Planting, growing and care of Amaryllis flowers
Normally one bulb is planted in 6-8 inch pot (15-20cm) of well draining mixture. The potting mixture consists of equal parts of loamy soil, sand and well rotten Farm Yard Manure(FYM). Before planting dip the bulb for 15 minutes in fungicides (0.02% Bavistin solution) to control diseases. Never use fresh manure or pine bark as a part of the medium. Plant the bulb with nose above the rim of the pot. Two third portions of the bulbs should be inside the potting mixture and nose of the bulbs should be planted in upright position. Firm the planting medium around the bulb and roots so that there are no air pockets.
If planted in beds, the distance between bulbs should be 12 inches apart. It is better to select a sunny spot in the garden that receives some shade during the afternoon hours. After planting, water the medium copiously. It is important not to overwater the plant in order to stimulate the growth of the basal root system. The medium should be kept slightly moist until the flower stem appears. Generally watering is done at an interval of 15-20 days, if weather is dry. Don’t water over the bulb noses.
Season and cycle for Amaryllis
Best time of planting is December-January in the plains and February-March in the hills. Bulbs blooms about three months after planting. Amaryllis flowers only once in a year. The peak flowering time of Amaryllis is March- April in plains and April–May in the hills. To obtain maximum life from the flowers, they should be kept in cool area of the house and avoid direct sunlight.
Taking care of Amaryllis
When the Amaryllis plant begins to grow, fertilization is essential. Plants require liquid manure for active growth and flowering. Make the first fertilizer application when new growth begins, then repeat the application when the flower stalk is around six inches tall. Apply the third dose when old flowers dry. When flowering is over, watering should be stopped gradually. Leaves are removed when they become yellow and dry. After harvesting, the bulb should be dried in semi-shade condition. It can be store in cold storage for two weeks at 23-25 o c with high ventilation rates. They are subsequently stored at 13oc at 80% relative humidity for at least 8-10 weeks.
Insects, pests and diseases affecting Amaryllis
Amaryllis may be attacked by several insect pest and diseases which causes extensive damage to the plants and bulbs during storage. The major insect pests are caterpillars, aphids, thrips, mealy bugs, scale insects, mites etc.
Caterpillars (Polytela gloriosae) appear during June-July; and eat all the leaves within 4-5 days. Application of Endosulfan at 0.02% or Cypermethrin at 0.02 percent alternately controls the caterpillars.
Aphids, Mealy bugs, scale insects generally sucks the sap of leaf surface .They can be controlled at younger stage with the spray of 0.02 percent Malathion or other neem based insecticide.
Thrips suck the juice from leaves, flower stalk and flowers .Thrips can be one of the causes for the amaryllis to fail flowering. It can be controlled by weekly application of Endosulfan at 0.02% or Dimethoate at 0.05% solution.
Mites also damage the tissue and suck the sap from beneath the surface. There are several mites, such as spider mites makes webs on the older leaf of the plants and flowers. These are very small and red in colour. Leafs become yellow after mites attack. Spray of Propargite (omite) at 0.01 percent concentration controls very effectively if sprayed at regular intervals.
Primary disease of Amaryllis is fire or red spot (Stagonospora curtisii), Leaf spot and Viral diseases. Over watering can sometimes promote development of fusarium. Fusarium and other fungal disease can be prevented by avoiding high humidity, crowding of plants and splashing of water on the foliage. Use of fungicides in the early stages of infection may be effective.
The disease may be controlled by spray of copper oxychloride (0.75%) or by warm water treatment of bulbs at 43.5 0c for 2 hours. It has been observed that, dipping of bulbs in 0.2 percent Benlate or Captan solution founds effective.
Viral disease is generally spread by insects like Aphids as vector or through mechanically by using same tools for cutting the infected & healthy plants .General symptoms of virus infected plant is large yellowish green patches appears randomly over the leaf surface.
All mosaic infected plants should be destroyed when identified. To prevent spread of the disease, control of possible insects or mite carriers through insecticide and clean the surrounding weeds that might harbour viruses.