How to plant Lycoris
This article provides an overview of the small gardening knowledge about how to plant Lycoris and the methods and timing for Lycoris cultivation, as follows:
Lycoris, also known as black garlic, crow garlic, garlic grass, or婆婆酸, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Amaryllidaceae family, Lycoris genus, which grows wild in moist, shady slopes and streamsides, as well as on the tops of hills and mountains with slightly deeper soil layers in the autumn. The leaves are green, the flowers are bright red, blooming from August to September, and the fruiting period is in October. Lycoris was mainly wild in the past, but now it is mostly cultivated artificially, which is suitable for courtyard cultivation and has high horticultural value. It is cold-resistant, shade-loving, moisture-loving, drought-tolerant, and thrives in loose, fertile, slightly acidic humus soil. Lycoris has a habit of summer dormancy. It is an excellent perennial herbaceous flower, with leaves to enjoy in winter and flowers in autumn.
Propagation methods
1. Bulb division: In spring and autumn, bulb division is used every 4-5 years. The bulbs near the mother bulb are taken and planted, minimizing damage to the fibrous roots. Choose flat, well-drained, moist, and fertile land for planting. It can bloom in about one or two years. Keep the soil moist, control watering, and avoid bulb rot.
Cultivation methods
1. Potting soil preparation: For Lycoris cultivation, the potting soil should be fertile sandy loam, requiring fertile, moist, humus-rich, and well-drained conditions. The cultivation soil can be made by mixing two parts of deciduous leaf soil, two parts of garden soil, and one part of sand, with a small amount of decomposed manure or directly using fertile garden soil as the potting soil.
2. Selection of pots for planting
The best pots for planting Lycoris are clay or purple sand pots. New pots should be soaked in water for a few days before use. The pot diameter should be more than 15 centimeters.
3. Potting
When potting, first cover the bottom drainage hole with broken pot pieces, then add coarse sand, fine sand, and cultivation soil. In autumn and winter, plant bulbs by dividing them. Choose large bulbs that have been growing in the field for more than three years and can bloom, with a diameter of more than 7 centimeters. Plant one bulb per pot or 3-4 bulbs in a large pot. In general, warm regions plant in autumn, while cold regions in the north often plant in spring. The planting depth should be slightly covering the top of the bulb. After planting, water thoroughly, keep the soil moist, but avoid excessive watering to prevent bulb rot.
4. Daily management
Lycoris enjoys growing in a sunny environment. Insufficient light will result in poor flowering. In spring and autumn, place it in a semi-shady area for maintenance, avoid direct sunlight in summer, and for indoor planting, place the pot in a sunny and ventilated area.
Generally, fertilize 2-4 times a year. The first time is after defoliation and before flowering, using decomposed cake fertilizer or compound fertilizer. The second time is from late October to early November, before the growth period after flowering, to promote large flowers. After flowering, reduce nitrogen fertilizer and increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to make the bulbs strong and full. Stop fertilizing and watering in autumn to allow it to gradually enter dormancy. When digging up bulbs, prevent damage to the fibrous roots, otherwise it will affect flowering. Choose a sunny day to dig up the bulbs when the soil is dry, remove the soil, slightly dry, and store them. Alternatively, after cutting the leaves, place them in a greenhouse for dormancy with a temperature of 5°C-10°C, keeping the room dry and well-ventilated to prevent bulb rot. After the flowers fade, cut off the remaining flowers.
Lycoris requires frequent watering during its vegetative growth period to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged to prevent bulb rot. Twenty days before flowering and during the flowering period, an adequate supply of water is necessary to ensure uniform and prolonged flowering. When the surface soil becomes gray and white, supplement water. Do not water or fertilize during the dormancy period.
Have you understood the detailed introduction of how to plant Lycoris and the methods and timing for Lycoris cultivation as described above?