Gemantus - growing and caring at home, photo species

Hemanthus (Haemanthus) is an onion culture from the amaryllis family. The leaves are sessile, dense and leathery, rounded in shape. Inflorescences are spherical or in the form of umbrellas, consist of small flowers of various colors. Appear in spring or summer.

The duration of flowering is 2-3 weeks. The total height of the plant does not exceed 30-40 cm. The bulb increases annually, reaching a diameter of 8-10 cm. As children grow on it, children form. Homeland of Hemanthus South Africa.

Be sure to look at the clivia flower from the same family. They look very nice in pairs.

The beneficial properties of hemanthus

Hemanthus purifies the air, saturating it with oxygen and ozone. The plant also contributes to the improvement of electrostatics. When placed next to the electronics significantly reduces its negative impact. Hemanthus normalizes metabolism in the body, reduces pressure and accelerates recovery processes. The attractive appearance of the plant contributes to the creation of a pleasant and comfortable environment in rooms of any type.

Hemanthus: home care. Briefly

Hemanthus at home requires compliance with certain agricultural techniques:

Hemanthus: home care. In detail

Care for hemanthus at home should be subject to certain conditions:

Hemanthus flowering

Hemanthus blooms in spring after a dormant period. An important condition for flowering is the cool content in the winter. A thick peduncle with a spherical inflorescence appears near the false stem.

After pollination, fleshy red berries are formed on it. The first flowering occurs at the age of 4-5 years. Peduncle after flowering must be cut off. If this is not done, the ripening seeds will significantly deplete the bulb.

Temperature mode

During the growing season, hemanthus is kept at a temperature of + 23-25 ​​°. In winter, it is reduced to + 14-16 °, the main thing is that it does not fall below + 10 °. Sometimes the rest period falls on the hot summer months. In this case, the pot with the sunken bulb is transferred to a cooler place, for example, to the basement.

If you leave the plant in the heat, flowering may be absent.

Spraying

Hemanthus at home needs regular spraying, especially during flowering. The water used must be soft. In case of severe dust pollution, the leaves of the hemanthus are gently wiped with a damp cloth.

Lighting

Hemanthus needs a lot of bright light. When placing the plant on the southern windows at noon, it is advisable to shade it. In most cases, the flower develops well on the eastern or western windows, provided there is no shading from the street.

Watering Hemanthus

Hemanthus plant at home requires moderate and careful watering. The topsoil must be dry. When the dormant period begins, evergreen species are watered very rarely, and deciduous ones cease altogether.

High humidity is harmful to bulbs, Combined with high temperature. In such conditions, they decay extremely quickly. With a lack of moisture, the bulbs do not gain the necessary mass, their growth point is damaged, and the inflorescences dry out very quickly.

Hemanthus pot

Despite the fact that the hemanthus flower develops a fairly powerful root system, the flowerpot for its growth should be slightly larger than the size of the bulb. Too large a capacity increases the risk of acidification of undeveloped soil roots. When choosing, preference should be given to shallow and wide pots, since the bulk of the roots of the hemanthus is located in the upper soil layer.

Priming

Homemade hemanthus needs highly fertile, loose soil. It consists of 2 parts of sod land and equal parts of peat, sand and humus. A universal industrial substrate with the addition of perlite is also suitable for growing. At the bottom of the pot, a drainage layer of expanded clay or coarse sand is necessarily equipped.

Even a single stagnation of moisture will lead to rotting of the bulb.

Fertilizer and fertilizer

Hemanthus in the flowering period is fed once every 10 days. To do this, use fertilizer for bulbs. During the growth period, it is replaced by a universal mixture for indoor flowers.

Like most Afro-descendants, hemanthus reacts negatively to high phosphorus levels. Therefore, when choosing fertilizer, first of all, attention is paid to the quantitative content of this element. The smaller it is, the better.

Transfer

Hemanthus transplantation is carried out once every 3-4 years. If the surface of the soil is covered with salt deposits earlier, the top layer of soil is carefully removed and replaced with fresh.

When transplanting, the plant is carefully transferred into a larger pot, and the voids formed in this case are filled with a soil mixture. Hemanthus roots must be handled extremely carefully, they are sensitive to damage and take a long time to recover.

Pruning

The hemanthus does not need special pruning. Before the resting period, only dried leaves are cut off from him.

Rest period

Not all types of hemanthus have a pronounced dormant period, some simply stop growing, preserving the leaves. In winter, they need to lower the temperature to + 16-18 ° and very rare watering.

Species that drop leaves stop watering from the end of September. After complete drying, the remains of the leaf mass are removed, and the pot with the bulb is transferred to a room with a temperature of 12-15 °. During wintering, the earthen lump should not dry out completely. The soil should always be slightly moist. In February, the topsoil is replaced in a pot with a bulb. After this, the plant is put in its usual place and resume normal care.

Growing hemanthus from seeds

As a result of artificial pollination on the haemanthus, fruit can be set. Seeds collected from them can be used for reproduction. A mixture of peat and sand is prepared for sowing.

The first shoots appear after 2-3 weeks.

The root system of seedlings is very sensitive, so they are grown without dive as long as possible. Seeds lose their germination very quickly, so they are sown as quickly as possible.

Hemanthus reproduction by children

Near the maternal bulb of the hemanthus, children are constantly formed. They can be used for reproduction. Children are separated during a planned transplant. Then they are planted in small glasses with loose, nutritious soil. They bloom for 3-4 years of cultivation.

Diseases and Pests

When growing hemanthus flower growers may encounter the following problems:

• Hemanthus does not bloom. Most likely, the plant was not provided with the proper rest period. It is necessary to adjust the conditions of detention in the winter.
• Hemanthus leaves turn yellow. Yellowing and dying of the lower leaves is a natural process. If the problem spreads higher, the flower suffers from the bay. To fix the problem, the soil should be dried, and the rotten places should be treated with a fungicide solution.
• Burns on leaves, faded flowers. The plant suffered from sunburn. The pot must be rearranged in a less sunny place or provide shading.
• Hemanthus buds turned black. With high humidity and low temperature, the spread of fungal diseases begins. Watering should be limited for a while, and the pot should be rearranged in a warmer place.
• Hemanthus is slowly growing. Perhaps the plant lacks nutrition. Recommended fertilizers must be applied. If dry spots appear on the leaves, the hemanthus is checked for pests.
• Leaves bend, stretch. The plant lacks light. The pot needs to be rearranged in a more lighted place or organize lighting.

Hemanthus can also suffer from a number of pests: aphids, mealybugs, spider mites.

Types of homemade hemanthus with photos and names

In indoor floriculture, only 3 types of hemanthus are used:

White Hemanthus (Haemanthus albiflos)

The species is characterized by broad, rounded leaves at the ends of a deep green color. The plant consists of only 2-4 leaves. Its height does not exceed 20-30 cm. Peduncle is short, thick with small white flowers collected in umbrellas with a diameter of not more than 5 cm. Fruits are orange-red berries with rounded seeds. Suitable for growing in warm rooms and cool conservatories.

Scarlet Hemanthus (Haemanthus coccineus)

After flowering, grows 2 leaves of bright green color. The shape of the leaf plates is rounded, tapering to the base. A characteristic feature are the red tops. Peduncles up to 25 cm long, covered with brown-red spots. The flowers are bright red.

Hemanthus Katerina (Haemanthus katherinae)

The leaves are ovoid, rather large, with a wavy edge. They die off for the winter. Peduncles up to 50 cm high. Inflorescences up to 15 cm in diameter consist of pink flowers. Bulb diameter about 10 cm.