Blood Flower: Plant, care for and overwinter

A special potted plant for the garden or living room is the blood flower. Read here how to plant and care for them.

Few have a bloodflower at home, although the showy, scarlet bloom is a real beauty. How to properly care for the tropical plant and in which places it grows well, you will learn in this article.

Blood Flower: flowering time, appearance and properties

An extraordinary beauty for your garden is the Scadoxus multiflorus, also called blood flower or fireball lily. Until the late 20th In the 19th century the blood flower was still part of the genus of blood flowers (haemanthus) and was called Haemanthus multiflorus

. From today's botanical point of view, however, it is one of the Scadoxus and belongs to the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) at. The genus name "blood flower" and the trivial plant name "blood flower" can easily be confused.

The perennial, herbaceous plant originally comes from the tropical regions of Africa and the humid parts of the Arabian Peninsula. Typically found in the shade of tall trees or on river banks. The bloodflower thrives in lowlands as well as on mountain slopes. It grows at the edges of forests, in closed tropical forests or rarely in open spaces.

The blood flower's outlasting organ is a bulb. In the spring, it begins to develop simple, wavy leaves that are about 40 cm long. These converge in a purple-spotted pseudostem formed by the leaf sheaths. The development of the 60 to 90 cm long inflorescence lasts until flowering in July or late August, but can vary from year to year. The blood flower usually blooms before the leaves are fully developed. The showy pink to scarlet flowers are hermaphrodite and form a umbel. Their stamens are conspicuously protruding.

The most beautiful species

There are three subspecies (subspecies) of the blood flower that are very popular for the home garden:

• ‘Scadoxus multiflorus subsp. Catherinee‘: Comes from southern Africa, grows up to 120 cm tall, orange-red flowers only in late summer, false stem often flecked with purple, the most commonly cultivated variety of the blood flower.
• ‘Scadoxus multiflorus subsp. longitubus‘: Originates from the tropical deep forests of West Africa, flowers only in late summer, is only rarely cultivated.
• ‘Scadoxus multiflorus subsp. multiflorus‘: Native to the southern tropics of Africa and the tropical parts of the Arabian Peninsula, fiery red flowers.

The three subspecies differ slightly in appearance in the structure of the flower.

Plant blood flower in the pot: location, substrate and Co.

The blood flower is ideal for growing in pots. In summer it needs a semi-sunny but bright location. Outside temperatures of at least 15 °C are a must because of its tropical origin. If you want to keep the blood flower as a houseplant, you should place it near the window with sufficient distance to heaters. Long, direct sunlight should be avoided, otherwise it can burn the leaves. If the location is too dark, the blood flower forms elongated, light green shoots in order to get light and carry out photosynthesis. These are the so-called "Geiltriebe". In summer, the blood flower also likes to soak up the sun outdoors; a sunny location without direct midday sun is well suited. Since the plant needs warm temperatures, it should not be brought out of its winter quarters too early.

Potting soil mixed with sand and gravel in a ratio of 2:1:1 is suitable as a substrate. A mixture should therefore be used that stores nutrients and water well, but is also permeable to water and well aerated. This creates a permanently moist, but never wet, root area. A very slightly acidic potting soil like ours is suitable for this Plantura organic potting soil. By using compost instead of peat, it is more sustainable and can also store water and provide nutrients particularly well. This creates an ideal habitat for the blood flower.

The plant bulbs should be planted so deep that the upper part still sticks out about a finger's width and is not covered with soil. Then the onions should be lightly pressed, watered briefly and brought to their warm, sunny location. Root formation and leaf growth begin after just a few days.

Summary: location, substrate and planting of the blood flower

• Half-sunny, bright location with temperatures above 15 °C and without direct sunlight.
• Substrate mixture of potting soil, sand and gravel in a ratio of 2:1:1 to store water well and avoid waterlogging.
• Leave the plant onions about a finger's width out of the ground, press down lightly and water to encourage root formation.

Care of the blood flower

The blood flower requires little care, provided its annual rhythm is observed. Fertilize and water differently in summer than during the cool hibernation. The change in care is also a prerequisite for reliable flowering.

Fertilize and water

During the warm season, the root ball of the blood flower should be watered regularly. It can dry out, but not dry out completely. If the surface of the soil in the pot is dry, it's time for fresh water. During the leafless phase in the winter quarters, the root ball should be watered from time to time so that it does not dry out. A finger test to see if the soil is still moist is a good way to check.

In addition to regular watering, the blood flower should be fertilized every one to two weeks during the growing season. A liquid ornamental plant fertilizer like ours is suitable for this Plantura organic flowers & balcony fertilizer. It quickly supplies the plant with all the important nutrients and ensures healthy growth. When repotting, however, a fertilizer in granular form should be used in order to carry out basic fertilization with a long-term effect. Flower fertilizer like ours Plantura organic flower fertilizer are rich in phosphorus. This is not only absolutely necessary for flower formation, but is also an important part of the plant's energy balance, for example.

Repot blood flower

The blood flower is sensitive to disturbances, which is why it should only be repotted every 2 to 3 years. However, narrow planters and only limited space for the roots are not a problem - as long as the nutrient supply is right, the blood flower will still thrive in full splendor. The best time for repotting is spring - between February and April - when the vegetation is still dormant. To do this, the root ball can simply be removed from the old container. Excess soil should be removed before the plant is placed in the new pot. The pot can then be filled again with a loose potting soil-sand-gravel mixture (ratio of 2:1:1) so that the upper part of the bulb protrudes a finger's breadth from the ground.

Why isn't my blood flower blooming?

If the blood flower does not form flowers, the reason is usually stress during the flowering induction phase, i.e. preparation for flowering. Flowering is only induced if the plant was able to collect enough energy in its bulb after flowering and if it is sufficiently cool and humid during the winter. If this is not the case, the blood flower will not be stimulated to protect its reserves and only green leaves will appear in the following year, simply to ensure the survival of the plant. It is therefore absolutely necessary to overwinter the Bloodflower properly.

Bloodflower overwinter

Rooms with cool temperatures of 10 to a maximum of 15 °C are suitable for hibernation. When the leaves begin to turn yellow, it's time to stop watering. Since the blood flower sheds all its leaves, it can tolerate being overwintered in a completely dark room, such as the basement. The bulbs remain in the dry to slightly moist soil. During the hibernation, the blood flower should hardly be watered, only the soil should be prevented from drying out. Attention: It must not get too wet. Leaves that have turned yellow can be cut off, but they also fall off on their own after winter. At the beginning of the new growing season in spring, the plant should be slowly acclimated to the warmer temperatures so that it is not stressed. A slightly warmer room is good for this. After a few days, it can then be returned to its normal location.
If the blood flower is cultivated outdoors in a tub, it should be moved to winter quarters as early as September, as it does not tolerate frost.

Is the blood flower poisonous?

Bloodflower bulbs are poisonous. They contain large amounts of alkaloids, especially lycorine. When consumed, this can lead to nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, and in higher doses to paralysis and circulatory failure.

You have other potted plants like dwarf date palms (Phoenix roebelenii) or fuchsias (fuchsia) in your garden? Read our special article on the subject Overwinter potted plants.