Info about Florists
Ways to Grow Star of Bethlehem Flower
The Star of Bethlehem flower, also known as Ornithogalum belongs to the family of Hyacintaceae. They are found widespread in the southern Europe and Africa. Some species such as the Caucauss can be found in other areas.
The Star of Bethlehem flower is propagated through bulb. It has grass like basal leaves and slender stalk.
The Star of Bethlehem plant is available in 7 varieties including Ornithogalum arabicum, Ornithogalum fergasoniae, Ornithogalum maculaturn, Ornithogalum saundersi, Ornithogalum splendens, Ornithogalum thyrsoides, and Ornithogalum thyrsoides au-. The O. arabicum has fragrant white bowers with black spots at the bottom of the plant. The O. fergasoniae produces blossoms that range from yellow to orange. The O. maculaturn offers orange blossom. The O. saundersi has very large white blossoms. The O. splendns offers orange red blossoms. The O. thyrsoides is famous for the chinchrinche flower. The color of the blossoms for O.thyrsoides ranges from white to primrose. The O. thyrsoides au- is a variant of the O. thyrsoides and produce golden yellow blossoms.
The first step to planting star of Bethlehem flower is to find a planting site. The site should have a good drainage system. The soil pH suitable for growing star of Bethlehem is from 5.5 to 7.0. If the soils is high in alkalinity, you can add peat moss to lower the pH. If the soil is acidic, you can add lime to increase the pH of the soil.
After that, you can use a spade to dig the planting hole. When the hole is dug, you can add the 3 inch layer of organic compost to the soil. The planting hole should be 6 inch deep. For a spring blooms, you should plant in the fall. If you want a summer blooms, you should plant in the spring. After the star of Bethlehem bulb is planted in the hole, you can shovel back the soil to cover the bulb. The pointy end of the star of Bethlehem bulb must faced upwards. You can gently press on the soil to remove the air pockets in the ground.
You can mulch on the ground to prevent weed and encourage good drainage system. To mulch, you can apply a 3 inch layer of composts on the planting site.
You must water the bulb with at least 1 inch of water per week. It is important to water the star of Bethlehem throughout its growing period. You should water the plant until the soil is moisturized.
The bulb of ornithogalum should be planted in August or September. It is recommended that you give them a rooting period of approximately 2 months. After that, you can bring them outdoors. The suitable temperate should be 65 degree. After the plant had die back, you can harvest the flowers. Once you harvest the flowers, the leaves will turn brown. You can dig up the bulbs and replant it in another location after the plant had withered. Before reusing the bulb, you must dry them on a paper towel. The dried bulb should be kept in a paper bag for the following season.