Happy Urban Dirt

Do you know the genus Lachenalia? These are more than a hundred species full of colors and shapes. But they are not always known, even though they are plants that can bloom for almost 6 months.

Learn more about this species and how to care for it to feel good and always pretty.

What does the genus Lachenalia look like?

The first thing you should know about Lachenalia plants is that they belong to the hyacinth family.so you may already have an idea what they look like.

It is a plant with long leaves, sometimes with one or two, other times with several more, which almost always remain at the base of the soil. They form a rosette that can reach a length of 20 centimeters. In addition, they have flowers that can be of different colors and can be made on long pedicels. This flowering is quite long, it can last about 6 months.

They come from Africa, specifically South Africa and Namibia. Because there are so many species (110), each has its own period of activity, although most of them usually begin growing in the fall and flower until spring.

Some species of the genus

As we said at the beginning, the genus Lachenalia consists of over a hundred different species. Some of the most famed or sought after are:

• Lachenalia bulbifera. It comes from the Western Cape in South Africa. It grows from 8 to 30 centimeters and has only one or two leaves. But the most pretty thing is the flower stalk with red or brown flowers with green tips. It flowers from April to September.
• Lachenalia ensifolia. Also from South Africa. In this case the flowers are grouped at the base, in the middle of two leaves that stick out of the ground. The flowers are white, changing to mallow, and have a certain aroma of almonds.
• Little Lachenalia. Unlike the others, this plant has four to six leaves with spots. In the center is a rosette from which a flower stalk (quite miniature) grows, leaving flowers at ground level. They are white.
• Lachenalia corymbosa. In this case, the flowers are more striking, in roses with two red or fuchsia lines. It measures no more than 12 centimeters.
• Lachenalia carnosa. It has two green, egg-shaped leaves that remain on the ground, and from its center grows a flower stalk with petite, white flowers with a purple border.
• Lachenalia single-leaf. It can reach from 10 to 35 centimeters in height. It has only one leaf with green and burgundy lines, and the flowers are blue, pink or yellow with white tips. They are open.
• Psychic Lachenalia. It has two veined leaves and a flower stem with white, bell-shaped, hanging flowers with pink or red spots.

Lachenalia Plant Care

Did you like the Lachenalia species photos you were looking for? Then you might want to have one in your home. And we must warn you that while some are straightforward to care for, there are others that are not suitable for beginners. It is also a bit fine, as it needs a chilly rest period and needs to be in an environment where the air does not become stale, and even less so, where there is no cigarette smoke.

However, if you manage to avoid this, our care will lend a hand you find out if this plant is for you.

location and temperature

There is no doubt that the best location for Lachenalia is outdoors, but the truth is that it adapts well to interiors. Of course, in both cases it will need a lot of featherlight, as much as you can provide. But in no case should it be direct, but indirect.

As for temperature, in winter the plant needs coolness (no less than 10ºC), while heat is the worst thing you can give it (even though it comes from Africa, it does not tolerate heat).

Of course, it should be remembered that among the more than one hundred species, it is possible that some are more adapted to scorching climates and generally speaking, for any climate. You just have to find the ones that really suit your space (that’s the best way to make them work).

Subsoil

It is necessary to provide a featherlight substrate that provides good drainage and moisture-retaining soil.

A good mixture that can be useful is to exploit a universal substrate with peat and drainage, e.g. bark or perlite, thanks to which it is very well oxygenated. This way you will avoid clumping and water accumulation.

Irrigation

Make sure you don’t run out of water. When the soil dries out, the plant suffers a lot, so you need to make sure you never run out of water. Yes, indeedWhen watering, allow the first layer of substrate to arid out slightly. If you overwater, you will notice this too (plant death).

In addition to irrigation, flowers will need water sprinklers and humidifiers to stay in perfect condition.

Subscriber

During the period of bud growth and flowering, the plant has a high demand for nutrients. Therefore, you will have to gift him a subscription at least once a week.

Of course, if the soil contains a lot of salts, the plant will suffer, so fertilizers should be used carefully (as well as soil).

MultiplicationWithN

Lachenalia are bulbous plants, so over the years it is possible that they will produce offshoots that you can divide to get up-to-date plants of the same species. Of course, make sure you divide while the onions are dormant and allow the cut to heal before planting them so the fungus doesn’t kill them both.

As you can see, the genus Lachenalia is quite gigantic, and most importantly, its species are not too complex to cultivate. Do you have any at home or would you like to have them?