Amaryllis: Flower Care At Home + Photo And Video

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

All about growing and caring for amaryllis

Amaryllis is a houseplant that every experienced florist is familiar with. The popularity is due to the very beautiful flowers. In addition, the plant is unpretentious, despite its origin. There is nothing difficult in caring for amaryllis at home. Even beginners can handle this. Therefore, if you want to regularly admire a flowering plant without spending a lot of time and effort on care, amaryllis is the most suitable option.

Content

• 1 History and description of the flower

  • 1.1 Amaryllis varieties

    1.1.1 Classic Amaryllis varieties in the photo

• 2 Amaryllis and hippeastrum - eternal confusion

  2.1 Differences between amaryllis and hippeastrum - table

• 3 Optimal conditions for growing a flower

  3.1 Suitable conditions for a plant depending on the phase of development - table

• 4 Planting a flower at home

  • 4.1 Pot selection
  • 4.2 Soil selection

  • 4.3 Step by step process

    4.3.1 Planting workshop - video

  • 4.4 Plant transplant

• 5 Plant care

  • 5.1 Watering and feeding

    5.1.1 Caring for amaryllis - video

  • 5.2 Flowering period

    5.2.1 How to make amaryllis bloom

  • 5.3 Dormancy period - how to "wake up" the plant after wintering

• 6 Diseases and pests

  • 6.1 Diseases and pests of amaryllis - table
  • 6.2 Most common pests and disease symptoms - photo gallery

• 7 Reproduction of amaryllis

  • 7.1 Use of seeds

    7.1.1 Video: Planting Amaryllis Seeds

  • 7.2 Dividing the bulb
  • 7.3 Propagation by daughter bulbs

History and description of the flower

Amaryllis is one of the genera in the Amaryllidaceae family. For a long time it was believed that the genus has only one representative - Amaryllis belladonna (Amaryllis belladonna). But at present, botanists identify several more representatives, such as Amaryllis paradisicola and Amaryllis sarniensis and.

The birthplace of Amaryllis belladonna is the African south, more precisely the valley of the Oliphants River in the Cape province of South Africa. The geography of distribution of new species is very extensive - South Africa, Australia, Japan and even the island of Jersey in the English Channel.

The genus was first identified by the Swedish taxonomist Karl Linnaeus in 1753. He gave the flower a name. Up to this point, it was believed that amaryllis is a type of lily. It was known as the lilionarcissus. But Linnaeus made the mistake of referring to amaryllis and all kinds of hippeastrum. The confusion continues to this day.

Amaryllis is often referred to as the March or Jersey lily

Amaryllis is a perennial bulbous plant. The leaves are dark green, smooth, long and narrow, somewhat reminiscent of a belt. Placed in two rows.

Before flowering, the plant throws out a special peduncle - a hollow “tube” 40–60 cm high (maximum 2–3 pieces). Only then do the leaves appear. In nature, this happens in late summer or early autumn. There are from 2 to 12 flowers, depending on the variety, on each peduncle. All inflorescences are like an umbrella.

Wild amaryllis are characterized by all shades of pink and reddish, as well as white. Through selection, purple, orange, yellow, greenish flowers and combined variants have been bred. In appearance, the amaryllis flower is a cross between a lily and a phonograph with a diameter of 10-12 cm.

The amaryllis bulb is poisonous - it contains the alkaloid lycorin. On sensitive skin, irritation may appear even from just touching the bulb. Therefore, be sure to wear rubber gloves before planting and transplanting, and wash your hands thoroughly at the end of the procedure. Also, take care to keep the flower out of the reach of children and pets.

Amaryllis varieties

The modern amaryllis varieties that are freely available in stores are the result of selection. The Amaryllis belladonna bulb is a real rarity, the dream of all experienced florists.

The efforts of breeders are aimed at the following:

• Bring out as large double and non-double flowers as possible. The most beautiful terry hybrids include Celica, Snow Queen, Pink Nymph, Macarena, Promise, Happy Christmas. Non-double varieties are no less spectacular - Black Pearl, Benfica, Exotic, Moonlight, Lemon-Lime, Matterhorn, Rosalie.
• Find new shades and combinations. Charisma, Clown, Prelude, Neon, Estella, Santa Cruz and many others look amazing.
• Creation of flowers of new forms. The latest trend is amaryllis with very narrow petals, the edges of which are slightly corrugated. These varieties include Lima, Night Star, La Paz, Evergreen, Santana.

But classic amaryllis varieties are no less popular than fashionable novelties. Durban (carmine flowers with a white center), Parker (purple-pink with a yellow center), Gorgeous Pink (pink-white petals), Hathor (snow-white with a yellowish center), Maxima (hot pink, with a great aroma) can be distinguished.

Classic amaryllis varieties in the photo

Durban is an extremely common variety

Maxima has an amazing aroma

Parker has an unusually beautiful pink color

Almost snow-white Hathor flowers will fit into any interior

Amaryllis and hippeastrum - eternal confusion

Hippeastrum, like amaryllis, belongs to the Amaryllis family. But the genus of hippeastrum is much more numerous - only in nature there are about 90 species. And if you add breeding varieties, you get about two thousand. Often, even the sellers of specialized stores are confused in these plants.

Differences between amaryllis and hippeastrum - table

	Amaryllis	Hippeastrum
Flowering period	End of August and beginning of September.	End of February and beginning of March.
Homeland	Africa.	South America.
Scent	Strongly expressed.	Almost nonexistent.
Flower diameter	10-12 cm.	6–8 cm.
Number of colors	Up to 12 pieces. In most cases 4–6.	Maximum 6 flowers. Most often 2-4.
Coloring of natural varieties	Shades of pink - from almost white to almost red.	Red, orange, pink, white, yellow, greenish, purple and various combinations thereof.
Leaves in the process of flowering	None. Appear after the peduncle.	Remain in place.
Peduncle	Quite dense and without voids. Slightly crimson.	Hollow tube. Cracks easily when pressed. The green color is mixed with a grayish-brown hue.
Peduncle length	40-60 cm.	60–70 cm.
Bulb shape	Pear-shaped.	Round or slightly elongated at the bottom, slightly flattened at the sides.
Scales	Ash gray, with a slight "fringe" along the upper edge.	Very similar to common onions, only white or greenish.

Optimal conditions for growing a flower

Suitable conditions for growing amaryllis at home differ markedly depending on whether the plant is in a phase of active growth or a dormant period.

Suitable conditions for a plant, depending on the phase of development - table

Conditions	Growth phase	Dormant period
Pot location	Window facing southwest or southeast. A south window will do, but you will have to cover the plant from direct sunlight during the day so that the leaves do not turn pale and fade.	Dark and cool place with constant temperature and good ventilation.
Lighting	Ideally, bright but diffused light is needed for 14-16 hours a day. The leaves and especially the peduncle arrow tend to reach for the sun, so periodically they will have to be returned to an upright position by turning the pot. Or you can make supports for the plant.	Not required.
Humidity	The plant is hygrophilous. For irrigation, use room temperature water that has settled for 6-8 hours. The earth should not dry out, but you should not overfill the flower either. He needs more water only during the flowering period. Stagnant moisture leads to the fact that the leaves wither and lose color, the roots rot. Spraying the leaves on the flower has practically no effect. But before flowering, you can slightly moisten the buds. Maintain air humidity at 60–80%.	Watering is completely excluded. Only soil spraying is carried out. Watering starts again only when the new peduncle grows up to 10–12 cm. The optimum humidity in the storage area is 60–70%, without sudden changes.
Ventilation	The area should be well ventilated, but avoid strong drafts.
Temperature	Approximately 22-24 ° C during the day and about 18 ° C at night. The plant does not like sudden changes in temperature.	Constant temperature 10–12 ° C.

Planting a flower at home

Pot selection

Amaryllis requires a small but stable pot

Planting amaryllis begins with the choice of a pot - it must be quite massive and stable. The flower is rather unstable due to the wide-spread rosette of leaves and high peduncle. It is easy to overturn it with one careless movement, and sometimes a sharp gust of wind is enough.

The diameter of the pot depends on the size of the bulb. It should occupy almost all of the internal space. Between the walls and the bulb is no more than 3-5 cm. However, the deeper the pot, the better, because amaryllis has a fairly well-developed root system. The best option is a pot wide at the bottom and tapering upward.

Soil selection

If you are planting several amaryllis in one large container, the distance between the bulbs is at least 10 cm.

The next important issue is soil. You can buy any soil intended for bulbous plants in a specialized store, but experienced flower growers prefer to prepare the mixture themselves. Any soil is pre-sterilized by pouring boiling water over it or placing it in a freezer.

A self-prepared substrate may look like this:

• Garden land, turf soil, coarse river sand in equal proportions and half the amount of humus.
• Garden land, turf soil, peat, river sand and humus in equal amounts.

• Turf and humus in a 1: 1 ratio and twice the amount of sand.

  

  Drainage is essential to aerate the roots.

A drainage layer at least 2–3 cm thick is required. Use expanded clay, pebbles, gravel, brick chips, or small ceramic shards. Scatter them, in a slightly smaller amount, over the soil surface after planting. It is good if a large drainage hole is made in the bottom.

Step by step process

Select only healthy specimens for planting

For planting, strong, smooth bulbs with developed roots are selected. There should be no dents, cracks, scratches, stains, signs of mold and rot. Also, do not plant bulbs that spread an unpleasant sweetish smell.

1. All dead scales of black, brown and beige color are removed from the bulbs, reaching white or light green fabrics. Then the future plants are immersed in a rich purple potassium permanganate solution for thirty minutes. Any fungicide will also work (the most common option is Bordeaux liquid).
2. After disinfection, the bulbs are thoroughly dried for at least 12 hours (it is better to wait a day). Individual places that cause suspicion of being affected by diseases are not cut off, but treated with Maxim, Fitosporin or ordinary greenery. The bulbs are dried again.

3. Half of the soil is poured into the prepared pot.

   

   Do not fill the soil to the brim

4. Place the onion with the blunt end down and add soil so that the upper half or at least a third of the onion rises above the surface.

   

   This is what a properly planted amaryllis looks like.

5. The soil is tamped well, the plant is watered with water at room temperature and placed on the window.

Planting workshop - video

youtube.com/watch?v=KlpFXoDKai8

Plant transplant

Plants are transplanted at the end of the flowering period, when the peduncle is completely dry. An annual transplant is not needed - it is carried out at intervals of 3-4 years. Or earlier, if you see that the pot of the bulb has become clearly small.

1. 4–5 days before the planned transplant, daily abundant watering is carried out.
2. Then the plant is removed from the pot along with a lump of earth, gently shaken off and the roots are examined. All rotten and dried ones are cut with a sharp knife, the cut is sprinkled with ash or crushed activated carbon.
3. The bulb is cleaned of rotten scales, the daughter bulbs are carefully separated and also cleaned. They then need to be planted in separate pots. Very small daughter bulbs (a few mm in diameter) can be kept if you wish to breed this particular variety. But it is likely that the amaryllis will not bloom - all the nutrition will go to the embryos.

Plant care

Watering and feeding

Watering amaryllis in the growing phase should be moderate. Watering begins when the peduncle grows up to 10 cm tall. The plant loves moisture, but categorically does not tolerate stagnant water. It is better to forget about watering than to overdo it. The best option is abundant watering every 3-4 days. Another important point is that water should not fall directly on the bulb. Water only the surrounding soil.

Amaryllis is fed every 12-14 days, starting from the moment of bud formation. During flowering, the interval between dressings is reduced to 5–7 days. Any fertilizer for flowering indoor plants is suitable - Emerald, BIO VITA, Bona Forte, Kemira Lux, Ideal, Agricola, Ava, Zhivoi Mir, Rainbow, Reasil, Florist, Bud, Master Color, Power of Life. Give preference to those products where there is more phosphorus and potassium than nitrogen.

You can also use natural organic fertilizers - a solution of fresh manure (1.5 cups per 10 liters of water) or poultry droppings (1/3 cup per 10 liters).

Stop feeding when the leaves are completely withered. At rest, the plant is not fed.

Amaryllis care - video

Flowering period

In nature, amaryllis blooms in late summer or early autumn. But you can make the flowers appear at a certain moment, for this you need to change the planting date of the bulbs. If they are healthy and well developed, intensive growth begins immediately after planting. Peduncles will form in 7–8 weeks. If there are more than two of them, it is better to cut off the extra ones at the base. Abundant flowering will drain the bulb too much.

After the first flower blooms, the peduncle can be safely placed in a vase. If you change the water in it daily, the flowers will last 16–20 days. An uncut peduncle blooms about the same amount, but in the first case, the bulb is depleted much less. The flowering period will be maximum if both the vase and the pot are removed in a cool place, protected from sunlight.

How to make amaryllis bloom

Only proper care of the plant will allow you to enjoy its beautiful flowers.

Why amaryllis not blooming? Most often for one of the following reasons:

1. The pot is too spacious. The bulb spends all its energy on the education of "children". Therefore, she rightly believes that there is no need to multiply by seeds.
2. Too much burial of the bulb in the ground. This interferes with the normal development of the peduncle.
3. Lack of nutrients. The bulb is severely depleted during flowering. If you have not accumulated enough essential trace elements during the previous growth phase, do not wait for flowers.
4. Lack of lighting and heat. Amaryllis is extremely warm and light-requiring. This makes sense considering where his homeland is. Fluorescent lamps can partially overcome the problem.
5. Many roots have rotted or dried out. In this case, the root system is not able to provide the bulb with proper nutrition, even if the necessary substances are present in the soil.
6. Missed rest period. After the flowers and peduncle dried up, the plant was not allowed to rest.
7. Bulbs too young. Don't expect only transplanted babies to bloom right away. This will happen in 3-4 years. And if you plant seeds, flowers will appear in 7-8 years.
8. Damage to the bulb by pests.

After determining which negative factor is interfering with your plant, eliminate it.

Dormancy period - how to "wake up" the plant after wintering

The dormant period begins only after the last leaf turns yellow, and lasts at least 8-10 weeks. It is best to let the plants rest for about three months.

1. When the flowers begin to wilt, watering and feeding is reduced. By the time the peduncle dries up completely (in late October or early November), they are reduced to zero.
2. Dried leaves are removed. But forcibly cutting off the entire "crown" is not worth it - the nutrients from the leaves will pass into the bulb.
3. Then the pot is placed in a cool, dry, dark place. Since the roots are preserved, the soil is sprayed with water from a spray bottle every 1.5 weeks.

Less common - the bulbs are dug up, cleaned and stored in cardboard boxes or wooden boxes. In this case, there is a risk of overdrying the roots.

With a little trick, you can get the amaryllis to bloom twice a year - on time, in late winter or early spring. But it is important to maintain a dormant period so that the bulb accumulates enough strength for future flowering. Let her rest until at least early January.

About 2.5 months before the required date, remove the pots with dormant onions, move them to a bright and warm room and water a little. Keep the soil slightly moist. This is enough to start the active growth phase.

Diseases and pests

With proper care and a sufficiently long rest period, amaryllis rarely suffers from diseases and pests. But if this does happen, you need to be able to recognize the symptoms in time and deal with the problem.

Diseases and pests of amaryllis - table

Disease or pest	Symptoms	Treatment
Red burn (stagonosporosis)	Small red spots on the bulb or border of the same color along the upper edge of the scales.	Hold the onion for 1.5–2 hours in a strong solution of potassium permanganate. Grease the largest spots with brilliant green. After 5-7 days, you can plant again.
Rot and mold	Red-gray spots on the surface of the bulb. It becomes soft to the touch, spreads an unpleasant sweetish odor. Reddish-brown spots and stripes appear on the leaves.	Cut off affected leaves at the base. Treat the bulb from a spray bottle with a 0.05% solution of Bordeaux liquid (5 ml per liter of water) or HOM and Fundazol preparations diluted according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Spider mite	The leaves seem to be covered with cobwebs. Then they wither and dry.	Spray with acaricides such as Oberon, Floromite, Kleschevit, Neoron, Nisoran.
Onion mite	Eats the tissue of the bulb. The plant develops poorly, practically does not bloom. If flowers appear, they are deformed. The leaves turn yellow and die off quickly.	Remove the onions from the pot and immerse them for 5–7 minutes in water heated to 35–40 ° C. Then carry out the treatment with Keltan and Rogor preparations. A radical option is to place the onion in a hermetically sealed container and set fire to a tiny piece of a sulfur checker. Wait 2 hours, open the container. Leave the onion in the fresh air for a day.
Thrips	Tiny brown dots on the leaves in abundance.	Collect all visible pests, wash the plant, transplant into a disinfected pot with sterilized soil. Carry out treatment with drugs Agravertin, Fitoverm.
Mealybug	Deposits on the leaves and at the roots, reminiscent of small balls of cotton wool, as well as a continuous layer of fluff, glued together with whitish mucus, under the leaves.	Wipe the leaves with a sponge dampened with clean water. If it does not help, apply insecticides (Admiral, Aktara, Aktellik, Iskra, Commander, Fitoverm).
Amaryllis bug	Its excrement appears under the scales, damaging the bulb. They resemble soot.	Apply the above insecticides.
Shield	Dense scales on the inside of the leaves. The color ranges from light beige to chocolate brown. Next to them is a sticky discharge, similar to sugar syrup.	Wipe the leaves with foam obtained from shavings of laundry soap whipped in warm water.
Aphid	The leaves turn yellow.	Collect visible pests by hand. Wipe the leaves with green potassium soap foam or 20% ethyl alcohol.
Legtail	Small translucent worms are visible on the surface of the soil.	Reduce watering. Remove a layer of soil 3-4 cm thick and replace with a new one.

The most common pests and disease symptoms - photo gallery

This is how rot on the leaves appears

Bulbs affected by stagnosporosis

An onion mite is extremely difficult to detect until the bulb has suffered significant damage.

Mealybug is one of the most common pests

The cuckoo is easy to see, but hard to get rid of

Spider mite entwines leaves

Reproduction of amaryllis

There are three possible ways of reproduction of amaryllis - by seeds, by dividing the bulb and by children (daughter bulbs).

Seed use

The results will have to wait for a long time. Plants obtained in this way do not retain varietal characteristics and bloom 7–8 years after planting, but such bulbs age more slowly. With proper care, they will grow for over 20 years.

1. To obtain seeds, the pistil is pollinated with pollen from the stamens of another amaryllis using a soft bristled brush. A "box" is formed on the peduncle. When it cracks, the seeds are fully ripe. Usually the whole process takes about a month.
2. Seeds are planted almost immediately. With every lost day, germination falls. The soil in the pot must be well moistened.
3. Then the container with the seeds is removed in a warm place, covering it from direct sunlight.
4. Seedlings will appear in about 25-30 days. After another 2-3 months, they are seated in separate pots.

Video: planting amaryllis seeds

Dividing the bulb

The method is extremely risky - it is very likely to destroy the plant.

1. Cut a healthy onion into 4–8 pieces with a sharp knife. The main thing is that on each of them a part of the bottom and 1-2 scales are preserved. The sections are sprinkled with ash or crushed activated carbon.
2. Then the pieces are planted in sand and kept warm at a temperature of 25-27 ºС for a month.
3. After this time, the first sheet should appear. When another one grows, the plants are planted in bulbous soil, mixed with sand in a 1: 1 ratio.

Propagation by daughter bulbs

The easiest and safest way. And you won't have to wait long for flowers - amaryllis will grow strong enough in 2-3 years. The process of planting daughter bulbs is practically the same as planting a new bulb purchased from a store. The only difference is that the pot should be slightly larger. Daughter bulbs grow rapidly and reach maternal size in just 2 years.

1. The bulbs should be carefully separated from the mother plant, placed in a prepared pot with drained soil with the bottom down, pressed slightly into the ground and filled with soil so that the bulb is half protruding above the surface.
2. Next, the soil is tamped and watered abundantly. New plants need light and warmth.
3. But they do not need a rest period. Therefore, watering and feeding are carried out regularly. The first time amaryllis will rest only after flowering.

Amaryllis is exotic that you may well have at home. Subject to the simple rules of care, he will constantly delight you with beautiful flowers.