Hippeastrum: flower care, content features

In nature, hippeastrum grows in South America. The largest number of its species found in the Amazon basin. This place is considered the birthplace of all the hippeastrums, from where they spread to other areas of the tropical belt. In total, more than 80 of its wild-growing species are known. Cultivation of these plants began in the XIII century: handsome hippeastrum, care for which, despite some nuances, is not particularly difficult, quickly gained popularity among gardeners. Currently, about 2000 varieties of this plant have been bred, but only about 200 of them are actively grown.

A bright and noticeable flower of hippeastrum is often confused With the amaryllis, which in nature grows in South Africa. They are really very similar, but still they are different plants, although they belong to the same family. The difference between them lies in the fact that the hippeastrum is tied with fewer flowers - 2-6, not 6-12, as in the amaryllis. The flowers of the hippeastrum are larger, and its long, strap-like leaves can grow simultaneously with or immediately after flowering. Tsvetonos same amaryllis - leafless.

Hippeastrum, care for which has its own subtleties, can bloom twice a year. His flowers - large and bright, collected in an umbellate inflorescence. They can be monophonic (red, orange, white, raspberry) or have a two-tone color - these varieties of gippeastrum look most effective. The bulbs are planted in pots with a depth of at least 15 cm: in the hippeastrum they are large enough, up to 20 cm in diameter. The distance from the bulbs to the walls of the container should be at least 2-3 cm. The most suitable substrate for the plant is a mixture of leaf and sod land. The bottom is necessarily put drainage. The bulb needs to be cut into the ground by two thirds - in part it remains above the surface.

With the appearance of sprouts, the flower begins to be abundantly watered at room temperature. Once a week, it must be fed with a special fertilizer for flowering plants. The flowering period will last longer if you put the gippeastrum in a cool place. If you do not need seeds, the faded arrow is best cut before they form, as this process depletes the plant. Hippeastrum, care for which during growth involves keeping it in a well-lit and ventilated place, needs a rest period. Usually it comes in the autumn, in September-October: at this time, most varieties die leaves. Pot with bulb should be placed in a cool place with an air temperature of not more than 12 degrees. At this time, care for hippeastrum provides for rare watering, preferably through a pallet, so that the soil in the pot is not completely moistened, and at the same time the roots do not die. The plant wakes up in January and February, releasing the flower arrows.

Hippeastrum, the care of which involves periodic renewal of the potted soil, requires a transplant every two to three years, as the old container becomes tight for the bulb. You need to do this in a month and a half after the plant has finished blooming. Layer of the old substrate with a thickness of 2-3 centimeters should be removed from the surface annually, replacing it with fresh. Bulbs during the transplantation are carefully inspected. Affected areas are cut out, sprinkling the wound with crushed coal. Before planting in new soil all the bulbs, even outwardly healthy, it is useful to sustain two hours in a solution of potassium permanganate.

In summer, gippeastrums grow beautifully in the garden, in a semi-shaded place. Often they are planted directly in the ground, at a distance of 30 cm from each other, but you can simply plant pots with plants in the garden, deepening them into the soil. To do this, dig a groove, on the bottom of which necessarily pour gravel or sand to protect the bulbs of plants from worms. Hippeastrums, growing in the open ground, watered every 7-10 days - this is quite enough. The ground must be regularly loosened. Dig up the plants before the autumn frosts begin.