Amaryllis and everything about it: what kind of houseplant it is, what are the prices for it, as well as a description of the family and the rules for caring for a flower in a pot, including during dormancy

Recently, tropical species of plants have been attracting more and more attention from flower growers. After all, almost everyone wants to have a small flowering corner of the jungle at home.

Such flowers have a magnificent appearance and amaryllis is a vivid example of this. The large size of the flower and the variety of its colors will not leave anyone indifferent. In this article we will tell you all the most important about the features of amaryllis and the conditions for growing it at home.

What is this plant?

Amaryllis is a South African plant that belongs to the Amaryllis family. Some flowers that belong to this genus earlier are transferred to the genus Hippeastrum. The plant is incredibly similar in many ways to Liliaceae - propagated by bulbs, has large funnel-shaped inflorescences and linear oblong leaves.

Amaryllis is home to South Africa, but is also found in nature in Asia, Australia and the American prairies.

You can get acquainted with what the amaryllis looks like and study the photo of the plant here.

Other names

Amaryllis is often confused with a similar hippeastrum, but this is wrong. Currently, hippeastrums number more than 200 varieties, while amaryllis is represented by only two species - Amaryllis belladonna and Amaryllis sarniensis. If we talk about the Russian name, then flower growers call this houseplant Amaryllis beautiful.

The main difference between these types of ornamental plants is the flowering period - amaryllis blooms in the fall, while hippeastrums enter the flowering period in winter and spring. A detailed comparison of amaryllis and hippeastrum, as well as a description of plants and their photos, can be found here.

Smell and appearance

Amaryllis is a bulbous flower with a leafless peduncle and two rows of dense green leaves reaching half a meter in length. The bulb of a plant up to 10 cm in diameter produces a couple of peduncles in autumn up to 60 cm tall. On each peduncle, from 2 to 12 flowers bloom up to 10 cm in diameter.

The color of the buds varies from white to deep purple. Large inflorescences of the plant exude a delicate and delicate aroma throughout the short flowering period.

Description of types and colors

As Amaryllis is represented by only two species, talk about each in more detail.

Amaryllis belladonna

Amaryllis belladonna is the most common among flower growers. Green succulent leaves of this plant reach 50 cm in height and retain their color throughout the winter. The flower hibernates in the summer after its buds die. The flowering time of this variety is only two months - August and September. The flowers in this variety of amaryllis are red or brick red.

Amaryllis sarniensis

In the wild, distributed in Japan and on the island of Jersey. In the midland, the plant ripens mainly in greenhouses and, only after the appearance of the peduncle, is it possible to transplant it into a pot. Even if the leaves of the plant have not yet appeared, then bright large inflorescences with raspberry-red petals will already please the gardeners. The color of the buds is most often purple or pink with streaks of raspberry color.

Rules for home care

In order for the flower to grow well at home, he needs certain conditions, such as a sunny place, without direct sunlight and the absence of drafts.

Before you start growing amaryllis, be patient. The plant is perennial and the first peduncles appear only in the third year of growth at a permanent "place of residence."

How to plant bulbs? A huge role in the proper cultivation of this tropical plant is played by the correct bulbs for planting. Choose dry and clean onions with small roots. Planting material should be soaked for a couple of hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Next, the plant must be completely immersed in lime or ash and left on paper until dry.

Landing is done in early spring in the prepared soil. At the same time, flowers can be planted in pots of several bulbs at once. Only the distance between seedlings should not be less than 10 cm. Fertilizing is carried out in a non-root way - by spraying leaves from a spray bottle. Amaryllis should be watered as the earthen coma dries.

We wrote more about planting amaryllis and caring for a plant at home here, and in this article you will find all about how to plant and grow a flower at home and in the garden.

You can learn about how to plant amaryllis correctly from this video:

Rest period

After the plant has stopped blooming, send it to rest in a warm place. Be sure to feed amaryllis with organic or complex mineral fertilizers. Loosen the topsoil or transplant the flower into a more spacious pot if the root system has grown. All that is required from you further is only timely watering. After all even at rest, the plant continues to need soil moisture.

About how to care for amaryllis in winter, we talked in detail in this article.

Breeding methods

There are two ways of propagating amaryllis - seed and vegetative.

Seeds. If you choose the seed method of reproduction, then you need to be prepared for the fact that the first flowers will appear no earlier than in five to seven years. And to collect the seed, you have to pollinate the flowers with a brush from the stamens to the pestle.
Vegetation. It is easier to propagate the flowers of this species with the help of children, formed from healthy and strong bulbs. Long leaves are separated from the bulb during transplantation and planted in small cups for rooting. As the children grow, they are transplanted into larger pots. With this method of reproduction, it is possible to wait for the flowering of amaryllis already in the third year.

More information about the seed method of propagation of amaryllis is described in this video:

Diseases and Pests

Like any other exotic plant, amaryllis, alas, is susceptible to most fungal diseases. This occurs when unbalanced watering.

Anthracnose - dark spots with brown streaks on the leaves. Such leaves must be removed and destroyed, and the soil must be treated with a fungicide solution.
Gray rot - brown spots on the stems of the plant. Most often, this disease appears due to excess soil moisture.Transplanting the plant into fresh soil and changing watering conditions saves from gray rot.
Stagonosporosis - red spots on the leaves or stem of amaryllis. From this disease, the plant may die. The reason is also excessive watering and sudden changes in temperature. To help the plant in this case is almost impossible.
Root rot - leads to wilting of the plant, affecting its vascular system. Excessive watering and temperature differences also lead to the disease. Treatment with Fundazole or another similar drug may help.

In addition to fungal diseases, amaryllis can also suffer from numerous pests.

Thrips - sucking parasites located on the underside of the leaves. The plant should be treated with Spark, Actar or Fitoverm twice, with a break of a week.
Onion tick - This parasite is difficult to detect due to the fact that it infects the bulb. The plant’s ground organs rot and preventive measures will help - lowering the outside temperature and pickling the bulb in Celtan.
Aphid - sucks the juice from the stems and leaves of the flower. If the aphids are small, then just wash the plant with a solution of green potash soap. Otherwise, it will have to be treated with insecticides.
Mealy and Amaryllis Worms - A frequent visitor to this plant. The pest leaves behind a discharge and white spots that are very similar to lumps of cotton wool. To combat this parasite, solutions of Spark, Actara or Admiral should be used.

You will find more information about possible diseases and pests of amaryllis, as well as methods of dealing with them in a separate article.

Content Issues

The main the problem of breeding this exotic plant at home is the lack of flowering. There are several reasons for this behavior and the main ones are:

lack of lighting;
strong deepening of the bulb during transplantation;
insufficient amount of nutrients in the soil;
plant root disease;
a small period of rest of the flower;
requires separation of the children from the mother's bulb.

At all amaryllis is a rather whimsical plant and novice flower growers constantly wonder about the lack of flowering. But almost all problems are solved and after eliminating all the shortcomings of home breeding, the plant will bloom without fail. It is enough to examine the root system, exclude diseases and pests, and also provide amaryllis with a sufficient period of rest.

Prices in various regions of Russia

Most likely, you are unlikely to find amaryllis on the Internet. For the most part, Hippeastrum is represented there.

If we talk about cost, then:

for Moscow, it is 300-500 rubles;
for St. Petersburg - 400-500 rubles;
in Nizhny Novgorod, a flower can be bought for 500-700 rubles;
in Ufa, the cost will be 200-300 rubles. per potted plant.

Conclusion

Amaryllis - a beautiful exotic plant from Africa, characterized by incredibly beautiful flowering. Subject to simple growing rules and sufficient patience, even a beginner grower can cope with the cultivation of this flower. This article will help you understand the basic rules for caring for a flower, so that it becomes a real decoration of your home.