How to grow Hippeastrum? Master these care methods

1. In mid-June, cut off the faded flowers and withered yellow flowers and leaves, place in a ventilated and cool spot, and apply a heavy dose of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer once. After that, in addition to watering once a day, apply a concentrated phosphorus fertilizer every 10 days. Place outdoors; if the sunlight is too strong, shade appropriately and mist promptly. By late July, the Hippeastrum can bloom again.

2. After the flowers fade in late August, cut off the faded flowers and apply a heavy dose of fertilizer once, preferably well-rotted organic fertilizer. In mid-September, place the Hippeastrum indoors at around 13°C with ample sunlight, and water sparingly, just enough that the bulb does not dry out; water about once every 10 days, and apply little or no fertilizer, so that it goes through a brief dormant period.

In early November, move the Hippeastrum into a greenhouse, keep the temperature at around 22°C, and water once every 3-4 days to promote the sprouting of leaf buds. After new leaves emerge, apply a mixed liquid fertilizer mainly of phosphorus once; before the buds appear, apply a nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer once every half month. In this way, the Hippeastrum will bloom a third time at the Spring Festival the following year.

3. After the flowers fade, promptly cut off the flower stalks and the aboveground parts, reduce watering or even stop watering, and keep it dry, so that the bulb goes into full dormancy in a low-temperature environment, laying the foundation for the Hippeastrum to bloom in its natural flowering season.

The above is an introduction to how many times a year the Hippeastrum blooms and its care methods. To learn more about the Hippeastrum, please follow Four Seasons Plants Network!

How to grow Hippeastrum

The Hippeastrum blooms in April in spring and also blooms in winter; to promote flowering, management should be strengthened early. It grows quickly, and after 1 year of growth, it should be repotted into a suitable pot. After the Hippeastrum has been grown in potting soil for 1 or 2 years, the soil is lacking in nutrients; to promote growth and flowering in the new year, it should be given fresh soil. It grows quickly, and after 1 or 2 years of growth, many small bulbs form at the top, so when repotting and changing the soil, divide the plants at the same time: plant the large plants together in one pot, the medium plants together in one pot, and the small plants together in one pot. When repotting, changing the soil, and planting, apply a base fertilizer at the same time. After potting, apply a phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once a month. The fertilizing principle is to apply lightly and frequently, to promote flower bud differentiation and flowering. The Hippeastrum grows vigorously and blooms early, so pest and disease control should be carried out, spraying pesticide once a month. Spraying should be done on sunny days at around 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.; do not spray under the strong midday sun, to prevent pesticide damage.

The Hippeastrum likes a warm, humid climate, with an optimum growth temperature of around 23°C; it fears intense heat, and the sunlight should not be too strong, so it should be kept under a shade shed. It is afraid of waterlogging. During the winter dormant period, it requires a cool climate, ideally 11°C, and must not go below 5°C. It likes sandy loam rich in humus and with good drainage. Artificial bulb cutting is often used to propagate bulblets in large quantities. That is, it is grown by methods such as sowing, bulb division, cutting the bulb, and tissue culture.

How to grow Hippeastrum

The Hippeastrum is somewhat easier to care for than the Clivia, and is very suitable for home cultivation. The following is an introduction to home cultivation methods for the Hippeastrum: Morphological characteristics of the Hippeastrum: a perennial bulbous plant. The largest bulbs reach 6 cm—10 cm in diameter. The color of the bulb skin is related to the flower color: brown bulb skin corresponds to red flowers, while light green bulb skin corresponds to flowers with white or red stripes. Roots grow from below the bulb, and leaves emerge from the bulb, arranged in two rows, with 3—4 on each side, flat and pale green. The flower stalk also emerges from the bulb, green, thick, and hollow. An umbel inflorescence is borne at the top of the flower stalk, trumpet-shaped, with colors such as red, red with white stripes, and white with red stripes, often with 2—6 flowers opening facing each other.

It likes partial shade and is not cold-tolerant. The optimum growth temperature is 18°C—25°C, and the optimum temperature during the winter dormant period is 5°C—10°C. It likes moisture and fears waterlogging, and likes loose soil rich in organic matter with good drainage. It likes fertilizer, but after flowering, nitrogen fertilizer should be reduced and phosphorus and potassium fertilizers increased, to promote bulb enlargement.

The main species and varieties also include Amaryllis belladonna, Hippeastrum reginae, Hippeastrum puniceum, Hippeastrum reticulatum, and hybrid Hippeastrum, etc. There are very many horticultural varieties.

Key points for propagation and cultivation:Both bulb division and seed propagation are possible. Bulb division means taking the small bulbs growing around the mother bulb and propagating them, carried out between March—April. When taking the bulbs, avoid damaging the roots on the small bulbs. Either pot cultivation or ground cultivation is fine; when covering with soil, the top of the small bulb should be left exposed above the soil surface. In cold regions, the bulbs should be dug out in late October; bulbs with a diameter of 6 cm—7 cm or more can be potted separately to await flowering, while small bulbs should be stored in dry sand and cultivated in the ground again the following April; generally after 2 years of ground cultivation, they can form flowering bulbs. In addition, in the high-temperature season of July—August, the scales can be divided and cuttings made to propagate, to obtain large numbers of bulbs. The optimum temperature for cuttings is 27°C—30°C; keep them moist, and after 6 weeks small bulbs will form and take root. Planting should not be deep; too deep causes the neck to grow thin and long; shallow planting keeps the temperature high and the root mass grows vigorously. Plant in March—April, and they can bloom in May—June. Water fully during the flowering period, and increase topdressing after flowering. In midsummer, place in partial shade. After August, growth gradually stops, and watering should be reduced accordingly until it stops; keep it dry in winter and maintain 10°C—13°C to promote full dormancy.

Brief cultivation history and flower culture: native to tropical and subtropical regions, such as the Andes Mountains in Peru, the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, and Brazil in South America; it was introduced to Europe in 1633 and 1769 successively. The Dutch studied the flowering period of the Hippeastrum and bred plants that can bloom at Christmas and New Year's Day, so that this beautiful Hippeastrum can bloom according to people's needs. Besides being used as a potted plant, the Hippeastrum is also a high-grade cut flower. Because of its long flowering period, it is much loved by people, and it also often becomes material for painters.

Spring management of Hippeastrum

The Hippeastrum blooms in April in spring and also blooms in winter; to promote flowering, management should be strengthened early.

1. Repotting. The Hippeastrum grows quickly, and after 1 year of growth, it should be repotted into a suitable pot.

2. Changing the soil. After the Hippeastrum has been grown in potting soil for 1 or 2 years, the soil is lacking in nutrients; to promote growth and flowering in the new year, it should be given fresh soil.

3. Division. The Hippeastrum grows quickly, and after 1 or 2 years of growth, many small bulbs form at the top, so when repotting and changing the soil, divide the plants at the same time: plant the large plants together in one pot, the medium plants together in one pot, and the small plants together in one pot.

4. Fertilizing. When repotting, changing the soil, and planting the Hippeastrum, apply a base fertilizer at the same time. After potting, apply a phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once a month. The fertilizing principle is to apply lightly and frequently, to promote flower bud differentiation and flowering.

5. Pruning. The Hippeastrum grows quickly, with long and dense leaves. When repotting and changing the soil, cut off the withered leaves, dead roots, and roots and leaves affected by pests and diseases, leaving the vigorous leaves.

6. Pest and disease control. To make the Hippeastrum grow vigorously and bloom early, pest and disease control should be carried out, spraying pesticide once a month. Spraying should be done on sunny days at around 9 a.m. and 4 p.m.; do not spray under the strong midday sun, to prevent pesticide damage.

The above six points are the tasks that should be addressed in spring management of the Hippeastrum.

Propagation methods for Hippeastrum:

The Hippeastrum is a perennial herbaceous plant with a spherical bulb, 10 to 15 cm in diameter. The sword-shaped leaves are neatly arranged, with clear veins on the sword leaves, green and glossy. The flowers are mainly red, yellow, pink, green, orange, bicolor, etc., with a flowering period of 10 to 20 days. Because it has strong ornamental value, it is widely cultivated all over the world. Hippeastrum can be propagated by methods such as sowing, bulb division, and tissue culture. The following introduces several commonly used ones.

I. Newspaper sowing method. When the Hippeastrum is in bloom, after artificial pollination, in a little over a month the seed pod splits open naturally, and the seeds can be collected. Dry them for one or two days, then sow. Draw 3 cm squares on newspaper, then place it on the seedbed (do not expose to direct sunlight). After spraying with water, place one seed in each square, then cover with a sheet of wet newspaper. Spray water twice a day so the newspaper does not dry out. After about 15 days, seedlings grow out from under the newspaper (temperature 18°C to 24°C). When the seedlings have grown two true leaves, prick them out into a large tray, with a substrate of vermiculite and peat soil, and water with nutrient solution. When the seedlings have grown 6 to 7 leaves, they can be planted in the ground.

II. Shallow pot sowing method. Use culture soil plus vermiculite, sift, then put into a shallow

pot, 3 cm from the rim, then water. After the soil is wet, sow the seeds on the soil surface at 3×3 cm, then cover with sifted soil, not too thick. After sowing, cover the shallow opening with glass, and place in a spot without light, at a temperature of 18°C to 24°C and a humidity of 80% to 90%. After about 10 days, the seeds begin to germinate. The gap in the glass plate can be gradually adjusted until it is fully open. When the seedlings have grown three or four leaves, they can be pricked out into pots or planted in the ground.

III. Bulb division propagation method. Generally, when repotting the Hippeastrum, the surplus bulblets are broken off and directly potted or planted in the ground.

This method is simple and easy, with a high survival rate. If the divided bulblets are vigorous bulbs of 5 cm or more, they can bloom in the same year. For somewhat smaller bulbs, they can bloom in about two years.

IV. Tissue culture propagation method. Generally, the commonly used

MS medium is used, with the stem disc, dormant bulb tissue, pedicel, and ovary as explants. After tissue culture, callus tissue is produced; after 30 days, adventitious roots form; after 3 to 4 months, adventitious buds form. When the leaves grow to 4 cm, separate them, and after another 2 months the seedlings can be placed in a greenhouse for management.

Question: This Hippeastrum of mine was a gift from a friend. I like it very much, but I have grown it for 2 years and the bulb is not small either. My colleagues all say it should be blooming, but it just will not bloom. I fertilize and water it regularly. What is going on?

Answer:

It is probably being cared for too attentively. It would be better to keep it a little drier in autumn and winter.

This thing is very easy to grow. With a diameter above 5 cm, it blooms every year. Usually let it be a bit dry. In autumn, apply fertilizer once every 7~10 days, and let it grow as fully as possible. When winter comes, cut off the leaves and let it go dormant. The following spring, repot it and apply enough base fertilizer, and it will produce beautiful flowers. The one I grow at home even blooms again in October.

I guess it is caused by too much nitrogen fertilizer and too little phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Also, after two years of growing, it is time to change the soil and divide the pot.

The natural flowering period of this flower is April-May; if it has passed, then it has passed. But you can still start in mid-June by applying a nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer once, and afterward, in addition to normal watering, apply a phosphorus fertilizer about every 10 days. By late July, the Hippeastrum still has a chance to bloom.

The key to making the Hippeastrum bloom is winter management. After winter arrives, stop watering and let it enter dormancy, and then it can bloom in spring. If you fertilize and water in winter, it will cause leggy growth, the flower bulb cannot develop, and it will not bloom. In short, the fewer leaves in winter, the better.

In winter, let it go into full dormancy. Cut off all the leaves, and wait until spring to water it thoroughly once, to let it wake up.