Hippeastrum 2009

[Maggi Young]

This thread formed by splitting from the Weekly Lisse Flower Show topic

Re: Weekly Lisse Flowershow 2009
« Reply #62 on: March 31, 2009, 01:14:09 PM »
 Quote from "Boyed" ....Zhirair, Tulip collector, bulb enthusiast
Vanadzor, ARMENIA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luit,

What a show and display!
Hippestrums are just fantastic!!! I grow around 15 cultivars and they always give me a great joy.
I plant them in big pots and they bloom twice in a year with abundance. 

Zhirair, can you tell me what feeding you give the Hippeastrum, please?

[Alan_b]

Zhirair, can you tell me what feeding you give the Hippeastrum, please?

I'd like to know too.  Over here the Garden Centres have a motto: "A hippeastrum is just for Christmas, not for life" but I have managed to keep one alive and flowering for several years now, but only ONCE a year.  I would love to know how to induce a second flowering. 

[Lvandelft]

It might be interesting to know, that the bulbs or potted bulbs of Hippeastrum,
sold in garden centers, mostly were grown in Brasilia.
Normally they were grown in Holland in glasshouses or in S. Africa.
These bulbs are much stronger than those from Brasilia, because they needed
two years before selling, but it is obvious that these bulbs are rather expensive to grow.
In Brasilia the climate is so different, that it is possible to grow the bulbs to flowering
size within one year.
In other words: cheaper bulbs but not definitely better for the consumer.

[Boyed]

Maggi, Alan,

Hippestrums do very well for me for over 15 year (a single bulb).
I think if I had followed the instructions in literature (where it is often advised to plant the bulbs in small narrow pot) I wouldn't have a success with them.

taking care of hipps is not difficult at all. The most important factors for the hippeastrums to bloom for several years are:
enough light (sunny position), humus rich soil and large pots (from 4 to 8 kg) (the bulbs after flowering need energy to build up strength for further blooming).

I repot the plants usually once in 5 years. Relating the soil, I take the soil from the forest - a leafy soil, which I collect under the trees (upper 5 cm level). I don't fertilise my hipps regularly, just when I remember about it. I think the best fertilizer is liquid complex fertiliser for bulbs. I don't give the plants rest if thy don't go dormant for themselves (some go, some not). With this method my hipps bloom twice in a year in spring and again in august.

The display especially is rich, when the bulb is planted in a big pot, where during years it produces daughter bulbs, which becomemature in two years and bloom together with a mother bulb. It is just a fantastic show! I will look over my Cd's to find and post my hippestrum pics.

[Boyed]

I've just looked over the computer at the office and found some hipp photos. In the first photo you can see how the mother bulb of white variety 'Mont Blanc' bloom with its mature daughter bulbs next to it ( I dindn't repot this bulbs for 7 years). Actually I very recommend this variety, as it is extremely floriferous and blooms twice in a year, produces huge showy flowers.

white - 'Mont Blanc'
white/pink - 'Apple Blossom'
red double - 'Red Peacock'
assorty - red - 'Red Lion', white/pink - Apple Blossom', pink - 'Candy Floss'

[Regelian]

Wonderful flowering, Boyed,

I have had similar success with Mont Blanc, which is just finishing blooming as I write this.  Mine has bloomed twice but once over the 6 years I've had it.

I find the big pot is the main component, as they are hungry bulbs requiring roots that can spread, followed by as much sun as possible in the warmer months. I have some smaller Hippeastrum in pans where they are clumping-up well, while the big types I've tried in big clay pots, as well as large rose pots, both gave good results.  I leave mine outside once the temps have stabilized above freezing.  The potting mix is a typical commercial type cut with sand and small gravel.  This year I've been using pumice mixed with compost and potting soil, plus a time release fertilizer low in nitrogen (10-12-10-2, I believe).  I repot after bloom when the roots are in growth.

Something we often forget is that not all Hippeastrum come from similar conditions, thus the hybrids will have slightly individual preferences. Here is a shot of H. 'Toscana', a cybister hybrid.

Should we start a thread on their culture, as this is a true hi-jack!

[Maggi Young]

Zhirair, you are making this sound very easy..... I am inspired! 

[Regelian]

Here are a few other H. cybister hybrids, plus a shot of a typical clone of the species.

Giraffe1-kl.
 H.cybister   Common clone
 H.cybister  'Reggae'

[Boyed]

Maggi,
indeed, hipps are very easy plants to grow. Their culture is quite simple. They easily survive even unfavourable conditions. I suppose it is not beneficial for the bulb companies to provide proper information about the culture of these plants to provide a dynamic realization of their products. People buy again and again and they make a good profit.

Jamie,
Thanks for the photos. Your cybister hybrids look very nice and elegant.

[Armin]

Zhirair,
very nice collection. I have just one!

Can anybody identify, please? cultivar name?

Stem height is between 85cm to 100cm, flower diameter 22 to 28cm.
Currently 13 stems, usual 2 stems per larger bulb, sometimes 3...