Wish to have a flowering plant that is spectacular and grabs everyone’s attention? Then you need to learn how to plant blood lily bulbs. Originally from South Africa, this flower is amazing and one of the most beautiful, eye-catching flowers in the world.
Besides originating from Africa, it is easy to plant blood lilies in containers or gardens in almost every part of the world. The size of a small beach ball, its amazing colors and its rosy texture and diameter of about 10 inches on the dark green leaves just attracts the person towards it.
It is a showstopper. The orange-reddish mixed color and the size of a small beach ball, for once make people stop and wonder how beautiful it is. Besides its beauty, it is very easy to take care of. It doesn’t necessitate constant watch.
Types of Blood Lilies
There are two main types of blood lilies. The one who shed every year and the one who is the evergreen. The evergreen doesn’t mean that they never shed their leaves. They do but they recover by replacing their foliage as they age.
On the other hand, the ones which shed their leaves seasonally find it unnecessary to get their greenery back. Rather they need time to bloom again and get the flowers. These are unique flowers. Blood lilies have tongue-shaped leaves, and they have ball-like bulbs.
Blood lilies have globe-like flowers. These plants grow in the form of bunches. The main highlights of these flowers are that they have fiery flowers with yellow endings. The dark green background of leaves and bark makes these flowers stunning. They have no specific scent but their beauty perfects everything.
Growing Blood Lilies
This is a unique flower with a spherical flower head. It is basically known as a blood lily, but the biological name of the blood lily is Haemanthus multiflorus. The shape and colors of the flower attract a lot of creatures like butterflies, birds, bees, and humans as well.
This attraction makes it a plant that is good for domestication. Otherwise, it is a wild plant and grows in clusters. Having no scent but beauty makes it suitable for most gardeners who are interested in decorating their gardens with unique and beautiful flowers like blood lilies.
Most of the time there is no foliage on the stems of the flower. But when the plant is blooming there is quite a lot of greenery on it. Which acts as a background for the main show which is the flower. In the fall season, blood lily plants produce red berries.
Commonly known as blood lilies, these plants can be about 42 inches in height and 15 inches in width. These plants are grown in soil with quite a good pH, and they require moisture to grow. But it is necessary to keep the soil well-drained.
Besides these qualities, these plants have red flowers. These plants like to have partial sunlight exposure. Their bloom time is in the summer as well as the fall season. These plants are native to Africa so don’t need extraordinary care. These can be toxic to pets.
Growing Blood Lilies Bulbs
This South African native can grow from the bulbs as well. Blood lilies are hot-natured like other plants in their area and soon start growing when these are taken into the soil for cultivation. As mentioned earlier it has both bloom seasons of summer and fall. It can grow wherever you can provide enough sunlight.
Getting the Right Pot/ Container & Soil
First of all, find the right pot or container to plant a bulb of a blood lily. It is important to keep in mind that blood lily needs moisture to germinate and grow, but this pot or container should be well-drained because in the other case it will cause the soil to get soggy which can undermine the growth.
Now we have selected the right pot for the bulbs to grow. You need to get the soil now, which is mixed with composted organic matter. Most of the time when grown in containers in houses, people must get soil that has good organic nutrients.
Cultivation, Irrigation, and Care
How deep should I plant lily bulbs?
Now set the bulbs inside the pot or container deep down 6 to 8 inches. Use the organically composted soil mix to cover the bulb of the blood lily. Keep in mind you have to leave the upper tip of the bulb outside the soil line.
Water the pot enough that it keeps up with the required amount of moisture. Once the growth of the bulb has been started you can increase the amount of water in the pot to keep the moisture even. Feed the pot or a container with fertilizers after every two weeks. Use phosphorus water-soluble fertilizers.
After all, doing this practice and work, you need to be patient. The blood lilies take time to grow and bloom. But these flowers and the end result deserve this patience.
Blood Lily Care
Once and for all, the bulbs of blood lilies have been under the soil according to the standard operating procedure for it. After that, we started watering to keep the moisture and so on. Now it has started blooming and it’s growing normally. What do we have to follow after that?
As we know it is a wild plant. But it doesn’t need any particular set of instructions to follow then it will grow and progress. A consistent watering schedule is only required when it is in a growing phase. Indirect or shady-shiny areas are usually preferred for this plant.
Along with that, blood lilies need at least a year to grow again. Once the flowering phase is over, stop watering and allow the plant to rest and go into the dormant phase. After a dormancy period adding fresh soil and water will lead to the bloom of the plant with zeal and zest. Some pests are also needed to be taken care of like spider mites etc.
Exposure to the Light
Indirect bright sunlight or shady shiny areas for the plants of blood lilies is best. It cannot handle the bare intense sun. At noon, care is to be taken seriously. Because during that time the hot sun and its direct sunlight can cause damage to the plant blood lily.
Selection and Addition of Soil
Soil needs to be rich in nutrients. It is important that soil should be sandy or loamy because it will help in good drainage and will keep the moisture even in a pot or container. In a container, if new soil is mixed, keep in mind it should be richly mixed which fulfills the need for drainage, moisture, and nutrients.
Watering the Blood Lily
Blood lilies don’t need much watering. Excessive watering can result in soggy soil which can damage the plant. Actually, this plant needs different amounts of water at different stages of growth. While growing you can keep water up to keep up the moisture level. While in dormancy water only the amount is just enough.
Humidity and Temperature
As a tropical plant, it is usually good in warm conditions as it is native to Africa. It cannot tolerate very harsh cold weather. Moderate humidity is best for this plant. If kept in indirect sunshine or keeping it inside the room can increase the humidity. This is good for it to keep the humidity at the required level.
Use of Fertilizers
Fertilize when the plant of blood lily is growing and blooming. Water-soluble phosphorus fertilizers are good for this plant. It is important to note that you have to stop the fertilizers when the plant begins to die or go dormant. When it again starts blooming and growing, start the use of fertilizers.
When should you repot a blood lily?
It is better not to change pots of blood lily plants frequently. Because they grow and bloom better if these plants are not disturbed. If it is necessary to change a pot keep in mind to take care of the roots and change it every 4 to 5 years. Also, repot in fresh soil and provide enough water to keep the desired moisture.
Facing Winters
As mentioned earlier, being native to Africa blood lily is not so good with the cold weather. If it is grown in areas of gardens, dig up the bulbs. Preserve them and keep them dry. If it is grown as a domestic plant in a pot, take the pot inside and treat it as an indoor plant and provide enough moisture and humidity.
So, taking care of the blood lilies is not so difficult. Once it is done you can wait and watch for almost one season. Then it will develop the flowers which is the ultimate goal of this plant cultivation. Simply keep the moisture even, and light adjusted you have got the blood lilies in your home garden.
When you have a blood lily plant it is good, and it can be lucky for you. Because it will attract people. Which may result in new friends and new shared interests and ideas along with being a fan of blood lilies.
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