If you just can not choose the right flowers for home or garden, pay attention to Amaryllis. He is accustomed to grow both in open ground and in a pot on a windowsill. Particularly relevant plant will be for people who have windows facing the south side. To belladonna pleased with its beauty, you need to familiarize yourself with some of the features to care for her.
Botanical description
Amaryllis belladonna is a flower that belongs to monocotyledonous bulbous plants. The diameter of the bulb is from 5 to 10 cm. Amaryllis leaflets are colored green. Their length is 50 cm, and width - 3 cm. They appear in September or in March in a cold climate, they live until the end of May.
In addition to Amaryllis belladonna, the family of class Monocotyledons also includes such indoor and ornamental plants: gladioli, daffodils, irises, tradescantia and aloe.
In August, the bulbs produce bare flower stalks about 60 cm in length. The inflorescence consists of twelve white, pink or red six-petal flowers.
Features of growing
Although amaryllis is considered a home flower, it is also grown in open soil, subject to the rules of planting and care.
In the open ground
Belladonna can grow only in a warm climate in a drained soil on a sunny site. Plant bulbs need in the middle of summer. The depth of the pits should be 15 cm. It is necessary to observe the intervals between plants of 30 cm. The flower stalks will need support against gusts of wind in the future.
For breeding, it is better to take small bulbs and plant in a pot so that amaryllis grows up. For the winter, the bulbs are dug up and taken to a cool dark room for storage.
Important! It is better to plant new bulbs, because the belladonna does not survive well after transplantation.
At home
The most suitable place for growing belladonna are home conditions. Amarillis pot should be kept on the sunny side of the apartment on the windowsill. Watch for regular watering of the plant, fertilize the soil. But the last procedure can be carried out only if the bulb has sprouted and released leaves. The larger it is, the more flowers will grow.
There is a way to artificially stimulate the second bloom. To do this, cut off the withered flowers. Soon the trunk will begin to fall to the ground. At this point, you need to cut it at a level above the top of the bulb.
Proper care of house plants is the key to beauty and health of flowers. Learn how to care for begonia elatior, beloperone, dizigoteka, rapis, solanum, liviston rotundifolia, fittonia mix, peresikoy, coral begonia, spatiphillum of "Chopin" and spatiffillum of Wallis.
Conditions for amaryllis belladonna
Belladonna is a home culture, and it is in indoor conditions that it is possible to achieve better flowering, but gardeners can admire a luxurious flower in the garden.
Lighting
It is best to place the flower on the southwest or southeast side of the apartment. Amaryllis needs direct sunlight during the period when active growth of the plant occurs. It should substitute different sides of the flower to the sun, then the leaves will grow evenly. But when the bulbs have a period of rest, the light is not necessary. If the leaves of amaryllis have bloomed and fell off, it should be taken to a shaded or completely dark dry place. The air temperature should be maintained not lower than +10 ° C.
Important! Watering the belladonna starts only after the arrow reaches the flower height of 10 cm. If you start early watering, only the leaves will grow, there will be less flowers.
Temperature requirements
A temperature suitable for plant growth is a gap of 20 to 25 degrees above zero. For the winter period, the onion is transplanted into the pot and transferred to the room, the temperature is maintained at + 10 ... +15 degrees.
Growing soil
The soil in which the belladonna grows must be damp but not wet. During the flowering period it is impossible to allow complete drying of the soil. The substrate must be constantly moistened. Drying is allowed only in the top layer of soil.
Important! Be careful with the flower bulbs, as they are poisonous.
How to plant amaryllis belladonna
There are two ways to plant a belladonna: bulbous and seed. More popular is the first, but consider in detail both ways.
Of bulbs
For planting, purchase a new (and not transplanted) onion and plant each in a separate large pot (because the plant grows quickly). Onion should choose a smooth, without damage, fungus and rot. It should look like a dense dry onion, the diameter of which can be 12 cm. Amaryllis Belladonna Bulb
Plant the bulb so that one third of it stays above the ground, and two thirds of it - under it. If you plant a whole bulb, it will rot or stop growth.
In order to improve the decorative qualities of belladonna, you can put in one pot 3 or even 4 onions.
Growing from seed
Seeds are poured into damp ground, placed in a shaded warm place. The first shoots will appear four weeks after planting, if they are systematically watered. When the plant grows and becomes more durable, the seedlings are separated in different pots. Amaryllis Belladonna Seeds
A distinctive feature of growing amaryllis from seeds is late flowering. This can happen only after seven years.
Features plant care
Although amaryllis does not need complicated care, some rules should be followed. They consist in timely and dosed irrigation, proper feeding, transplanting, treatment of diseases.
How to water
If the belladonna is at rest, it needs minimal watering. But the soil moisture should be periodically checked, not allowing it to dry completely, so that the roots do not die. In summer you can increase the abundance of watering. Watch out for him to be moderate. As for spraying, it is not recommended to produce it.
Familiarize yourself with the advantages of using drip irrigation, as well as learn how to organize a system of drip irrigation at the dacha.
What and how to feed
Fertilizer bulbs that do not have leaves, is contraindicated. They may die from top dressing.
In the spring or in the summer, a couple of times in two weeks you can feed the belladonna with fertilizers that contain minerals and organic matter.
To enrich the soil and nourish the plants, use organic fertilizers: straw, pigeon droppings, Florex granulated chicken droppings, bone meal, fish meal, whey, potato peel, compost, eggshell, banana peel fertilizer and tobacco dust.In winter and autumn, there is no need to fertilize the soil.
Do I need pruning?
In the fall, Belladonna sheds leaflets. By November, they all die and fall. It is not necessary to cut the yellowed leaves, because after the death, they transfer their useful organic matter to the bulb. This is necessary to ensure that the next bloom was successful. If several sheets do not fall off, they can be bent so that they do not take up space during storage.
About flower transplant
Belladonna is to transplant and pour new soil into the pots every spring one month after the first flowering. The root system should not be damaged or cropped. Only sick or dry roots can be removed. This procedure should be accompanied by sprinkling dried roots with charcoal.
Did you know? Amaryllis used to make poisoned arrows. Now funds based on it are used against convulsions and spasms.If the gardener sees the kids onions, then he should transplant them into separate pots.
Disease and pest treatment
If you saw brown or gray spots on belladonna leaves, it means that the flower picked up a fungal infection due to the stagnation of moisture at the bottom of the pot. It is necessary to treat with antifungal agent and observe the normal irrigation of the plant.
Among monocotyledonous plants there are also cultivated plants. These are onions, garlic, pineapple and date palm.Yellowing sheets or their deformation can talk about aphids or thrips. It is necessary to wash the leaves with a soap solution or karbofosny emulsion. Spray should be immediately as soon as the infection was detected.
To rid the flower stems of red spots and stripes, it is necessary to limit watering, use Bordeaux mixture or "Fundazol".
In the case of the detection of red spots and streaks on the bulbs, cut and burn with the green the affected areas.
Did you know? "Amaryllis" from Greek means "sparkle." This name arose from the name of the shepherdess, who was a character in the poem of Virgil.
Possible difficulties in growing: why does not bloom amaryllis
The reason for the lack of color in amaryllis can be:
- lack of light. If the flower lacks lighting, you need to put it on the south side of the apartment, but it is important to ensure that the plant does not get burned by the direct rays of the sun;
- lack of important organic matter. It is necessary to feed amaryllis with mullein or with the Emerald organo-mineral complex, strictly following the instructions;
- violation of the rules of storage of a flower at rest. For the winter period it is better to take it to a dry basement or storeroom;
- several "kids" on one pot. In a situation of dense placement of the kids, it is better to seat each one in a separate container;
- planting bulbs entirely in the ground. If this happens, carefully lift the bulb so that one third of the plant is on top of the ground;
- root decay. Rot can occur from excessive watering. Therefore, reduce or completely discard moisture;
- wrong location of the flower. The flower may be uncomfortable, because it is too hot. Therefore, move the flower to a room where the air temperature does not reach 18 degrees Celsius;
- too young onion. In this case, do nothing specific. Just let amaryllis grow.
It is obvious that the belladonna needs constant attention: timely watering, dressing, periodic transplantation, proper lighting, temperature. But in general, having mastered the simple rules of plant care, you can plan what and when you need to do, and then there will be no problems.