Description of hippeastrum, its cultivation and care at home

Hippeastrum is a bright representative of the Amaryllidaceae family, native to the tropics of Central America and the Amazon basin. The name of the indoor flower is formed from two Greek words - “horseman” and “star”. It was first brought to Europe in the 16th century, and two centuries later the first hybrid was bred. The plant is often confused with amaryllis, a representative of the African tropics. But hippeastrum differs in description and cultivation characteristics.

Basic principles of growing hippeastrum

In order for a tropical plant to enjoy flowering, it is necessary to follow the watering regime and select the lighting. Hippeastrum feels good in the following conditions:

Hippeastrum blooms several times during the active growing season. It is recommended to place the flower on the south, southeast, southwest side of the house. Overmoistening and stagnation of moisture are undesirable for it, approacht watering through a tray.

From October to January, the plant begins a dormant period. At this time it can be transplanted. Hippeastrum is propagated by bulbous plants or seeds.

Features of hippeastrum culture

The flower belongs to the bulbous plants. Hippeastrum is also confused with lily, since the shapes of their open buds are similar.

Characteristics of the plant:

• leaves are green or purple, 50-70 centimeters long, 4-5 centimeters wide;
• the flowering stem is hollow, without leaves, 35-80 centimeters long;
• flowers are bisexual, 25 centimeters in diameter, 2-6 jokes on one peduncle;
• petals are 13-15 centimeters long, have bright orange, red, yellow and mixed colors;
• bulb with a diameter of 5-10 centimeters, round or cone-shaped.

The fruit of Hippeastrum is a round or angular seed capsule. The plant has the following features:

• freshly harvested seeds are characterized by high germination;
• open buds resemble a festive bouquet;
• the flowers fade within ten days.

It is recommended to move hippeastrum to the country house in the summer and plant it in the soil without removing it from the pot. Large plant bulbs contain more nutrients, so they germinate better than small ones.

Caring for hippeastrum at home

In botany, 90 species of tropical plants are known. Hippeastrum is a geophyte, that is, it accumulates nutrients during the growing season and goes into hibernation when environmental conditions become unfavorable, for example, drought occurs or the temperature drops below comfortable.

Lighting requirements for hippeastrum

The plant is light-loving, but does not tolerate direct scorching rays of the sun. Window curtains made of translucent fabric or sun protection film adhesive to the glass will help diffuse the light.

To ensure foliage develops evenly, the pot must be turned from time to time.

Optimal temperature for hippeastrum

The favorable temperature for the flower during the period of activity is +20-25 degrees. Flowering will last longer if you slightly cool the climate in the room with hippeastrum to +18 degrees. The decrease and increase in temperature should occur gradually. Sudden changes will lead to slower plant development and premature leaf fall.

Rules for watering hippeastrum

After awakening, the flower does not need a lot of moisture.Abundant watering is required after the hippeastrum produces a peduncle. The soil in the pot must be kept moist at all times, but water should not stagnate. Overwatering threatens the flower with root rot and wilting.

The ideal way to keep hippeastrum in water balance is called bottom watering. The flower pot is placed in a tray filled with lukewarm water. Moisture will penetrate through the holes in the bottom and gradually saturate the soil to the top. Water must be periodically added to the pan. With this method of watering, the plant will take as much liquid as it needs.

Feeding hippeastrum: recommendations and tips

During the period of leaf growth, the flower needs nitrogen, and with the onset of budding - potassium and phosphorus. A complex of fertilizers containing nitrogen intended for ornamental deciduous plants will cope with the first task. It is applied once every two weeks.

Before flowering begins, nitrogen fertilizing is canceled and switched to phosphorus-potassium fertilizing. The necessary substances contain complex fertilizers intended for flowering indoor plants.

When the flower stalks reach 12 centimeters in height, potassium permanganate should be added to the water for irrigation until a pale pink color appears. After 5 days, you can apply fertilizer for flowering and repeat fertilizing every two weeks until the vegetative cycle is completed.

Hippeastrum transplantation: step-by-step instructions

The plant is transplanted for the first time at the age of four. A state of rest is the best time to change the place of residence of the hippeastrum.

How to replant a flower:

• choose a pot according to the size of the bulb so that the distance between it and the wall does not exceed 20 millimeters;
• Place drainage made of small granite stones or pebbles on the bottom of the pot;
• For planting, prepare a mixture of coarse sand, turf and leaf soil. Mix all components in two parts, adding one part of humus. Garden soil must first be calcined in the oven. A ready-made store-bought mixture for bulbous plants is also suitable;
• remove the hippeastrum bulb with a lump of old earth;
• Make a hole in the soil in the prepared pot the size of the bulb and install it so that it protrudes a third above the soil.

The transplanted hippeastrum is not watered until it shows signs of awakening from hibernation.

Hippeastrum propagation methods

The flower is rarely propagated by seeds. In order for hippeastrum to form a seed pod in indoor conditions, it must be artificially pollinated. Pollen is transferred from flower to flower with a natural bristle brush. When the fruit is ripe, the seeds must be immediately placed in the soil, since they hardly germinate in a dry state.

Most often, flower growers propagate hippeastrum using bulbous children, combining this process with transplantation:

• the bulb removed from the pot is inspected;
• easily separated children are broken off, and those that are tightly attached are left or cut off with a thin sharp blade;
• places of breaks and cuts are sprinkled with wood ash.

The bulbs obtained in this way are planted in separate pots.

Another way to propagate hippeastrum is by dividing the bulb. It is carried out after the last flowering in the fall. Procedure:

• expose the bulb in the pot by two-thirds;
• remove external scales;
• cut off the remaining leaves with a small part of the top of the bulb;
• Using a sharp blade, cut the onion into four equal parts, not reaching the lower third, which remains in the ground;
• Separate the edges of the cuts by inserting wooden or plastic knitting needles into them.

Care for the divided bulb as for an ordinary plant, feed it with nitrogen fertilizer when the leaves emerge. In the spring of next year, the bulb can be finally divided and its parts planted.

The rest period of hippeastrum: features and recommendations

The rest time for the plant comes in November. Preparations for hibernation begin by reducing watering in September. When the leaves have completely fallen off, the pot with the bulb is transferred to a dark place.

The hippeastrum remains dormant for 1.5 months, not needing moisture. After this period, the pot with the plant is again placed on the same sunny windowsill. The bulb retains nutrients, so it comes to life when exposed to light and heat. Then watering and previous care are gradually resumed.

In order for the hippeastrum to bloom at a certain time, the dormant period is deliberately increased or decreased.

Hippeastrum flowering: how to achieve abundant flowering

Sometimes the plant sits in a pot without signs of spoilage, but does not produce flower stalks. To awaken vital activity in it, it is necessary to reconsider the procedure for care.

Ways to stimulate hippeastrum flowering

The plant will bloom if environmental conditions are changed. Florists use the following methods:

• move the pot to a sunnier place or make the light more diffused;
• check watering, perhaps more moisture is needed;
• feed the plant.

The absence of flowering means that the flower is either lacking something or is wasting energy on other processes.

Reasons for the lack of flowering in hippeastrum

Gardeners cite irregular watering, overfeeding with nitrogenous fertilizers and damage to the roots as common reasons why a plant is in no hurry to produce flower stalks.Less commonly, the flowering of hippeastrum is prevented by insect pests - spider mites, scale insects, and mealybugs.

Caring for hippeastrum after flowering

Hippeastrum needs rest so that in the new vegetative cycle it blooms just as brightly and abundantly. Care after flowering at the end of the vegetative cycle comes down to the gradual abolition of all agrotechnical measures.

There is no need to fertilize the flower or add water to the pan. The leaves and flower stalks will gradually dry out and fall off. It is impossible to specifically cut off the ground part of the hippeastrum. When one bulb remains from the potted bouquet, the plant is ready to retire.

Possible problems when growing hippeastrum and ways to solve them

Most often, flower growers face the following problems:

• fungal blight - red stripes and spots on the leaves. The affected above-ground parts must be cut off, including those on the bulb. Treat the sections with HOM with copper oxychloride. Place the bulb in a dry place, and after five days plant it in fresh soil;
• yellowed leaves - the plant reacts to a cramped pot, lack or excess of fertilizers. Yellowness on the leaves also indicates the end of the vegetative cycle;
• an overgrown bottom - the phenomenon is called a heel. It does not interfere with the life of the flower and disappears on its own;
• Rotten roots are the result of long soaking of the bulb before planting, overwatering and an attempt to awaken the flower ahead of schedule. The affected roots must be cut off, the bulb treated with the antifungal drug "Maxim", planted in fresh soil and watered from above.

Hippeastrum with a small bulb is a normal occurrence with abundant flowering and a large number of children. Otherwise, it means that the plant does not have enough light.