Eukomis (eukomyus, eukomyus, pineapple lily) - all this is the name of one plant belonging to the Asparagus family. He got his name because of its specific appearance - from the Greek language the word eukomyus is translated as a beautiful tuft.
A plant native to southern Africa, where the temperate climate dominates. The cultivation of eukomyus is similar to gladiolus - a herbaceous plant multiplies due to the root part, namely the bulb.
Appearance and features of eukomis
Like any plant, eukomis has a basis. This is a large bulb with a glossy surface that looks like an egg. Thanks to it, a strong root system grows, providing resistance to the entire plant.
The leaves are long, have the shape of a belt, can reach a length of up to 60 cm. Their surface has a glossy structure and green color, however, brown spots may appear closer to the rhizome.
During flowering, the plant releases a long arrow, which reaches 1 m, the upper 30 cm of which are abundantly covered with small inflorescences of white or burgundy color. Ripe fruits are considered to be a multifaceted seed box. The flowering of eukomis with its external form is similar to pineapple, which brought him such popularity among amateur gardeners and the nickname of pineapple lily.
Types of eukomis
Experienced breeders distinguish the following types of eukis:
| View | Description |
| Bicolor (Two Tone) | Best selling. It is considered a decorative variety. The fact is that on the arrow, reddish spots first form, which later bloom into light greenish flowers with pink edges. |
| Spot | Most common. The size reaches 60 cm in height, and the flowers have a greenish tint. He got his name for small dark dotted blotches on the leaves. |
| Red stem | It has the shape of leaves in the form of a shovel and a red shade of bract. |
| Wavy | It can grow up to a meter in height, the edges of leaf plates are slightly wavy and covered with dark spots, which clearly characterizes this species. |
| Autumn | Mostly autumn type, stunted (up to 30 cm), blooms late and feels good even with small frosts. |
| Pole evans | It differs in white and green colors. |
| Crested | Popular in the middle lane. Tall, up to 1 m. Inflorescences - 30 cm. Shades of pink, purple (very similar to lilacs), green. |
| Sparkling burgundy | The foliage is reddish, the peduncles are pink, burgundy. |
Features of landing eukomyus
Even a novice amateur gardener will cope with planting. In sunny places, bulbs are planted immediately in the ground, mainly in May.
The gap between the plants should be about 20 cm in a row and 35 cm between rows.
In the middle lane, eukomis is mainly grown as a pot culture.
All work related to the eukomis planting is best done in March. In order for the plant to take root well, you need to follow the plan:
- Find a suitable container for planting bulbs - pots that are necessary for the large root system of the plant.
- Prepare the soil - soddy soil, humus, sand (1: 1: 1) or ordinary garden soil, treating it with the fungicide TMTD. This will avoid the spread of various fungi on it.
- Plant bulbs - immerse in soil so that its upper part is above the surface.
- A pot with a planted bulb should be in a warm room. It should be watered along the very edge, carefully making sure that the ground is constantly slightly moistened. As soon as eukomyus begins to grow, you can increase the frequency of irrigation.
- After the bulbs have sprouted, they must be taken out along with the container and put in a quiet, calm place or planted at the end of May with a pot, when the ground is completely warmed up.
Eukomis prefers sunny places, so the landing site should not be in the shade.
In addition, when taking the sprouted bulb from the pot, you need to ensure that the roots are not damaged. Otherwise, the plant may die.
Growing eukomis
As soon as the bulb began to grow actively and at the time of flowering, the plant needs abundant watering. After each moistening, including rain, it is worth loosening the soil around eukomis, while removing all weeds around it. After flowering is completed, watering should slowly come to naught.
Yellow leaves, indicating that the flower is preparing for winter, become a signal that watering should be stopped altogether. In cold and temperate regions, eukomis bulbs are torn from open ground and stored in the refrigerator.
When kept in a pot, flowering time can be extended artificially. It is necessary to feed the rhizomes with a mineral complex diluted in water at least once every two weeks. However, you should pay attention to the fact that fertilizers should not contain nitrogen - this mineral negatively affects eukomyus.
Reproduction of eukomyus
For reproduction, two methods can be used: vegetative and seed.
At the first, varietal signs of parents are preserved. During the life of the bulb in the soil, small children are formed on it. At the moment of rest, i.e. during the cold season, they need to be carefully separated from the mother bulb. In spring or early summer to land in the ground. Also to this method include propagation by a leaf-cuttings.
In addition, eukomis can be propagated using seeds. They are harvested immediately after ripening and immediately sown in pots. After some time, young seedlings appear in their place. Flowering of eukomyus, propagated by seed, should be expected only for 5-6 years of life.
Problems with transplanting eukomis and growing
The main problem is the premature yellowing of the leaves of the plant. This, as well as the presence of brown spots, indicates the development of the fungus on eukomis. Most often, the cause of its appearance is considered to be plentiful watering. To prevent further death of the flower, it must be removed from the ground and inspect the bulb. It is important that there are no rot spots on it. If any, they are carefully cleaned, treated with a remedy for fungal diseases (Fundazol, Topaz, Spore) and transplanted into new soil.
Also, the plant can be attacked by insects: spider mite, mealybug, whitefly, aphid. Eliminate them with the help of Actellik or Actara.
