Fact Sheet Hippeastrums, also known as , are native to FLOWERING tropical areas of South America. They enjoy growing Depending on when you planted in a constant mild temperature around 20°C, and in the , the will be in full dappled shade. This makes them ideal bloom three to seven weeks after and they are one of the most spectacular for planting. indoor flowering. At this time, remove the pot from PLANTING direct sun to extend the life of the bulbs are generally available from flower and continue to water to September onwards. If planted at that time they keep the mixture just moist. will flower about seven weeks later, near the end AFTER FLOWERING of November. The longer you delay planting, the quicker the bulb will rush into bloom – bulbs planted When the flower is spent, remove in late November will flower in three weeks and look the stem as close as possible to its magnificent at Christmas. It is not recommended to base. Feed with liquid fertiliser delay planting beyond mid December. now, as the bulb needs to be well fed for the next few months to be able to flower well next season. When purchased, the bulbs will have thick fleshy roots, Keep watering the bulb until late autumn. The thick and these should be handled green make it an attractive to have in the carefully to avoid damage. house even after flowering. New leaves will continue Plant the bulbs in a pot at least to grow as the bulb grows throughout summer and 150mm diameter. autumn. Use a good quality potting RE-FLOWERING mixture that contains a six- Flowering in Hippeastrum bulbs is initiated by a stress month slow release fertiliser. Plant the bulb with the period of cool conditions or dry conditions. This is top third above the mixture, making sure that the why new bulbs always flower well in their first season; roots are well spread out and have no air pockets they have been stored dry for some weeks prior to where the mixture is missing. being available for sale. The stress period must be at After planting, water well with tepid water. Do not least ten weeks to be effective. water over the nose of the bulb. These conditions can be provided by withholding water from the plant from the beginning of May to CARE WHILE GROWING the end of July. By this time the plant may have lost While the bulb is growing, use tepid water sparingly some older leaves, but this is not a problem. Re-pot to keep the mixture just moist, not wet. Do not allow the bulb into fresh mixture at the start of August and water to sit in a tray underneath the pot. If you have follow the growing instructions above. used a good mixture with slow release fertiliser then no additional fertilising is required. Alternatively, place the potted bulb outdoors for the winter months, in a position protected from . Keep the pot in a warm room, in full light. Rotate They will probably lose most of their leaves during the pot occasionally as the leaves and flower stem this time, and become dormant. Re-pot and bring start to appear, to prevent them bending towards the indoors at the start of August. light. Both methods should result in in November.

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