Hippeastrum flower (amaryllis)

If this beautiful plant blooms its buds in the window, a rare passerby will not admire it. From the base of the shiny leathery leaves, a powerful floral arrow rises up, crowned with a crown of large bright flowers. They can be purple, pale pink, white or milky cream, but they always amaze with their regal grandeur. The flower is called amaryllis, but in fact it is only one of the subspecies of the large Amaryllis family. Its native name is hippeastrum. Initially, the flower grew in South America.The basis of the hippeastrum is a large onion. It should only be half submerged in the soil and does not like to be watered from above with water, especially cold. Water for irrigation should certainly be warmer than air. And it is better to water the flower from the pallet or in the edge of the pot.But the more sunlight the hippeastrum, the better. For summer, it is better to place the flower in the garden or on the balcony, where there is a lot of light. And even better, when the threat of recurrent frosts passes, plant the bulb in the garden in well-fertilized soil for the whole season. In autumn, the bulb should be transplanted back into the pot. In a month and a half, the flower will bloom.Another feature: the pot should be small, the distance from the edge of the bulb to the edge of the flower pot is about 2-3 cm. Otherwise, you will have many beautiful leaves, but you will not see a flower…The pot can be kept on the windowsill, and if watered all year round, then all the time the leaves will be green and very decorative. But for a more lush flowering, it is more useful to give the plant a rest. To do this, at the end of summer, it is necessary to reduce watering to a minimum, and in autumn place the pot in a cool room (8-10 degrees). The leaves will gradually dry up, and the bulb will rest for 2-3 months.At the end of February, bring the pot into a warm room, pour warm water over it. A flower arrow will appear soon. To make the peduncle longer, do not rush to water until it stretches 8 centimeters. After that, water regularly, but moderately, as mentioned above.If, after flowering in the spring, the plant is transplanted into fresh fertile soil, given the right top dressing, you can get a repeat flowering.Hippeastrums are propagated by bulbs and baby. Seed propagation is difficult for amateurs. Babies are formed from buds in the axils of the bulb scales. When they grow roots, they are carefully separated and planted in pots. Самые дешёвые авиабилеты