Lycoris

Family. Amaryllidaceae.

Origin. China, Japan, Korea.

Description. Lycoris are elegant bulbous plants. In Japanese and Chinese culture, lycoris are considered flowers of death, as they grow in abundance near cemeteries. The bulbs can reach 10 - 12 cm in diameter, oblong, brown, reminiscent of tulip bulbs. The leaves are dark green, belt-shaped, up to 30 cm long and about 2 cm wide. Large inflorescences form at the tops of leafless peduncles 30 to 60 cm high from mid-summer to mid-autumn. The flowers are funnel-shaped, white, pink, orange, yellow or red, resemble lilies and have very long stamens, often appearing after the leaves wither and die. The buds remain open for a week. An amazing feature of this plant is that the leaves appear first - in the spring and die before flowering.

Height. up to 60 cm.

Care

When it blooms 

Summer autumn.   

Growing at home 

Quite an unpretentious species when grown at home. Dying leaves are not cut off, but left on the bush until completely dry - they continue to feed the bulbs.

Reproduction

It is propagated by separating daughter bulbs during transplantation. Lycoris can also be propagated by seeds, but the germination rate of the planting material is low, and the bushes obtained from seeds bloom at the age of 6 - 12 years.

Transplant 

Lycoris does not like frequent transplants, so they are carried out extremely carefully and only when it is necessary to change the soil or when the bulbs become cramped in the pot. Transplantation is carried out when the plant's spring leaves die off and flowering has not yet begun. The bulbs are planted so that the neck protrudes from the ground. After transplantation, feeding begins only after a month.

Containment temperature

All year round, lycoris is suitable for warm keeping at a temperature of 16 to 24 ° C. 

Lighting

A brightly lit place without direct sunlight. Representatives of this genus develop well under fluorescent lamps.

Soil

Well-drained soil rich in nutrients. 

Fertilizer

With the beginning of growth, they begin to feed with water-soluble fertilizers with a high nitrogen content for the development of green mass, which are subsequently changed to fertilizers with a high potassium content for abundant flowering. Fertilizing is carried out every 2 weeks during the growing season.

Spraying 

If the air in the room becomes too dry, you can spray the leaves with water at room temperature.

Watering

Water generously while the bush is developing and blooming. In the fall, after flowering, gradually reduce the frequency of watering, and in winter, simply protect the soil from drying out completely.

Purpose

Lycoris buds are often used as cut flowers.

Note

The bush can live indoors for a long time with proper care. The plant's bulbs are poisonous.

Pests and diseases

Bulbs can rot if there is stagnant moisture. Buds become smaller if there is not enough nutrients or if they become too crowded in the pot.

Harmful insects - daffodil flies.

Varieties:

Lycoris squamigera

A perennial tall flowering herbaceous plant, the stems of which reach a height of 45 - 60 cm. In the spring it forms belt-shaped, glossy, green, basal leaves up to 30 cm long, which die off at the beginning of flowering. At the end of summer or the beginning of the canopy, strong, erect peduncles appear, each of which can bear 4 - 7 funnel-shaped flowers with lilac or soft pink petals and a yellow center.

Lycoris radiata

Perennial bulbous herbaceous plants with a height of 30 to 60 cm. The leaves are silvery green, belt-shaped, narrow, up to 25 - 40 cm long. The peduncles are vertical, leafless, each bearing at the top 4 - 6 bright flowers with red petals and numerous, gracefully curved stamens.