Amaryllis

[imafan26]

Nice. My amaryllis needs to be fed before it will bloom. Mine is out in my front yard. Amaryllis and glads keep coming up every year or so. One of the glads is budding up now. I think it is one of the ones I got last year. I need to cut the pelargonium and see if my amaryllis is still there. It can stand being dry, it just won't bloom but I don't know about a light hog.

I only have to divide my amaryllis and daylilies when the clumps get too large. If I don't they stop blooming.

[roseycheeks]

did you know the apple blossom amaryllis blooms sparkle? I did not know that!

[imafan26]

When the light hits them right they can.

[roseycheeks]

another case of what it says on the box is not what is inside, the one that says Star of Holland someone said it is Mamba. I always wondered how they even try to know what color is in each box and how they have them made up. I think I would love to have one job that all I did was put these lovely bulbs in the CORRECT box and ship them out knowing that if the person who buys them follows the instructions right they will have a beautiful flower to enjoy when it is cold and icky outside.

[roseycheeks]

Here is what everyone says is Mambo, it is doing quite well.

[applestar]

Very pretty! I had a regular red amaryllis -- not even sure if it had a name -- for several years. I put it outside during the summer months and it came back strong every year, but then it got rust and while I was trying to decide what to do about it, got caught up in a surprise early skip-frost-and-freeze so that was that.

I always thought it was fantastic that such a huge flower would bloom in the middle of the winter to brighten the gloomy winter indoors.

[roseycheeks]

Here is the first bloom on the second amaryllis, isn't it pretty? Is this a Mambo?

[roseycheeks]

someone told me that this is also Apple Blossom, is that true?

[roseycheeks]

Here is a picture of the baby hippi on the first apple blossom this year, how much bigger does it have to be to put in its own pot?

[imafan26]

Amaryllis can grow in a clump. The baby will not bloom until it sizes up. For now I would leave them together so the leaves can make the bulb bigger and separate them later when the season is over. I do not have to dig up amaryllis every year to store them, they do fine in the ground in zone 12a. I just have to separate and renew them every couple of years because the bulbs don't size up well when they are crowded. Usually they have to be about baseball sized to bloom. Tennis ball size may or may not bloom.

[catgrass]

I agree with imafan-Plant them in a bigger pot, and leave alone for about a year. I don't know where you are located, but in zone 9, where I am, I don't separate mine until in the fall. When you re-plant, make sure to leave about 1/3 of the bulb out of the dirt/potting mix.

[roseycheeks]

I had the amaryllis out in the garden all summer, and they grew leaves like crazy, but now they are asleep, I cut the leaves off and the roots and they are snoozing away. I have them in a dark, cool place and check them every once in awhile to see what they are doing. So far nothing but of course it has not been long enough. Will update when something happens to them.

[roseycheeks]

I put my 4 amaryllis outside to grow in the sun and boy did they! In August I brought them in and put them into dormancy somewhere dark and cool, the thing I can't understand is, one of them is sprouting already! It is not very tall of course, but I repotted it and watered it and now comes the worst part,PATIENCE! LOL. I also forgot to label them so it will be a surprise which one this is.

[roseycheeks]

I repotted one of my amaryllis that has started to sprout, I am somewhat confused( my hubby says I stay that way, lol)! I put them in dormancy the last part of August, I have been checking them and this one has started to regrow! Is that normal?

[imafan26]

That would be how I would replant amaryllis to get them to grow. Actually and amaryllis that is big enough will bloom without any leaves at all.

From my understanding when you lift bulbs for storage, they are just kept damp but not wet and in a cool dark place. I think yours has not gone dormant. I is still getting light and it must still be warm. You can keep it as a houseplant. It will grow new leaves and mine can bloom for Christmas.

Before I knew better, I used to dig them up and put them in a paper bag with some damp newspaper for about six weeks in my refrigerator drawer. Lucky I did not kill them. They did survive and they stayed dormant that way. Then I found out in the tropics they can hang out all year, they don't need to be chilled, and they don't even like to be cold.

[roseycheeks]

I have noticed little black bugs crawling all over my amaryllis bulb, what are they and how do I get rid of them? Do I have to repot the bulb?

[imafan26]

if they are in the soil and the soil is moist they may be fungus gnats. They are a nuisance but it means your soil is staying wet and there is poor air circulation.

https://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7448.html

[roseycheeks]

I repotted the 3 amaryllis from last year, watered them a little and now comes the worse part, waiting, not my best thing to do So will update when something happens. I have read that you are not supposed to water them again until they show signs of growth, I will not water them anymore. I do not know which is Appleblossom and which is Mambo, so I WILL label them if and when they bloom. Things might be different after they bloom and are put away for dormancy.

[imafan26]

I would still make sure they do not go completely dry. Water enough to keep the soil from totally drying out.

When I cut the leaves off my bulb like that when the bulbs are a good size, it is the same as if I were forcing them. They will send out a bloom even when there aren't any leaves.

[roseycheeks]

The three amaryllis are not doing anything at all, I have been waiting until they were dry and watering them a litlle. I was just wondering if I need to put them back into dormancy, keep them in the pot and put them where they are cool and dry. What do you think? You people are good at giving me advice and good advice too. Here is the pics of them, maybe you can tell from them.

[imafan26]

They look a little to dry to me. If the bulbs are smaller than a softball they may not be big enough to bloom yet.

[roseycheeks]

Update on Dec.6, the three amaryllis are not doing anything and I just found out that the one that has been growing leaves will not bloom this year, so just one amaryllis and one bunch of paperwhites this year. Kind of disappointing about the one but the leaves are pretty though. Every webpage I have went to says if it grows leaves first it is not going to bloom, shoot! But I hold out hope for the paperwhites and the morning glories I have planted, one has come up and it is getting very tall.

[imafan26]

Actually, bloom is dependent on bulb size and not leaves. I have mine in the ground all of the time so they bloom with and without leaves. If I want to force them to bloom for Christmas, I would feed the amaryllis bulbs then cut off all the leaves from the largest bulbs and hopefully 6 weeks later they will bloom. Sometimes the bulbs are too crowded and and I underfeed them and that can cause them to bloom less. I usually have to replant and space out the bulbs every couple of years.

I actually don't really know about letting them go dormant. It is warm enough here for them to be out in the garden year round and really, I don't pay much attention to them at all. However, I did notice that the geraniums are overrunning them so I may have to move them or cut a hole in the geraniums so they can get more light.

[roseycheeks]

The one my hubby got me is starting to open, will post pics when you can see the buds.

[roseycheeks]

Hopefully you can see by this picture how it is staring to open.

[roseycheeks]

I wanted to share this with you. I am thinking of putting the 4 bulbs that are not doing anything back in the cool and dark but leave them in the pots. I need the room for some other plants. I don't want to rot the bulbs if they are not ready to bloom. This is definitley a Red Lion and so far it is gorgeous! The other has great leaves so I am going to let it do what it wants, at least it is doing something.

[roseycheeks]

I have 3 Amaryllis plants from last year growing leaves, if I just let them go will they bloom any time this year? I read that you do not have to put the plants into dormancy at all, just let them go and they will bloom when ever they want. Is that really true? And since these have leaves, does that mean they WILL flower sometime? Here is a picture of all of them, you can see how TALL the leaves are.

[ButterflyLady29]

Your bulbs aren't getting enough light, that's why the leaves are so tall.

[imafan26]

I agree my lives are at most two feet and they are thick and medium green. Yours looks pale green so not getting enough light.

[HoneyBerry]

We have one at the office. It is blooming nicely.

[roseycheeks]

how do I give them more light, the windowsill is too cold for them

[ButterflyLady29]

You'll need to set up a better lighting source. Can you hang a 2 or 4 tube shop light fixture over the plants or set up a shelf that you can hang the light on and set the plants underneath?

[roseycheeks]

I am not sure if I can, I don't have much room where they are. I will see what my hubby and I can do. We rent so we really can't do much about adding a shelf to the wall. We got a couple of long lights at a neighbor's garage sale last summer, I may see if he can change the smaller light for one of them.

[ButterflyLady29]

Sorry, I meant shelf like one of those wire rack shelving units. They really make wonderful plant stands. And even better, they can be set up any place where there is room for the unit.

[imafan26]

You could use a goose neck lamp if there is space for it.

[roseycheeks]

I have a question, my amaryllis is growing very long leaves, does that mean they will bloom again sometime this winter? I don't know whether they will die down again or not. I was thinking of letting them bloom on their own schedule, and not try to force them for Christmas. I read that they do not need a dormant period, is that true? Tomorrow I will take a picture of another one that is starting to regrow. I can't tell if it is leaves or scape.

[ButterflyLady29]

They might bloom again, they might not, usually not. I've had a few that send up a surprise flower stalk later in the season but those have been pretty rare and from really big bulbs. When the weather warms and no more frost is in the forecast I set mine in pots outside in a mostly sunny area. If you have potted them using just the pellet that came with the kit, that is a good time to fertilize the bulbs. Make sure the pot has drain holes, if it doesn't the bulb will have to be repotted. Use regular potting mix if repotting. Then leave the plants outside until the leaves dry up or late September. Water as needed. If the leaves haven't dried up they should be removed when you move the plant inside. Set in a cool place until they start to grow again.

As for the rest period, I have not tried to keep mine going except for the Papillon which doesn't need a rest period. It's just easier to store dormant bulbs in my basement.

[roseycheeks]

Going to have to get rid of 6 plants, the amaryllis has red blotch and one of them has some kind of a worm, the Coleus are not doing well at all, I have to get rid of two more because they are dying. I think it is because of the pellet stove, this house has a lot of air leaks and it is hard to get the temperature right for them. Also my frosted fern died, it is like touching a sponge that has lost its water. That will leave me with the Draceana Warneckii, three poinsettias, 3 more amaryllis, spider plant, snake plant and a couple that my neighbor wanted me to take care of while he is in Florida(lucky cuss).

[applestar]

That's too bad roseycheeks.
Sometimes, gardening -- indoors or out -- is just a series of trial and error. That's why you might see me going on and on about the successes. (I probably should post more about the failures too, because those are also learning experiences. )

It's almost time to start coleus from seeds. I never tried to keep them alive over the winter when I grew them. Back then, I took "them" at their word, when they said to "annual/treat as an annual". Are there any stems that are still looking strong enough to take cuttings and root?

[roseycheeks]

No, I have enough seeds so I will regrow some, although not as many as last year. I think the amaryllis has had it, the leaves are dying and falling over. I probably just sealed their death warrant, I cut the leaves off of the ones that were dying, I think I will throw them out, I still have the baby and two others. One looks like it is going to be leaves again, and one looks like it is trying to grow a scape, it looks very different from the leaves. My frosty fern is dried but I am going to try to revive it although I don't know if that is possible. My newest plant is doing very well, although I wish it had a easier name that Dracaena Warneckii.