It is worth seeing this beautiful plant only once during flowering and it is already impossible to forget it! The people called him “Amazonian lily”. In culture, more often than other species there is a large-flowered eucharis (Eucharis grandiflora) – “Amazonian lily” and an Amazonian eucharis (Eucharis amazonisa). This valuable ornamental bulbous plant is widespread in the tropics of South America, where it lives mainly in the Amazonian lowlands, in the foothills of the Colombian Andes, on loose, humus-rich soil. How to grow eucharis at home, we will tell in the article.
Eucharis Farmer Burea-Uinsurance.com Scott Zona
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Botanical description of the plant
Rod Eucharis (Eucharis) has about 20 plant species of the Amarylissaceae family (Amaryllidaceae), blooming in winter and differing only in minor botanical features. The word “eucharis” in translation from Greek into Russian means “graceful”. This name is quite justified – the plant stands out among indoor flowers for the beauty of leaves and flowers, a strong aroma.
The leaves are large (up to 40 cm long and 20 cm wide), broadly oval, pointed, dark green, shiny. In shape, they are similar to the aspidistra (“friendly family”). The leaf blade is slightly wrinkled, with protruding longitudinal veins. Leaves live for a long time, for several years; but after the autumn flowering they partially die off. Then, to replace them, new, young ones grow, initially rolled into a tube.
In skilled florists, eucharis blooms twice a year. In well-developed specimens in October-November, 5-8 peduncles appear (sometimes more), in early summer – 2-3 pcs. Some plants bloom on New Year’s Eve. The flowers are large, up to 10 cm in diameter, similar to a daffodil, snow-white, slightly drooping, collected in a simple umbrella on long leafless stems (up to 70 cm). In the center of the flower stands out a dense, greenish crown with teeth along the edge.
Home care for eucharis
Eucharis grows well in illuminated places, although it also tolerates a significant lack of lighting well. Poorly tolerates the midday sun. The ideal location is the east and west window. In summer, it can be taken out into the open air, but it should be shaded from direct sunlight and protected from precipitation.
Remember the thermophilicity of the plant, do not forget the plant outdoors during cool August nights, and even more so during the first autumn frosts. It will be safer if you stretch a small piece of plastic wrap, arranging a miniature greenhouse around it.
During the growth period, the temperature should not fall below 18 ° C. Severe temperature changes cause shredding of flowers. Remember that a temperature of 7-10 ° C is already considered damaging: it is possible for the leaves to drop and the bulbs to rot.
For successful flowering, eucharis needs a dormant period lasting 1-1,5 months. It is advisable to organize a dormant period after the flowering of the plant, reduce its watering and keep it in a semi-dry state.
Watering is moderate, since overdrying and waterlogging of the soil in the pot should not be allowed. Watering is best with soft, settled water. During the growth period, the substrate should be more moist than that of hippeastrum and other bulbous, but still without waterlogging – therefore, water it carefully, after flowering, watering is reduced.
During the growing season, spraying eucharis is useful. During the flowering period, the plant is not sprayed or sprayed carefully so that water does not get on the flowers, as this causes brown spots, as a result of which the decorative effect of the flowers is lost. Dust from the leaves can be removed with a damp cloth or by washing the leaves with water, but make sure that it does not get into the soil.
Starting from the stage of bulb germination, it is useful to feed the plant with organic and mineral fertilizers (alternating both) once every 1 weeks. After flowering, feeding is stopped. For fertilization, you can use universal liquid mineral dressings (“Rainbow”, “Universal”), diluting them in accordance with the instructions.
Plants tolerate coma disturbance, root damage and transplantation painfully. Eucharis is transplanted no more than once every 1-3 years. Over time, the pot becomes literally full of bulbs, there is not enough nutritional area, and the plant may die. The best time for transshipment and transfer is March. One transplant in 4-3 years is enough.
Carefully loosen the earthy ball with a stick and straighten the fleshy roots. The most tangled parts of the roots can be rinsed with water to avoid injury. The bulbs are planted 2-3 cm below the soil level and compact the soil around them well. If the bulbs do not have leaves, they can be planted so that the top remains above the substrate level. This will allow better observation of the onset of growth.
In the first 2-3 weeks after planting, eucharis is watered carefully, as the soil surface dries, but spray (if there are leaves) abundantly and regularly. 1-1,5 months after planting, the top of the new leaves is shown from the bulb.
Reproduction of eucharis
To separate or not to separate the daughter bulbs from the mother depends on the goals that you are pursuing. Naturally, young plants develop more slowly in close proximity. If each of them is planted in an individual pot, then they will quickly reach flowering. Then it is necessary to separate the children every year. However, if you do not want to quickly multiply eucharis, then it is better to leave the babies – this contributes to more lush flowering.
To get a lush, well-leafy specimen of eucharis, wide containers with several holes in the bottom are used for planting for a quick drain of water. A thick layer of drainage from expanded clay and shards is poured onto the bottom, since the bulbs rot from stagnant water. 3-5 bulbs are planted in a container, immersing them in the ground to a depth of 4-5 cm.
A group planting in a relatively cramped container is a prerequisite for good flowering. Seated alone, the bulbs do not flower until they have multiplied in sufficient quantity.
Substrates with good water holding capacity are preferred. The substrates are prepared on the basis of leafy soil (4 parts), adding compost (2 parts), coarse sand or other baking powder (2 parts) and loam (1 part). The mixture can be made up of 3 parts of deciduous, 2 parts of heather and 1 part of turf and sand. Heather soil can be replaced with peat soil. Plants need good drainage. Eucharis blooms profusely, provided that it is cramped in the pot.
Completely isolated children are separated carefully, trying not to damage the root system. They are transplanted into a previously prepared soil, consisting of sod or humus-containing soil, sand and peat in equal proportions, which is maintained in a sufficiently moist, but not waterlogged state.
Diseases and pests
Eucharis, in general, is not a whimsical plant and blooms easily every year, even with minimal maintenance. If you try, you can get an extremely rare (or everyone’s envy) a beautiful plant with a huge number of fragrant flowers. If you leave a lot of bulbs in a large pot and feed the plant regularly, then the shiny numerous leaves will look especially impressive. I must say that eucharis is rather a solitary plant and it needs enough space.
Shield
Brown plaques on the surface of leaves and stems suck out cell sap. The leaves lose color, dry out and fall off. For mechanical cleaning of pests, the leaves are wiped with a soapy sponge. Then the plant is sprayed with 0,15% actellik solution (1-2 ml per liter of water).
Thrips
High temperature and low air humidity contribute to its appearance. On the underside of the leaf, thrips lays numerous colonies, and light dots appear on the upper side of the leaf. As a result, the upper side of the leaf becomes grayish brown with a silvery sheen. The plant should be sprayed (if necessary repeatedly) with insecticides (fitoverm, decis, actellik, intavir).
Eucharis during the flowering period is a wonderful plant that can decorate any room. During dormant periods, the luscious, dark green leaves are the perfect backdrop for a potted plant arrangement. In the winter garden, eucharis is best placed under the canopy of large plants.
