An orange milk star provides appealing accents in the apartment. The intense color of the flowers is eye-catching and easy to care for.
Characteristics
- Plant family: asparagus family (Asparagaceae)
- Genus: Milky Stars (Ornithogalum)
- Synonyms: gardener's fright, gardener's death
- Origin: South Africa (Cape Province)
- Growth form: herbaceous, persistent, forms onions as a persistent organ
- Growth height: 15 cm to 30 cm
- Leaves: 10 cm long, 2 cm wide, ciliate, green
- Flowers: orange, white (rarely), racemes, cylindrical, 20 mm to 25 mm in diameter
- Flowering period: mid-July to the end of September
- toxic to humans and animals in all parts of the plant
Location
If you have decided on a milk star, the location has to be right. The care of the Bauernschreck is not difficult if you are in a suitable place and can establish yourself there. Newly purchased specimens should also always get used to the sun, otherwise it could be too strong. Milky stars are mainly kept in buckets, which makes it easy to adjust the location accordingly. When planting, on the other hand, you have to choose the location a little more precisely. The following points will help you with both variants:
- Light requirement: sunny to bright
- Avoid midday sun
- not too hot
- ideal temperature 18 ° C to 22 ° C
- not above the heater
- well suited: window sills, winter gardens, greenhouses
floor
Milky stars can be planted in the bed over the summer if the temperatures do not drop below 8 ° C. So that you can maintain your vitality and really enjoy the warm season, the soil conditions must be adapted to the needs of the asparagus plant.
The following properties should
he have:- relaxed
- permeable
- containing nitrogen
- not too damp
- if necessary, loosen with quartz sand
Substrate
The choice of substrate when planting in pots is just as important as the soil that you have prepared in the bed. It is dependent on various properties that make it necessary to adapt the substrate with the appropriate means. It should be as follows:
- relaxed
- low in lime
- cactus soil is suitable
- alternatively potted plant soil
- Mix in sufficient quartz sand in the case of potted plant soil
plants
If you want to enjoy your ornithogalum specimens in the flowerbed, you need to plant them correctly and in good time. This guarantees that the onion sprouts well and ensures a vital plant. The ideal time to plant the onions is in spring, when the first green shoots have formed and there is no longer any risk of frost. In most regions this is only possible from mid-May after the ice saints. The gardener's fright bulbs are not planted too deeply in the ground and at a distance of 15 to 20 centimeters.
Repot
Ornithogalum dubium is repotted either annually or after a few years when the substrate is very depleted. If your orange milk star is to be repotted every year, its vitality will increase significantly, as the fresh substrate contains more nutrients. A bucket with enough space should always be chosen for repotting, as you can place more than one onion together. Just do not forget the planting distance, otherwise they will be blooming. The bucket should have drainage holes and drainage from one of the following drainage agents at the bottom:
- gravel
- Expanded clay
Note: The onions of the Ornithogalum species in particular contain poisonous cardenolides and should therefore be used carefully
be repotted. The steroids lead to severe poisoning and cardiac arrhythmias when consumed.to water
Watering Ornithogalum dubium is a little more difficult because the plant needs a finely tuned amount of water. The following points will help you:
- water only as needed
- Avoid waterlogging at all costs
- Allow the first substrate layer to dry slightly
- check with a finger test
- pour with low-lime water
- Stale or filter water is also suitable
- planted specimens hardly need any additional water
Note: Make sure that there is never any water left in the lower shell. This could increase the risk of waterlogging, which can lead to root rot, which is fatal for the plant.
Fertilize
An orange milk star must be fertilized depending on the frequency of repotting. Once you have repotted the plant, you will not need to fertilize it until the next year. The plant draws all of its nutrients from the substrate and, due to the energy stored in the bulb, can do without any further. If you do not repot the onion after winter, it will need additional nutrients because the substrate no longer contains enough.
It is fertilized as follows:
- Use nitrogenous liquid fertilizer
- Flowering plants or universal fertilizers are suitable
- Administer via irrigation water
- Only add small amounts of fertilizer to the irrigation water
- every 4 weeks
Cut
Ornithogalum dubium is not pruned. Since the plant only has a certain number of flowers and a maximum of eight leaves, no pruning is necessary. You can still cut off the flowers and use them as cut flowers for vases and arrangements. In contrast to other plants, the cut flowers stay fresh for several weeks. After the flowering period, the above-ground parts of the plant die and can then simply be pulled out of the ground before winter.
Tip: Be sure to wear gloves when cutting the milk stars. The milky sap that escapes leads to irritation of the mucous membranes and skin and it is not uncommon for an itchy rash to remain.
Overwinter
Wintering ornithogalum plants is extremely easy. Since you don't have to worry about the above-ground parts of the plant, there is little maintenance over the winter. If you have not planted the plants, you can move the pot with the onion to a suitable winter quarters after removing the withered green. During winter, the onions are sprayed with little water every four weeks. That way, they won't dry out even if there is no need to water them. Planted specimens are dug up immediately after they have withered and also on one
stored in a dark location that is not too cold. The bulbs of the milk stars should not be stored wet, otherwise they could go moldy. The location should be as follows over the winter:- Temperature: 8 ° C to 12 ° C
- dark
- protect from drafts
Propagation through daughter onions
One of the simplest propagation methods for ornithogalum plants is the use of daughter bulbs. If your specimens have developed daughter bulbs, you can immediately use them for propagation use, as they are more or less smaller variants of the mother plant with the same properties acts. These are particularly noticeable when repotting, which ideally sets the time for propagation in spring. They are used like normal onions of the milk star. Separate them from the mother plant and simply plant the smaller onion in a container with a suitable substrate. Care is the same as for the mother plant.
Propagation by sowing
The milk star can also be easily propagated by sowing. You can get the seeds from stores in pack sizes of two to ten pieces that you can use for cultivation. If you are lucky, your specimens have been pollinated by insects from being outdoors and you can harvest the seeds yourself after the flowers have dried up. Once you have seeds available, follow these instructions:
- Time: directly after the harvest in autumn, spring from March
- Substrate: potting soil, bird sand or pumice gravel
- Fill the growing vessels with substrate
- Place seeds on the substrate
- do not cover
- Location: bright, warm, no direct sun
- Temperature: from 20 ° C
- Moisten the seeds and substrate
- Germination time: 2 weeks
- repot after a while
Aphids
Milky stars are extremely robust plants that only rarely suffer from diseases or pests. If pests feast on your specimens, they are mainly aphids and you can recognize them by the following symptoms:
- Aphids clearly visible
- Honeydew recognizable
- Leaves wither
- Leaves roll up
Infestation occurs mainly over the summer if you move the plant outdoors during this period. Indoor plants are usually not attacked. There are several solutions available that you can use to help your orange milk star regain its strength:
- Rinse regularly with clean water
- alternatively use a soft soap solution
- Mixing ratio: 50 g soft soap and 1 l water
- Introduce ladybirds as beneficial insects
Note: If an ant colony has become established due to the aphid infestation, take action against it as well. It is usually enough to move the nest.
