- origin
- blossom
- leaves
- growth
- use
- Is milk star poisonous?
- What soil does the plant need?
- Which location is suitable?
- What is the best planting time?
- The right planting distance
- increase milkstar
- Star of milk in the pot
- Cast milk star
- Fertilize the milk star properly
- Cut milk star correctly
- How do I plant correctly?
- withered
- hibernate
- Diseases
- Yellow leaves
- Star of milk does not bloom
- sorts
Milk stars are bulbous plants that bloom from spring to autumn. But if you plant the plant in your garden, you should also consider the toxicity in addition to the site conditions. Although milk stars are easy to care for and undemanding, tact is advisable when cultivating them.
The milk star is a beautiful, pure white beauty for the garden
Table of Contents
Show all- origin
- blossom
- leaves
- growth
- use
- Is milk star poisonous?
- What soil does the plant need?
- Which location is suitable?
- What is the best planting time?
- The right planting distance
- increase milkstar
- Star of milk in the pot
- Cast milk star
- Fertilize the milk star properly
- Cut milk star correctly
- How do I plant correctly?
- withered
- hibernate
- Diseases
- Yellow leaves
- Star of milk does not bloom
- sorts
- Milk stars are known under the name gardener's fright
- Use in Bach flower medicine as a balm for the soul
- Ornithogalum means bird's milk
- in summer discounts
- on bed edges and lawn edges
- under wood arrangements
- sandy, clayey and gritty
- Mixture of potting soil with sand and pumice
- Clay granules as an alternative to sand
- cactus soil
- Dig up the bulbs and remove all the soil
- Cut or snip off the onions with a sharp knife
- Place onions in fresh soil and cover lightly
- Ornithogalum montanum: Frost-hardy milk star with a large abundance of flowers. Growth height up to 20 centimeters.
- Ornithogalum umbellatum: Green leaves with white vertical stripes. Flowers white with green stripes. Flowering time between April and May.
- Ornithogalum nutans: White-silver star flower. Flowering time between May and June. Individual flowers with long stalks. Reminiscent of a miniature lily. Grows up to 40 centimeters high. Frost resistant
- Ornithogalum arabicum: flowers up to five centimeters in size. Ovary blue-violet. Recommended as a houseplant.
- Ornithogalum dubium: Blooms between June and August with orange flowers. Recommended as a houseplant.
- Ornithogalum saundersiae: flower stalks up to 100 centimeters long. Suitable for spring bouquets.
origin
Milk stars belong to the genus Ornithogalum. The bulbous plants with the subterranean outlasting organs occur with some species in Europe. Their range extends into northern Africa. Milk stars are also found in the tropical regions of Africa and Asia. The species belonging to the asparagus family grow in meadows, on embankments and on moist soil in forests.
Useful information:
blossom
Milk stars develop racemose inflorescences, which are composed of at least two individual flowers. Each flower has membranous bracts at the base. The individual flowers are radially symmetrical and constructed in threes. You have six bracts, which are designed the same. They shine in a pure white and have a yellowish to green colored stripe on their underside. One species develops orange flowers.
The flowers open in direct sunlight. They are reminiscent of twinkling stars in the night sky, which is what gave the plants their German name. The flowering period for indoor plants begins in February and lasts until September. Outdoor plants bloom later. If you dig the bulbs out of the ground in autumn and put them in a pot, the plant will get a new incentive for a growth spurt. Just in time for Christmas, the plants develop new flowers.
leaves
As monocots, milk stars develop grass-like leaves. They grow at the base and are elongated. There are species with smooth leaf edges and those with hairy edges. In all species the leaves appear fleshy. Some of the leaves have a silvery stripe.
growth
Milk stars are geophytes that grow as perennial herbaceous plants. They develop bulbs that serve as outlasting organs. In autumn, the plants draw the nutrients from the plant parts above ground and store them in the bulb. This is how the plants spend mild winters in the ground. They use the stored energy to germinate in the spring. Most milk stars reach growth heights between 25 and 30 centimeters. Some species grow up to 40 centimeters or up to a meter high.
use
Milk stars can be planted outdoors or cultivated in pots. They are suitable for planting under light trees. In the vicinity of other bulbous plants, milk stars provide color accents in the spring bed. Hardy species cut a fine figure in partially shaded rock gardens. The varieties of Ornithogalum thyrsoides are suitable as cut flowers.
Here the milk star convinces:
Is milk star poisonous?
All plant parts of milk stars contain cardenolides. The concentration is highest in the onions. These chemical compounds are among the steroids that affect the heart. Milk stars carry the chemically active substances in the organism in the form of glycosides. Consumption leads to stomach and intestinal problems, nausea and vomiting. Headaches may occur. High doses can lead to cardiac arrhythmias. The milky juice can cause irritation on contact with the skin. There is a high risk of poisoning in cats and dogs.
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What soil does the plant need?
A loose substrate offers permeable conditions from which milk stars benefit. They prefer a fresh soil, because the bulbous plants react sensitively to conditions that are too wet. A high proportion of nitrogen ensures vigorous growth and high vitality. Uniform soil, which is tailored to the requirements of hyacinths, is suitable for cultivating the plants. Mix the substrate with sand to improve the soil structure for the milk star. The bulbous plants tolerate calcareous conditions in the substrate, but they prefer a lime-poor environment.
Suitable substrate:
Which location is suitable?
Milk stars prefer a warm location that can also lie in the sun. They thrive ideally in semi-shady places. Temperatures between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius provide the onion plants with optimal growth conditions. Higher temperatures are no problem for the herbaceous plants.
If you cultivate milk stars in a pot, a bright and warm place on the windowsill is ideal. You can also put the plant in the conservatory or grow it in a greenhouse. If you cultivate the milk stars as indoor plants, direct sunlight should be avoided. During the summer months you can put the bucket in a sheltered and warm place outdoors.
What is the best planting time?
If you want to plant frost-sensitive species, you should wait until spring. Late frosts can damage the bulbs. Repotting should also take place in the spring. Hardy species can be planted out in autumn. If you want to sow seeds, you have to be less dependent on the seasons. Sowing is possible in autumn or spring.
The right planting distance
The minimum distance to the next plant partner should not be less than 15 centimeters. A planting distance of 20 centimeters is ideal. Under cramped conditions there is a risk that the milk stars will not sprout. Pay attention to the soil depth when planting the bulbs. Milk star tubers should be planted ten centimeters deep in the substrate.
increase milkstar
Every two to three years you can divide clumps that have grown too densely and multiply in this way. Dig up the bulbs completely after the flowers have withered. With a sharp knife you can cut the onions into several small pieces and plant them again.
It can be propagated from seeds you collect yourself. The development of seeds requires successful fertilization by insects. Once the plant has finished flowering, remove the seeds from the flowers. Scatter the seeds on a moist and nutrient-poor substrate. Bird sand, pumice gravel or potting soil are ideally suited. Make sure that the seeds are not covered by the substrate.
The light germs need a bright and warm location with temperatures of at least 20 degrees Celsius. Keep the substrate evenly moist by spraying. After about two weeks, germination begins.
Star of milk in the pot
Milk stars are suitable for cultivation in buckets. The houseplants can be cared for in the pot all year round, so that the plants do not go into hibernation. With this cultivation, keep in mind that milk stars lose their vigor over time. The hibernation is also used for regeneration.
Potted plants need to be repotted regularly. This is the case when the soil's nutrients have been depleted or the plant has developed daughter tubers. This measure takes place directly after the resting phase in spring. Potted plants that do not go into hibernation should be repotted before flowering…
How to repot milk stars:
Cast milk star
Do not water the bulbs immediately after planting or repotting. Wait until the plant has sprouted before watering for the first time. As soon as the first green shoots come out of the ground, you can start watering. Once established, plants will require moderate watering during the vegetative phase.
Make sure the substrate is evenly moist but not too wet. The water from spring and summer precipitation is usually sufficient to cover the water requirement. You should only water the bulbous plants additionally during long periods of drought. Soak the soil copiously with water rather than multiple small amounts of watering. In autumn you can slowly reduce the watering.
Water potted plants when the substrate has dried to the surface. Make sure that no water remains in the coaster. Waterlogging causes the roots to rot. Indoor plants also need water in winter. Onions that you overwinter in the basement do not need to be watered.
Fertilize the milk star properly
Milk stars have moderate nutritional requirements. They need nitrogen and enjoy fertilization outdoors, which is repeated every 14 days to four weeks. You can use this period as a guide, but you should pay attention to the soil conditions when fertilizing. Nitrogen-rich fertilizers are good sources of nutrients when heavily diluted with water. A nitrogen concentration of 0.1 percent is ideal. Be sparing with the fertilizer. In winter you do not need to fertilize the stored bulbs and potted plants.
Cut milk star correctly
In autumn you can cut back the foliage. As soon as the plant has completely died, you should remove the plant parts so that they do not rot on the bed. Cut the plant material close to the ground with sharp pruning shears. Alternatively, you can loosen the yellow leaves with a slight pull from the base of the leaves. With this method, the leaves should be completely withered, otherwise you may damage the bulb.
Many species are suitable as cut plants. Cut off the flower stalks just before the flowers open and place the cut flowers in a vase.
How do I plant correctly?
Milk stars cultivated in pots should be transplanted every spring. With this measure, the nutrient content of the soil is improved and you save on additional fertilizer applications throughout the year. Outdoor plants only need to be transplanted or pruned when the stocks become too dense.
withered
When milk stars fade, the leaves slowly begin to wither. The plant draws the excess energy from the above-ground parts of the plant and stores it in the bulb. Therefore, you should not cut back the plants immediately after flowering. As a result, there is a risk that the plants will not be able to store enough nutrients. They lack these energy reserves next spring and cannot sprout.
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hibernate
Most milk stars do not survive the frosty temperatures of the winter months in Central Europe unscathed. They are adapted to mild winter temperatures. Dig the bulbs out of the ground in autumn and store the bulbs in a dry and cool place in the basement. Temperatures of ten degrees Celsius are ideal. Dry conditions are necessary so that no processes of putrefaction occur. If the air is too dry, you should gently spray the bulbs with water to avoid drying out.
The dead plant parts can be cut off and composted. There are hardy species that can also be left in the bed in winter. Be careful not to waterlog the soil in winter. Moisture will cause the bulbs to rot in the soil and will not sprout again next spring.
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Diseases
Milk stars are insensitive to diseases and pests. In the summer months, aphids can occasionally occur. Removing the pests with a sharp jet of water has proven to be an effective control measure. Only incorrect care measures can impair its vitality. The most common problem is root rot caused by waterlogging.
Yellow leaves
In autumn, the leaves of the milk star wither, causing them to turn yellow. There is nothing to worry about at this time of year, because this process portends the beginning of the dormant period. If the onion plants in the open field are already getting yellow leaves, root rot is a possible cause. Check the bulbs to rule out damage from waterlogging. Care should be taken with indoor plants that suddenly turn yellow leaves. Here you should make sure that no water remains in the coaster.
Star of milk does not bloom
Older milk stars become lazy after a few years outdoors. They develop fewer flowers because the planting distance is reduced in wild-growing stocks. The plants need at least 20 centimeters to the next plant so that they can develop unhindered. Dig up the bulbs and place the tubers in the ground at a greater distance from each other. Remove side onions as they will further weaken the main onion. As part of this care measure, you can remove dried leaves.
tips
Milk stars bloom in their natural range from fall through spring. In the case of species cultivated outdoors, the flowering phase is shifted. It makes more sense to cultivate the milk star as a houseplant. In winter, a plant lamp is recommended to promote the natural flowering times.