Waxed amaryllis: how long does it keep?

Waxed amaryllis have been a popular decorative element in the Advent and Christmas season for several years. Since they are without water and Substrate flourish, the plants can easily be arranged in bowls with other Christmas decorations. But what about the shelf life of the knight's star, the German name of the plant? But do you actually have to dispose of the plants in the household waste, or is it worth trying to rescue them?

Waxed amaryllis

With a waxed amaryllis, the bulb of the plant is dipped in wax. Before that, the knight's star receives a special treatment so that it blooms at the right time. When waxing itself, however, you have to pay attention to the correct temperature. If the wax is too hot, the onion can be damaged; if the wax is too cold, it cannot coat the onion properly.

In the case of the waxed amaryllis, the manufacturers take advantage of the fact that the plant is a bulbous plant. Because the onion contains all the necessary nutrients that the knight's star needs to develop the flowers. That's why a waxed plant comes

without Further Maintenance measures or Substrate the end.

Location

Although these plants do not require maintenance, you should choose a suitable location for the plants. This should have the following properties:

• bright
• no direct sunlight
• Temperature: 18 ° C to 21 ° C

tip: Since the flower stem of the plant grows towards the light, you should turn the knight's star regularly so that it grows straight.

durability

If the amaryllis is planted in a pot with soil, it forms roots that continuously supply the plant with nutrients. Therefore knight stars that are planted in a pot with soil can also be cultivated for several years. Since the entire bulb of a waxed plant is coated with wax, it cannot form roots. It is, so to speak, cut off from the absorption of nutrients by the wax layer. As a result, after a certain period of time, all the nutrients from the onion have been used up by the plant. This leads to the question of how long a knight star can be kept in a wax coat. Since amaryllis develops very large flowers, this costs the plant a lot of strength or energy. Nutrient.

In terms of durability, this means that waxed plants are doomed to die after flowering. The duration of flowering is given as several days. Since the plants take approximately four to six weeks to develop the flower (s), their lifespan is approximately two months.

Note: Don't be fooled if the plant still leaves leaves after flowering. Because this does not mean that the plant has a longer shelf life, but only that not all of the nutrients in the onion have been used up.

Extend flowering time

To add a few days to the flowering time of a waxed plant, it is recommended that the plant be attached to a plant as soon as it blooms cooler place to place. Usually this cooler place is the bedroom. To be able to enjoy the flowers, however, a change of location between "warm" (living room) and "cooler" (bedroom) is necessary. However, the plant should tolerate this change without any problems.

Saving waxed amaryllis

In the meantime, some plant enthusiasts have tried to save the waxed plants. To do this, of course, it is necessary to carefully remove the wax coat. There are different experiences with the success of this project. It is reported that the wax coating is very difficult to remove without damaging the onion. Other plant friends, however, report that it is relatively easy to remove the wax coat, because the onion has shrunk due to the consumption of nutrients, while the wax shell has reduced its size maintains.

Once the wax coating has been removed, it must be checked whether there are any roots in the bulb base. Because there is a possibility that the roots were not or not completely removed before growing. But even with plants in which the bulb base has been cut off, you should not give up hope and try to rescue them. Therefore, you should always place the freed amaryllis bulb in a suitable substrate. With luck and the right care, roots will form and the onion will be able to absorb nutrients again.