Amazonian lily eucharis - home care
Content:
A bulbous flower belonging to the Amarylis family, native to the jungles of Central and South America, is called eucharis. That was the name of Callipso's companion, the daughter of Atlanta in Greek mythology. The second popular name is the Amazonian lily (Eucharis Amazonica).
Eucharis appearance
The plant consists of a bulb with a diameter of 2-7 cm, from which several wide (up to 20 cm) and long (up to 55 cm) lanceolate leaves of a rich green color grow. The surface is slightly shiny and the edge is slightly curved. Each bulb can bear a maximum of four leaves at a time. The total height is up to 80 cm.
Blooming eucharis
Most of the species and varieties bloom from August to September, but with good care, the second time in February-March. The flower is very similar in appearance to the daffodil. The bulb expels a long (up to 80 cm) peduncle. At its end, from 3 to 10 large white flowers with a diameter of 10-12 cm can be collected in a common inflorescence. Different varieties differ in the size and shade of staminate filaments (from green to yellow). The aroma is very pleasant - jasmine-lemon. After blooming, each corolla lasts up to 10 days. When pollinated, seed boxes are obtained from flowers.
Types and varieties of indoor eucharises: description of popular
Among the most popular varieties in Russia:
Eucharis large-flowered
The foliage of this variety is dark green, elongated-oval with sharp tips. Corollas reach 12 cm in diameter on a peduncle up to 80 cm long. Each umbrella has 3-8 buds with snow-white petals. The aroma is very persistent. It blooms twice a year: in December and also in May or August.
Eucharis grandiflora
Eucharis Sandera
Expels a long peduncle with an umbrella of 2-3 buds. Each corolla is connected to the peduncle with a long (up to 5 cm) tube bent downward. This gives the inflorescence a drooping appearance. The stamens are united with each other by a narrow yellow border, which looks like a small crown.
Eucharis sandera
The leaves are up to 30 cm long and up to 17 cm wide, dark green in color with a smooth shiny surface and pronounced veins. At the base, the leaf is heart-shaped, and the stalk reaches 10-15 cm in height.
Eucharis Masters
Typical for him is an egg-shaped bulb up to 5 cm in diameter. The foliage is elongated and pointed at the ends. Each leaf is up to 25 cm long and up to 15 cm wide. There are only 1-2 flowers in the inflorescence. It usually opens in March.
Eucharis Mastersii
Eucharis toothless
For its ovoid bulbs, four leaves, 25 cm long and up to 10 cm wide, with elongated grooved petioles are typical. The surface is glossy with noticeable longitudinal veins.In the umbellate inflorescence there are 6-8 flowers with short (up to 1.5 cm long) white petals curved upwards. Separated stamens lanceolate. The corolla resembles a lily with a short (up to 3 cm) green tube connecting it to a common peduncle.
Eucharis Subedentata
Planting and transplanting a plant after purchase
Together with the plant in the store, you should immediately purchase a suitable transplant pot and soil. Loose and nutritious soil is required. Peat, a little sand are added to it, and a drainage layer is required at the bottom (expanded clay is suitable, or even better a coconut shell). If on sale there is a substrate for bulbous or begonias, then you can safely buy it for eucharis.
The pot should be low but wide. As it grows, the bulb produces many strong roots and a lush crown. In a light container, a room lily with wide leaves will be uncomfortable. It is best to buy a spacious ceramic pot.
Planting an Amazonian lily without leaves
To successfully transplant a bulb completely devoid of leaves, the following rules are observed:
- before planting, the remnants of the leaves are cut at a height of 1 cm above the neck of the bulb;
- the bulbs are buried in the ground, leaving the tip on the surface;
- the diameter of the pot for one onion should be 2-3 cm larger than its diameter;
- the soil is added to the pot, mixed in half with sand;
- the first three weeks are watered moderately, only after the soil dries out.
Planting an Amazonian lily with leaves
Step by step method:
- The bulbs are buried in the soil by 5-6 cm.
- The pot is chosen high, but not wide with expanded clay at the bottom and large holes for the drain of excess water after watering.
- The first three weeks are watered carefully, waiting for the soil to dry completely.
Group boarding in a shared container
Eucharis: home care
Bright sunlight is destructive for eucharis. He likes partial shade. The pot should not be placed on the southern windows, it is better indoors in a well-lit place or on the western or eastern windowsill. In summer, it is quite possible to take it out to the balcony or in the garden, leaving it under a canopy from the sun and rain.
Temperature control and ventilation
Draft is extremely destructive for eucharis, its leaves will wither. Moreover, not only cold streams of air, but also warm ones can greatly harm it. In its natural habitat deep in the jungle, it is never in the wind. With a draft, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, as with hypothermia. The optimum temperature for the content depends on the season. The plant periodically requires a pronounced dormant period. During the active period, the optimum temperature is above 23 ° C (up to 28 ° C). The critical minimum is 18 ° C. Sharp jumps in temperature lead to shrinking of the buds.
In winter, the eucharis flower is kept at a temperature of 14-15 ° C, but it is quite possible to limit it to 16-18 ° C. Even such a small decrease serves as a signal for him to rest.
How to water eucharis
The flower is not very sensitive to air humidity. He needs spraying of leaves and wiping from dust only during the heating season. Water is usually watered every 3 days. If you need to spray, then make sure that no drops of water fall on the buds. Correct watering is through the pallet.
Top dressing and fertilizer composition
The optimal frequency of fertilizing the soil is once every 2 weeks. Both organic compounds and minerals are suitable. During the flowering season, it is worth feeding with potash fertilizers, avoiding nitrogen.
Pruning and shaping eucharis
The eucharis indoor flower grows leaves extremely slowly. Losing everyone is very painful for the bulb. Therefore, pruning is very easy to do, because it consists only in removing wilted and faded peduncles.All wet sections must be rubbed with crushed activated carbon powder.
Pests and diseases affecting the Amazonian lily
Diseases appear only with improper care - flooding the plant or hypothermia. In very dry air, with a lack of watering, it can dry out. Common pests: spider mites, scale insects and thrips. They are treated with insecticides against them, the leaves are washed, if very necessary, they are transplanted into new soil.
Frequent mistakes in the care of eucharis
During the dormant period, watering should be kept to a minimum. At this time, water is not poured into the pan, as usual, but the soil is sprayed from a spray bottle, very carefully. It is also important to take the pot out of the sun and lower the temperature by a few degrees.
If the foliage has lost its elasticity, then watering the situation may not fix it. Draft and hypothermia become the cause. In this case, it is worth removing the sluggish leaves, and creating ideal conditions for the bulb to restore: put it in a warm place, feed it, watch out for the absence of drafts.
Why eucharis leaves turn yellow and die
Leaves can curl and wither not only from exposure to a draft, but also due to damage to the roots. Yellowing and shrinking is a natural process when it touches the outer leaves, but not all at the same time. The reasons may be different:
- too abundant or weak watering;
- too cold (temperature 10 ° C and below);
- sunburn.
Yellowed eucharis leaf
The damaged plant is removed from the pot, washed, dried. Treat the damage with ash and plant it again in a pot, filling it with fresh nutrient soil.
Why eucharis does not bloom at home and how to make it shoot an arrow
The reasons for the growth of green mass and the absence of peduncles can be as follows:
- landing incorrectly. The container is too wide. The tighter the bulb is in the pot, the sooner it will throw out the peduncle;
- too sharp jump in temperature in the room. In this case, the flower arrows are formed weak, and the bulb can even rot;
- there is no rest period. Its optimal duration is 1.5 months. At this time, they stop feeding, and watering is done moderately. The soil should always be half dry.
Features of the reproduction of eucharis
In nature, the Amazonian lily reproduces vegetatively, since the bulb acquires numerous children every year. It is rarely planted with seeds.
Reproduction of eucharis by children
Using a daughter bulb, you can see the first flowering after 1.5 years. Separate it from the mother carefully so as not to damage it. It is better not to plant crumpled bulbs at all, since the probability of their survival is minimal.
Eucharis bulbs
High-quality children need to be planted separately in small pots, filling them with ordinary soil. The substrate should be composed of leafy earth, peat and sand. It is recommended to add a little rotted manure to the bottom. The tops of the bulbs are left above the soil surface. If the child has a leaf, then it is deepened by 5-8 cm. If everything went well, then the first leaf should appear in 4-6 weeks.
Eucharis: seed propagation
With seed reproduction, the first buds will appear only in the fifth year of the flower's life. You can buy seeds in the store, but they are rarely sold. They are obtained from their lilies by pollination: with a soft brush, pollen is placed on a pistil and wait until the seed pods ripen. It usually takes about 30 days.
Sowing is carried out in containers 5 cm deep, filled with a mixture of fertile soil and sand with the addition of peat. Deepen by 1-2 mm no more. Water only from a spray bottle. There is no need to create a greenhouse effect. The container is placed on the window, creating a slight shade for it.
Seedlings after 2-3 months are transplanted into larger pots. Containers with a diameter of 12 cm and a height of about 9 cm are suitable. In such a tiny container, the bulbs will spend the next 1.5 years, after which they are again transplanted into a slightly larger pot.
In amateur floriculture, eucharis is able to bring many pleasant moments to its owner, and it is not difficult to take care of him. Its fragrant flowers create a festive atmosphere in the home. Having picked up varieties with different flowering periods, you can admire the beautiful white flowers almost all year round.
