appear once a year, but with proper care, as in the photo, hippeastrum at home pleases with flowering twice. The timing and duration of this period depend on the selected variety, care features, in particular, on the temperature in the room. On average, flowering lasts about three weeks.

However, sometimes flower growers cannot achieve the appearance of flower arrows from a plant. How to care for hippeastrum so that, in addition to leaves, the bulb regularly forms flower stalks? The reason for the lack of flowers is often the wrong conditions for growing hippeastrum or the properties of the bulb:

A bulb can refuse to bloom if it stays in a shady place for a long time or on the northern windows, where there is not enough light all year round.
With an overly spacious or cramped pot, the hippeastrum also sometimes does not bloom.
The quality of flowering is negatively affected by an incorrectly selected regimen, top dressing and even the composition of the soil.
Do not forget about the necessary rest for the bulb lasting 2.5–3 months, when the hippeastrum must be sent to a cool, dark place.

If there are no visible reasons for refusing to bloom, the bulb is healthy and well-fed, it can be forced to throw out the peduncle by resorting to one of their proven methods:

In the middle of summer, all the leaves are cut off from the bulbs and stop watering. A month later, watering is resumed and a single complex top dressing is carried out. By the beginning of autumn, buds and flowers appear on the hippeastrum.
A set of buds is also observed 20–25 days after a three-hour treatment of the bulb with water heated to 43–45 ° C.
For the spring flowering of hippeastrum in August, the plant is no longer watered and transferred to a dark, cool place until January. 5-6 weeks after the resumption of watering, the bulb gives buds.

For high-quality flowering, it is important that during the growing season and dormancy the bulb is able to recover and form a peduncle. If the bulb lacks nutrition, perhaps the moment has come when it is simply necessary to transplant the hippeastrum. This may be evidenced by the braiding of the roots of the entire earthen coma. Do not forget about feeding the hippeastrum.

Longer recovery during the vegetation phase and during the dormant period require small bulbs, as well as those that have undergone some kind of disease or pest attacks.

The dormant period involves the removal of healthy, well-prepared bulbs to a cool, dark place. Most often, hippeastrum bulbs "fall asleep" from September to January. How to care for a flower so that the hippeastrum blooms in due time? Special care at this time is not required, and special conditions are created for the bulbs:

The optimum temperature is 12–14 °C.
Complete blackout.
The air is dry, humidity does not exceed 50-60%.
Watering and fertilizing are completely stopped.

How and when to transplant hippeastrum?

Hippeastrums quickly master an earthen clod in a pot and literally suck out all the nutrients from the soil.

Therefore, the plant can be transplanted almost every year. When is it more convenient and painless for the plant to transplant hippeastrum? The best period for bulb transplantation is the time:

before being sent for storage during the dormant period;
after the release of their "hibernation";
before flowering;
after flowering is completed, if it is a newly acquired plant in a transport pot and substrate.

Before transplanting hippeastrum:

dead scales are carefully removed from the bulbs;
study the root system, if necessary, cutting off rotten or damaged roots and treating the cut points with a fungicide.

The soil for hippeastrum should be light, loose, with low acidity and a high content of nutrients and mineral salts.

If you have to buy a ready-made mixture, it is better to choose soil for bulbous crops for growing hippeastrum, and then to loosen it, shift it with vermiculite or sand.

When the earth mixture is compiled independently, three parts of leafy earth and one part additive are used, if necessary, sand and dolomite flour are mixed into the soil:

For growing hippeastrum, a pot is enough, the walls of which are 3 cm away from the bulb. More capacious dishes only harm flowering.
At the bottom, a drainage layer must be arranged.
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 hippeastrum care continues, in the photo, as well as at home. And before frost, the bulbs are dug up and transferred to the room.

Lighting when growing hippeastrums

Hippeastrums are photophilous and feel best in the most lit places, even enduring direct sunlight.

But in the shade, the plant does not bloom well, the bulb recovers and grows more slowly. The lack of light can be judged by pale, elongated leaves and peduncles. In the shade, your plant may not bud 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 watering features when growing hippeastrum

In order for the plant to have flowers for as long as possible, at home caring for the hippeastrum provides for the creation of optimal temperature and humidity conditions.

Daytime air temperature is 20–22 °C;
At night, the air should be somewhat cooler, around 18 °C.

Hippeastrums do not like temperature changes, during storage it is important not to drop the temperature below +5 ° C, which can damage the flower buds. But in the garden, the plant withstands short-term frosts down to -1 ° C, if it is covered with non-woven material.

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 topsoil dries out between waterings.

As the flowers begin to open, the amount of moisture is increased, trying to prevent overflow that is dangerous for the roots.

Gippeastrum top dressing

The first dressing of the hippeastrum is carried out no earlier than 4-6 weeks after the “awakening” of the plant. Then the flower should receive support in the form of fertilizer every two weeks, and the last dressing is carried out for a month before the bulb is sent to rest.

Top dressing is always combined with watering so that fertilizers get into moist soil.

Potassium is considered the most important element in the nutrition of hippeastrum. When the hippeastrum blooms, it is fertilized with a phosphorus-potassium mixture with a small addition of nitrogen. As the leaves appear, the proportion of nitrogen is increased, bringing to the amount of phosphorus. From May to the end of summer, you can alternate fertilizing with organic and mineral fertilizers. If a complex ready-made composition is used, it is better to choose a mixture for bulbs, 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, on a nutrient solution? In this case, for 10 liters of water you will need:

3 grams of magnesium sulfate;
9 grams of potash fertilizers;
3 grams of ammonium nitrate;
7 grams of superphosphate,
as well as a mixture of trace elements.

When growing hippeastrum, you need to remember that an excess of nitrogen threatens with diseases. Such bulbs can rot and tolerate a dormant period worse.

Hippeastrum flowering video

Plant hippeastrum (lat. Hippeastrum) belongs to the Amaryllis family. There are about 90 types 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. Amaryllis and hippeastrum are relatives belonging to the same botanical family, but representing different genera. Hippeastrum was introduced to Europe in the 16th century, and in 1799 the first hybrid of the plant appeared - Johnson's hippeastrum.

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Planting and caring for hippeastrum

Bloom: Aug. Sept.
Lighting: bright diffused light (south, southwest or southeast windows).
Temperature: 17-25 ˚C.
Watering: at the beginning of the growing season - sparse, with the appearance of a peduncle before flowering - plentiful, but not excessive. It is recommended to use the bottom watering method.
Air humidity: common for residential areas.
Top dressing: 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 mode, 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, babies 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 rounded, sometimes conical hippeastrum bulb consists of a short thick stem and closed scales. The size of the bulbs, depending on the species, ranges from 5 cm to 10 cm in diameter. At the base (bottom) of the bulb is a bundle of cord-like roots. Hippeastrum leaves are linear, grooved on the surface, keeled below, 50-70 cm long, 4-5 cm wide, arranged in two opposite rows. In some varieties, the leaves may be purple in color, but they are mostly green. An umbrella-shaped inflorescence of 2-6 bisexual flowers 13-15 cm long and up to 25 cm in diameter is formed on a cylindrical, hollow, leafless peduncle 35-80 cm tall. 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. Germination of freshly harvested seeds is almost one hundred percent.

Home hippeastrum has several features, which you need to consider if you decide to grow it:

varieties with light and white flowers form few full-fledged seeds;
in the summer, hippeastrum is best kept in the garden, dug into the ground;
the timing of the flowering of hippeastrum can be adjusted by timing it to certain dates - this is very convenient, given that blooming hippeastrum is a wonderful gift that replaces an expensive exquisite bouquet;
each hippeastrum flower blooms for only ten days;
for distillation, only large bulbs should be used, in which a large supply of nutrients has been accumulated.

In the photo: Hippeastrum flowering

Hippeastrum care at home

How to care for hippeastrum

You need to keep the hippeastrum in a well-lit place, best of all on the south, southeast or southwest window sill, covering the flower from direct sunlight and turning from time to time around the axis so that it maintains a compact shape. The temperature during the period of active growth is preferably between 17 ºC and 25 ºC. As already mentioned, in the summer, hippeastrum feels great in the fresh air, but you will have to arrange it in nature in such a way that it does not suffer from waterlogging.

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

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

After flowering, watering is also gradually reduced to a complete cessation.

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 phosphate 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 appearance of leaves and for better bud formation, with fertilizers for flowering plants in the same mode. Make sure that the concentration of minerals is not too strong, otherwise, instead of fertilizing the plant, you will burn its roots.

Remember to dust the leaves under a warm shower or wipe them regularly with a damp sponge.

Hippeastrum transplant

Hippeastrum is transplanted every three to four years before a dormant period or before leaving it. It is very important to choose the right pot for a 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 of perlite (or coarse sand), leafy and soddy soil and one part of humus. The soil must be sterilized before use. Don't forget about the drainage layer. Planting hippeastrum is carried out by transshipment in order to cause as little harm 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.

Hippeastrum reproduction

Hippeastrums reproduce by seed and vegetative methods. Sowing seeds is best done immediately after they are collected, while they have one hundred percent germination. If the seeds are allowed to dry, then the ability to germinate becomes only thirty percent. Actually, sowing seeds is a simple, routine procedure, so it makes no sense to talk about it, especially since the seed method can only be used if seeds are available, and they can appear if you are engaged in artificial pollination of a flower.

It is much easier to carry out reproduction in a vegetative way, namely, by separating hippeastrum babies from the mother bulb. Do it during the transplant. The baby, separated by a sterile sharp instrument, having treated the cuts on it with crushed coal, is planted in a separate pot and for two years we do not deprive the young plant of foliage even during the dormant period.

In the photo: How the hippeastrum blooms in the 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 the substrate so that only the bottom of the bulb remains in the soil. Remove outer dry scales. Cut off the leaves, grabbing a little of the top of the bulb. Cut the bulb vertically into four equal parts so that the cuts reach the surface of the substrate, vertically insert plastic or wooden needles with a diameter of 5-6 cm into the cuts so that the parts of the bulb do not close. Care for the bulb like an adult plant, not allowing the substrate to dry out. As soon as the leaves appear, fertilize and continue to fertilize in the usual way. In the spring of next year, divide the bulb and plant the parts in individual flowerpots.

Hippeastrum rest period

The dormant period of hippeastrum is from September to January. If your plant spent the summer holidays in the yard, then by the beginning of autumn it is 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, put the pot on its side and stored at a temperature of 6-12 ºC without watering for 6 to 8 weeks until the moment when it is time for the hippeastrum to wake up.

Hippeastrum bloom

How to make hippeastrum bloom

Firstly, you can subject the bulbs before planting to treatment with hot water 43-45 ºC for three hours. After such a temperature extreme, the plant blooms in three weeks.
Second way effects: from August, stop watering the plant, move it to a dry, dark place and keep it there until the end of January, then resume watering. After a month and a half, you can 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 top dressing (to avoid burns, first moisten the soil through and then apply fertilizer).

In August or September, your hippeastrum will bloom like a pretty little one.

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 voracious, and there is very little soil in the pot, so it is quickly depleted. For this reason, top dressing should be sufficient and regular, as well as watering.

And it happens that the plant throws all its strength into the fight against pests, such as

(Hippeastrum) is a bulbous flower native to the warm tropics. So in our climate zone it is grown only as a houseplant.

Like all bulbs, hippeastrum lends itself to the technique of forcing flowers- which means that by the right time, celebration or celebration, you can grow fresh flowers with your own hands. Moreover, hippeastrum flowers look very impressive and the number of plant varieties is quite large - you can choose the size and color to your taste.

Hippeastrum has a powerful hollow peduncle, on which 2-6 flowers gradually bloom. The leaves are flat, belt-like, appear already in the process of flowering, so for quite a long time only a peduncle with an umbrella of large (10-30 cm in diameter) bright flowers flaunts from a hippeastrum pot.

By color, the flowers of hybrid hippeastrums can be white, red, pink, orange, cream, while the color can be both uniform and in the form of a multi-color pattern - strokes, specks, lines. According to the shape of the inflorescences of indoor hippeastrums, they are terry or simple.

Hippeastrum variety "Lady Sahe plus"

Hippeastrum variety "Unique plus"

Hippeastrum variety "Double Record"

Hippeastrum variety "Aphrodite"

Hippeastrum as a gift

Sometimes hippeastrum is confused with amaryllis - these plants really look the same, but they are different species of the same family. Amaryllis blooms in autumn, and hippeastrum in winter or early spring. So the first plant can only be used as a gift for September 1st. 🙂 But blooming hippeastrum can be given for the New Year and Christmas, and for the February and March holidays.

Forcing hippeastrum flowers is carried out from November to February. So you can give an already blooming hippeastrum as a gift. And you can also give beautifully packaged hippeastrum bulbs for the New Year - for an enthusiastic florist, this will be a double gift, because he will receive flowers from them on his own by the February or March holidays.

Buying and storing hippeastrum bulbs

Quite often, not one, but two or even three peduncles can grow from one hippeastrum bulb. When buying, please note that the larger the bulb, the more flower stalks it will eventually release.

To the touch, the bulbs should be firm, with no signs of disease. Usually, bulbs specially prepared for forcing are sold in stores - foreign companies usually treat them with special compounds after digging them out.

If you do not want to immediately plant the bulbs, then they should be stored in a dark, cool place - at a temperature of + 8-10 ° C.

Hippeastrum life cycle

Of course, you can also buy already blooming hippeastrum - demand creates supply, and in modern times it is no longer a problem to find these flowers in a expelled state in flower shops. But it is much more interesting to grow flowers yourself.

Let's look at all the phases of the life of the bulb and the corresponding care for the hippeastrum on each of them.

	Planting a hippeastrum bulb The bulb is dropped into a pot with well-fertilized soil. The bulb should be half in the ground, half outside. Planting hippeastrums is done from November to February. The earth around the bulb needs to be compacted. Place the pot with the plant in a bright but cool place. Watering at first is very moderate and careful - try not to soak the bulb itself to avoid rotting.
	The appearance of the peduncle and the forcing of flowers After a couple of weeks, an arrow begins to grow from the bulb. It is necessary to transfer the pot with hippeastrum to a warm place - + 20 ° C. Lighting must remain very good. As soon as a bud appears on the peduncle (after about 3 more weeks), watering should become more regular and plentiful. In addition, you need to spray the peduncle with warm water.
	If the care of the hippeastrum was correct, then after 6-8 weeks from the moment the bulb was planted, flowers finally bloom on the plant. Sometimes 2-3 peduncles appear from one bulb. Choose the largest bulbs you buy to achieve such spectacular blooms. In order for the flowers to live longer, the place must be very bright, but without direct sunlight on the plant itself.
	Flowering and emergence of leaves In the process of flowering hippeastrum flowering, leaves begin to appear in it. After flowering, flower stalks should be cut off without waiting for the ovaries. Pruning should not be done at the root - more than half of the peduncle should be left so that the plant takes nutrients from it. Only after drying, the peduncle can be cut off completely. The plant should still remain in a warm and well-lit area.
	From the end of summer, fertilizing and watering begin to be reduced. During this period, proper care for the hippeastrum is important, as the bulb is gaining strength for future flowering.
	The dormant period for hippeastrum begins in October. You should move the flower to a cool place and completely stop watering and fertilizing. After the leaves wither, they are cut off at the root. The rest period lasts 2-3 months. After that, the bulb is removed from the pot, cleaned of dried roots and transplanted into a fresh substrate. From this moment on, the entire life cycle of the hippeastrum is repeated from the beginning.

In order to get a flowering hippeastrum, you need to know plant care rules.

Before planting, the lower part of the bulb should be placed in water for 3-6 hours, slightly warmer than room temperature. The bottom of the bulb and roots should be in the water.

After the plant has flowered, do not throw away the bulb. If you provide hippeastrum with proper care, then it will delight you with its flowering for several years.

After flowering, be sure to cut off the flower stalks, and let the leaves develop to the end.. To do this, you need to take care of the plant until next autumn, watering and fertilizing it. Fertilize with a weak infusion of mullein with an admixture of mineral salts, or with a special complex liquid fertilizer for indoor flowers.

In summer, hippeastrums are useful to take out to fresh air - to a balcony or terrace. It would be even better to dig potted plants in the garden in a semi-shady place.

At the end of August, watering and fertilizing should be gradually reduced, and by October, both should be completely stopped.

In October, the plant is transferred to a dark, cool place (temperature + 8-10 ° C). The leaves, as soon as they wither and turn yellow, are cut off at the root. Hippeastrum goes to rest for 2-3 months.

In late November - early January, the hippeastrum is transplanted into fresh ground. Before transplanting, the bulb should be inspected, removing dry, rotten and non-viable roots. The hippeastrum pot should not be too spacious.

6-8 weeks after the transplant, the hippeastrum will delight you with flowers again.

Forcing hippeastrums in water

Hippeastrums look quite impressive, blooming not in pots with earth, but in glass vases.

Unfortunately, the bulbs are depleted from such distillation and will have to be thrown away in the future. But if you do not have a desire to do hippeastrums every year, then this option is quite suitable for you.

Usually such special glass vessels are used for forcing hyacinths, but they are also suitable for hippeastrums.

First you need to prepare the bulb - cut off the dead roots. The vase is filled with warm settled water by about 2/3. The bulb is placed on top of the vase - the bottom of the bulb should not touch the water. To moisten the hippeastrum bulbs, evaporating moisture from the vessel will be enough.

Hippeastrum vases should be placed in a bright and warm place. Peduncles will begin to appear, as expected, in a couple of weeks, and in another month the hippeastrums will bloom. To prevent the peduncle from twisting when it begins to grow, slowly turn the plant towards the light every 2-3 days.

If you want to have flowering hippeastrums all winter, then plant several bulbs with a break of two weeks.

Photos of hippeastrums

There are varieties of hippeastrum with a shortened peduncle - it is stronger and thicker. This is quite practical for placing flowering plants indoors.

These are, for example, hippeastrum varieties 'Baby Star' and 'Tel-Star'(left and right in the photo, respectively).

Small-flowered varieties of hippeastrum are very interesting - like these flowers in the photo, grade ‘Calimero’.

Small graceful red flowers form numerous rosettes on tall peduncles.

Such flowers will look good both in contrasting containers (as in the photo - in a blue flower box), and in small ceramic pots.

For hippeastrums with a high peduncle, it is quite practical to use glass containers.

A high vessel will prevent the flower from breaking, and a glass vase with a drainage layer will make it possible to monitor the level of moisture in order to avoid waterlogging.

In the photo you see snow-white hippeastrum variety 'Mont Blanc'.

double flowers hippeastrum varieties ‘Double Record’ reach 20 cm in diameter.

This flower is the champion not only in size, but also in the number of flowers.

By the way, if you plan to bloom for only one season, then you can place the bulbs not in the ground, but in a tall vase with expanded clay or hydrogel.

Image rights: My Beautiful Garden magazines (January 2002, November 2002). Flickr.com - luz rovira, Don Perucho, maya_dragonfly, microbophile, Mikhail Ursus, nirsha, Anuchit Sundarakiti, emblatame (Ron), Flowers Excitement, dbarronoss, roko_fot01, peter_hasselbom, Ennor, Barbara J H, Poppins" Garden, Ramsis"07.