Beautiful Amaryllis(Amarylis belladonna) is a very fashionable, potted plant with decorative funnel-shaped flowers. Often confused with the Hippeastrum, the flowers of which look quite similar. See howcultivation of amaryllisand its reproduction at home looks like. We list interestingvarieties of amaryllis , which are worth paying attention to, and we also advisehow to distinguish a real amaryllis from a short circuit
Amarylis - Amarylis belladonna
Fig. depositphotos.com
What does amaryllis look like?
Beautiful Amaryllisbelongs to the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) and comes from South Africa. Long, saber-shaped leaves emerge from quite large bulbs (5-10 cm in diameter) in spring, followed by stems (usually two), reaching up to 50 cm in height. At their peak in summer, from 2 to 12 funnel-shaped flowers develop.
Amarylis, and zwartnica
Very often on saleunder the name of amaryllis you can get the bulbs of the knuckle , also called hipeastrum. Plants look the same at first glance, so you need to know what to pay attention to so as not to get confused. Here are the basicdifferences between amaryllis and hippeastrum :
- Amaryllis bulbs are elongated and covered with a pale husk . It is impossible to confuse them with bulbs, bulbous and covered with dark scales.
- Amaryllis stems are purple in color and full inside . The stem of the stem is empty inside.
- Amaryllis blooms in the summer , and the warty blooms in spring.
- Hipeastrum leaves appear after the plant blooms, whileleavesemerging from the amaryllis onion first, and then the inflorescence shoots.
- On one inflorescence shoot, amaryllis produces up to 12 flowers , and hipeastrum only 4-5. The hipeastrum flowers are more magnificent and fuller.
Amarylis - varieties
Due to the great popularity of the species, more and morenew varieties of amaryllis are appearing on the market . We list the most interesting of them about flowers in colors:
- white- Southern Cross, Multiflora Alba, H althor, Bill Richardson, Hathor
- light pink- Mutablis Rosea, Ian Black, Johannesburg, Karl King, Stellenbosch
- dark pink- Major, Multiflora Rosea, Rosea Superba, Parkeri, Barberton
- red- Kimberley, Michale Vasser, Cape Town, Kimberley
Amarylis - Amarylis belladonna
Fig. depositphotos.com
Amarylis - cultivation
Due to thermal requirements, in our climateamaryllis are grown as potted plantsHe althy bulbs are planted in spring, so that the upper part is just above the ground. When planting, handle the roots carefully so as not to damage them. The substrate for amaryllis should be permeable, fertile and rich in peat, and the pot should be only a few centimeters larger than an onion.
Place the pot with amaryllis in a placewith a lot of diffused light and water it regularly. It is best if the soil dries up a bit between the first and the second watering. Inflorescence shoots appear in summer. During the flowering period, it is good to feed the plants, preferably with fertilizer for flowering plants.Amaryllis flowers last a long time, up to 4-6 weeks.
Amaryllis after fading
After flowering, the amaryllis goes into a state of restWe finish watering, remove the dried-up parts from the ground, and then move the pot to a cool room. In winter, the temperature should not fall below 12 ° C. We can also take the onions out of the ground, clean them and store them in a cool place. In February, we plant the amaryllis bulbs or transplant them into fresh soil and start watering.
Amarylis - reproduction
Amaryllis can be propagated by dividing bulbs and sowing seeds.
Amaryllis reproduction by dividing bulbs- the plant produces a large number of small adventitious bulbs. We separate them during transplanting and plant them in separate pots. The new plants obtained in this way will bloom after 2-3 years.
Amaryllis propagation by sowing seeds- previously soaked seeds (about 24 hours) are sown individually into pots filled with a mixture of peat and sand.Place the pots in a bright place, but not in direct sunlight. Amaryllis seeds germinate at temperatures as low as 20 ° C. Plants should be watered regularly. After 2-3 weeks, emergence should appear. As the plant grows, we transplant it into a larger and larger pot. Also in this case, amaryllis does not bloom until 3-4 years.
MSc Eng. Anna Błaszczak
