Eucharis is a bulbous flowering plant from the Amaryllis family. It occupies a worthy place among decorative and deciduous plants. Fragrant Amazonian lily flowers, similar to large daffodils, can appear several times a year. Long (up to 50 cm) and wide (about 20 cm) leaves have a slightly corrugated surface.
The flower grows at an average speed and can reach 60 cm. With good care, the bulbs live for many years. Under natural conditions, the plant is distributed in the tropical rainforests of Bolivia, Peru, the western part of the Amazon (therefore, the people call the flower Amazonian lily). The mountain slopes of Colombia are considered the birthplace of eucharis.
Also see plants from the same Wallot family and hippeastrum.
Average growth rate. | |
Mostly blooms in summer. Also in autumn and winter. | |
The plant is easy to grow indoors. | |
The bulb can live for many years with proper care. |
Beneficial features
Eucharis is blooming. A photoThe flower is insidious. Behind the spectacular appearance is the toxicity of the plant. All parts contain a toxic substance - lycorin, even a small dose of which can cause severe vomiting and dizziness.
Pharmacologists extract this alkaloid from plants and use it to produce bronchodilators that dilute and excrete sputum. Lycorin also relieves pain and inflammation, eliminates fever and even inhibits the growth of cancer cells. According to legend, the flower gives spouses peace and harmony.
Features of growing at home. Briefly
Eucharis at home develops well if optimal conditions are created for it:
Temperature mode | Up to + 28 ° C, in winter - at least + 13 ° C. |
Air humidity | Above average; placed on a pallet with wet expanded clay. |
Lighting | Broken bright; windows facing east and west. |
Watering | It is plentiful in the summer, every 5 days; sparse in winter, every 10 days. |
Priming | For 2 doses of leaf soil - one dose of turf, peat and perlite. |
Fertilizer and fertilizer | Liquid mineral fertilizer diluted with water; every 15 days during the flowering period. |
Eucharis transplant | Adult bulbs every 3.5 years. |
Breeding | Fresh seeds, dividing the bulbs. |
Growing Features | Knowing them, the plant creates the conditions for good vegetation. In spring, bulbs can be planted in the garden: fresh air is good for the flower. After flowering is complete, the bulbs must be dug up and transferred to the house. The plant must rest after bright flowering for 40 - 45 days. |
Eucharis: home care. In detail
A striking accent in the interior is a spectacular plant. At home, eucharis is not equal among large beautiful flowers. So that he decorates the house with his lush umbrellas, around the plant create a favorable atmosphere.
Bloom
The culmination of plant development is flowering. The flowering of eucharis impresses with bewitching beauty and delicate aroma. On one adult bulb appears a high - up to 0.8 m - peduncle (if the bulb is powerful, there may be more). An inflorescence is formed on it in the form of a snow-white umbrella, consisting of 2 large or 3 to 8 medium flowers, crowned with a golden-white "crown".
Flowers of different species, despite the general resemblance to the daffodil and the constant whiteness, differ from each other.
Their petals have different:
- invoice and size;
- shape (elongated, ovoid);
- density;
- tip shape (it can be pointed or rounded);
- the color of the "crown" (lemon, golden - white, greenish).
Depending on the type of plant, flowering periods change. In comfortable conditions, Amazonian lily can bloom up to three times a year.
Temperature mode
Compliance with the temperature regime is one of the main principles of growing a tropical plant at home. It is comfortable for a heat-loving flower in summer when the thermometer does not rise above + 27 -28 ° C, and in winter at a temperature of at least + 12-13 ° C. A higher or lower temperature has a bad effect on the plant: development slows down, and time must pass before it returns to normal mode.
Temperature changes and drafts are detrimental to the flower.
Spraying
The most important thing is that you should not allow air dryness at home when caring for eucharis. The plant needs high (from 55%) humidity. A flowerpot with a flower is placed on a pallet with wet expanded clay, air humidifiers are used.
You can gently spray the leaves and wipe them with a damp cloth, but spraying the flowers is unacceptable: water can cause them to rot.
Lighting
Under natural conditions, the flower grows in the shade of higher plants. Therefore, for indoor eucharis, which prefers to be in conditions of bright diffuse lighting, a small shadow is preferable to constant bright light.
A container with a flower is best placed on a window of a western or eastern direction. On the southern window, you will need to shade the plant at hot noon, and on the north - include phytolamps.
Watering
The plant is hygrophilous. But you need to water it only when the substrate in the flowerpot dries out by about 1/3. Waterlogging causes rotting of the bulbs and the death of the flower. The lower watering of eucharis is preferred, in which water is poured into the pan (excess water is drained after two days).
Use the settled lukewarm water. After watering, the trunk circle is mulched with crushed bark or coconut substrate.
Pot
Too spacious a pot for eucharis will inhibit its flowering. A plant will bloom only when its roots fully explore the area of the container. Eucharis looks spectacular when a group of bulbs is planted in one pot. Each of them requires up to 12 cm of the total volume of the pot.
This is taken into account when choosing the size of the tank: it should be wide, but not very deep (choosing the height of the pot, take into account the height of not only the bulbs, but also the drainage layer).
Priming
We need breathable nutrient soil, the preparation of which you can do at home on your own. To do this, mix one portion of peat, turf land, perlite with two portions of leafy earth. You can buy a universal floral substrate in the store.
Coal powder, brick chips and vermiculite are added to any soil mixture. These components will improve the composition of the mixture, make it more loose.
Fertilizer and fertilizer
For flowering to be remembered for a long time, fertilizers and top dressing are needed. During flowering, once every 15 days, liquid mineral fertilizer is used, diluted twice with water.
It is sometimes advised to alternate minerals with organics. But at home it is inconvenient to do this, moreover, organic fertilizers have a bad effect on young bulbs. Eucharis is fed after evening watering, then the plant is shaded for two days. After flowering is complete, they cease to feed.
Transfer
The flower does not respond well to touching the bulbs and changing places. Therefore, a frequent transplant of eucharis is not needed. The plant is transplanted in early spring 3.5 years after the last transplant. By this time, new grown bulbs are formed in the pot, and the roots will cover the entire earthen lump.
The plant is removed from the pot, carefully freeing the roots from the remnants of the earth. Small bulbs - children can be left on the roots, or can be planted separately (but separating them from the mother plant, you do not have to wait for rapid growth and flowering). Drainage is poured on the bottom of the pot, and substrate is poured on top.
Bulbs are buried by 50 mm. If there are no leaves, the bulb is not completely covered with soil, the growth point is left at the top. Bulbs are planted through 45 mm from each other, placing 5 to 7 pieces at once in one flowerpot. After planting, the plant is shaded.
Pruning
After flowering is completed, dried flower stalks must be trimmed to facilitate the transition of the plant to the dormant stage and to give the flower a well-groomed appearance.
Rest period
The rest period is very weakly expressed. The plant that has completed flowering is rearranged in a cool, dry place for about a month and a half. Water sparingly when the substrate dries. The light intensity does not change. Stop feeding. When new shoots begin to appear, resume normal watering.
Eucharis in winter
In winter, eucharis can bloom if you move the rest time to the beginning of autumn. If this happens, the plant is watered as usual, do not shade, and continue to feed. If the plant does not bloom in winter, it is rearranged in coolness, rarely and sparingly watered, not fed.
Breeding
Eucharis is a bulbous plant, so 2 breeding options are possible.
Growing eucharis from seeds
at home, they rarely engage in such reproduction: seeds germinate poorly, seedlings develop slowly. This option is suitable for breeders who are accustomed to hard work and not afraid of difficulties. Seeds germinate in a moistened substrate, placed in a greenhouse.
Reproduction of eucharis by dividing bulbs
The traditional method used at home. In spring, medium-sized bulbs are separated from the mother plant and up to 7 pieces are planted in a separate flowerpot, located at a small distance from each other: so the future bush will bloom faster. After planting the bulbs, they make sure that they germinate in moist soil, but do not overmoisten the soil.
Diseases and Pests
With careless care of the plant, problems with its development can arise: diseases will appear, and pests will begin to attack the diseased flower. Problems manifest as symptoms:
- flowers are fading - from a sharp change in temperature;
- wither leaves - from waterlogging or moisture deficit (adjust watering);
- eucharis does not bloom - lack of rest after flowering; too big pot; not enough bulbs are planted in the pot or they are small; lack of nutrients (take a rest after flowering; transplant several medium-sized bulbs into a smaller flowerpot; feed potassium-phosphorus fertilizer);
- how to make bloom - in the winter to arrange rest in a cool room, poorly water;
- leaves turn yellow eukharisa - if 1 - 2 leaves turn yellow - a natural physiological process; a large number of yellow leaves - from stagnation of moisture, occasional watering, hypothermia of the plant (need loose soil and good drainage; timely water with lukewarm water; protect from draft and cold);
- leaves fall - from root rot (remove the bush from the substrate; remove the areas damaged by rot; treat with fungicide and dust with carbon powder the places of cut; transplant into new soil; completely correct the care of the flower).
The plant is rarely affected by pests, but sometimes it is damaged by scale insects, spider mites, and thrips.
Types of home eucharis with photos and names
In indoor culture, ten species are common. The most popular include:
Eucharis Sanderi
Dense leaf plates with long stalks have a bright green color. Their width reaches 150 mm. On the peduncle, up to 3 are formed - large, less often - up to 6 - small white flowers with a lemon "crown". It blooms in early spring.
Eucharis grandiflora (Eucharis grandiflora)
The most popular view. Each bulb throws up to 4 leaves on long stalks. Leaves slightly corrugated, with protruding veins. Painted in a saturated - emerald color. On a high peduncle, a large umbrella of 3-7 large flowers is formed. It usually blooms in autumn, but sometimes blooms several times a year.
Eucharis mastersii
Leaf plates are wide (up to 150 mm) and long (up to 250 mm). Petioles are of medium length. On the peduncle, 2 large umbrella inflorescences are immediately formed. It blooms in early spring.
Eucharis white (Eucharis candida)
The length of the broad ovoid leaves reaches 0.4 m. The leaves are painted in emerald color. Peduncle green with a brown tint. An umbrella of 8 white flowers with a lemon-white "crown" is formed on it. It blooms in early March.
Gearless Eucharis (Eucharis subedentata)
Sheet plates have a triangular - elongated shape. The leaf length can reach 0.23 m, width - about 0.1 m. An umbrella of 6 snow-white flowers of medium size is formed on a long peduncle.
Eucharis was introduced to Europe 200 years ago, but so far the "most beautiful" flower (as its name is translated from Latin) is considered the pride and decoration of any floristic collection.
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