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Waxed amaryllis have been a popular decorative element during Advent and Christmas for several years. Because they thrive without water or substrate, the plants can easily be arranged in bowls with other Christmas decorations. But what about the durability of the knight 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 save them?
Waxed amaryllis
With a waxed amaryllis, the bulb of the plant is dipped in wax. Before that, the knight star gets a special treatment so that it blooms at the right time. When waxing, however, you have to pay attention to the right temperature. If the wax is too hot it can damage the onion, if the wax is too cold it won't coat the onion properly.
With 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 star needs for the development of the flowers. Therefore comes a waxed plant without Further care measures or substrate out.
location
Although these plants do not need any care, 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 rotate the knight star regularly so that it grows straight.
durability
If the amaryllis is planted in a pot with soil, then it forms roots that continuously supply the plant with nutrients. Therefore, knight stars planted in a pot with soil can also be cultivated for several years. Since the entire bulb of a waxed plant is covered with wax, it cannot form roots. It is, so to speak, cut off from the absorption of nutrients by the wax coat. As a result, after a certain period of time, all the nutrients from the bulb 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 energy and nutrients.
For durability, this means that waxed plants are doomed to die after flowering. The duration of flowering is given as several days. Since the plants need around four to six weeks to develop the bud(s), their lifespan is around two months.
notice: Don't be fooled if the plant leaves after flowering. Because this does not mean that the plant has a longer shelf life, only that not all the nutrients in the onion have been used up.
extend flowering time
To add a few days to the flowering period of a waxed plant, it is recommended to dry the plant as soon as it flowers in a cooler place to place. As a rule, this cooler place is the bedroom. In order for you 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 lovers have tried to save the waxed plants. To do this, it is of course necessary to carefully remove the wax coat. There are different experiences about the success of this project. It is reported that the wax coat is very difficult to remove without damaging the onion. On the other hand, other plant lovers report that it is relatively easy to remove the wax coat, as the bulb has shrunk from nutrient consumption while the wax coat maintains its size.
Once the wax coat has been removed, it must be checked whether there are any roots at all on the bottom of the onion. Because there is a possibility that the roots were not or not completely removed before growth. But you should not give up hope and start a rescue attempt even with plants where the base of the bulb has been cut off. Therefore, you should always plant the freed amaryllis bulb in a suitable substrate. With a bit of luck and the right care, roots will form and the bulb can absorb nutrients again.
