2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Vallota belongs to a family called amaryllidaceae. The humid subtropics of South Africa are considered the homeland of this plant. As for the degree of ease of growing, even a novice gardener can cope with this.
The genus itself owes its name to French botany, in this genus there is only one species, which grows in South Africa.
In culture, there are several plants, one form of which is endowed with white flowers, and the other - large ones, which reach twelve centimeters in diameter. Indoors, this plant has been grown since the seventeenth century.
This plant is a bulbous perennial, in which the bulb itself is ovoid and small in size. This bulb protrudes halfway from the ground and has a filmy outer scales. The bulb of a plant is capable of forming many children. The leaves of the plant themselves are leathery, dark green in color, and also shiny. At the base, the color of the leaves turns reddish, in shape the leaves are belt-like, xiphoid or linear. The leaves can be up to sixty centimeters long and three centimeters wide. The flowers of the plant are symmetrical, each of them has six petals, which are collected in three to nine pieces in inflorescences, and the height of the peduncle is about forty centimeters. At the base of the inflorescence there are two rather large scales. The perianth of the plant will be funnel-shaped or bell-shaped, in length it will be eight centimeters, and the diameter can even reach ten centimeters. The perianth is colored white, pink or bright red.
One flower will bloom for about five days, while several flowers will bloom at the same time. Under conditions of proper cultivation, the plant will bloom twice a year: the first time the vallotta will bloom in the spring, around May-June, and the secondary flowering will begin in the fall, in September-October.
Care and cultivation of the wallot
Actually, the vallot is quite unpretentious in care. The plant grows well in rooms with a sufficient degree of illumination, in particular this applies to window sills. However, this plant is capable of growing in partial shade. This will require reliable protection from intense direct sunlight.
As for watering, during the active growth and flowering of the plant, very abundant watering will be required. In addition, at this time, it is necessary to apply additional fertilizing with the help of mineral and organic fertilizers, which will stimulate a more abundant flowering of the plant. However, in the period from October to December, watering should be significantly reduced, and plant feeding is contraindicated. If in winter the temperatures are very cold, then watering the plant should be extremely rare.
The air humidity for the vallot should be moderate, and the leaves of the plant should be wiped with a damp cloth from time to time. In winter, it is recommended to put the plant at rest, for which you will need to dry the vallotta bulbs.
Actually, thanks to indoor growing conditions, this plant will bloom twice a year, and a sufficient number of bulbs will also form. As for the temperature regime, room temperature should be provided in summer, but in winter the plant will need a temperature regime of about thirteen degrees.
The propagation of this plant takes place by means of daughter bulbs, which must be separated from the mother plant. It is recommended to do this in the spring or in early summer. However, sometimes the wallot can be propagated by means of seeds. When young plants are planted, the bulbs should be one third above the ground level itself. Only one bulb or several very small ones should be planted in a pot.
