Amaryllis

[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.

[imafan26]

If te bulbs are still firm, cut off the leaves and repot them. They do not need a dormant period but they do like to be lifted every couple of years. Mine only bloom once a year but only the larger bulbs. If I leave the smaller bulbs too close and crowded, not only will they not get very big, it can stop the larger ones from blooming. After I lift , separate and fertilize them, sometimes I get an unexpected bloom about 6 weeks later.

[roseycheeks]

Thanks imafan26, I will try that this weekend, it would be nice if they bloomed whenever they wanted to. I thought for sure that they were too far gone. But if I can coax them to bloom again it will please me to no end! I will let the poinsettias bloom whenever they want to, The frosty fern I don't know what to do with it, I watered it until the water ran out of the holes and put it under the grow light, when do you think I will see anything with the baby amaryllis? I keep watering it but have not seen anything, do you think I will see anything this year?

]

[applestar]

"Frosty Fern" seems to be a new name for Selaginella. I'm used to thinking of them as a terrarium plant (likes a lot of humidity).

Logee's has had them in their catalog listing forever (since the 80's) and this is their care sheet for them and I've quoted an excerpt of the blurb about watering:

http://www.logees.com/media/care/pdf/Selaginella.pdf

Keep them evenly moist. When watering, thoroughly saturate the soil until a little water runs out of the bottom of the pot. Do not dry them out or repot them after they have been under drought stress as this can kill or damage them.

[roseycheeks]

I just repotted 3 amaryllis and they have fat white roots. I don't know if I should repot the baby amaryllis or not, it is not doing anything, maybe I should just leave it alone. I watered them to get them started and now I will leave them alone, should I fertilize them now or later?

[roseycheeks]

I have one amaryllis that I am sure has a flower stalk and I think a leaf is coming up on the other side! I am not going to get too excited, but that is what it looks like, when they come up a little better I will try to take a picture of it. I can't think of what else it could be.

[ButterflyLady29]

Leave the baby where it is. In a couple years it will naturally separate from the mother bulb and can be repotted then.
While they may not need a dormant period I have found that they naturally seem to take some time out for rest.
As for fertilizer, if you planted them in potting soil they can wait until it's time to set them out when the weather warms. If you planted them in the coir pellet that comes in the kit you can fertilize now but at half or 1/4th the strength listed on the package.

What kind of worm did you have in the one bulb? Was it doing damage to the bulb or just in the soil?

[roseycheeks]

The worm was in the soil, I repotted it and no worm! I already separated the baby from its mama.

[roseycheeks]

I have something interesting happening to one of the amaryllis that I cut the leaves off of, it is growing a new leaf! There is also another one that looks like it started to grow a scape, but it has stopped and is just growing leaves.

[imafan26]

If I want my amaryllis to bloom at a certain time, I cut the leaves off and repot it and it usally will bloom in 6 weeks if the bulb is big enough. Sometimes the ones in the ground just need to be fed and have the weeds removed so it can get more light. Amaryllis will bloom even without the leaves. Interesting. I have never had an amaryllis change its mind and about growing a flower. Orchids yes, I have made them crazy using the wrong fertilizer at the wrong time and had them make a keiki and the keiky would flower at the same time. I have been better about not confusing them. Now, I just don't feed them much at all.

[roseycheeks]

I set my amaryllis in the window, they do not have leaves that can touch the window. It is supposed to be sunny and warmer so I think that is the best place for them. I watered the Draceana Warneckii by setting it in a sink of water and letting it sit there for a little while, I could tell it was done when I picked it up and felt the heavier weight. There is a total of 5 or 6 amaryllis plants in the windowsill, hopefully the sun will help them out.

[roseycheeks]

I just repotted my baby amaryllis, the pot I originally had it in was totally too big, so I went to my stash of smaller pots and repotted it. I mixed some sand in the potting mix to help it and watered it lightly and put it under my grow light. Here is it in its new home, tell me what you think of it.

[ButterflyLady29]

Why is it so low in the pot? I keep the top of the bulb above the rim of the pot.

[roseycheeks]

I could raise it up if you think that would help any. I have plenty of potting soil, I can add more.

[ButterflyLady29]

Amaryllis produce a huge root system. The more room they have for roots the better they grow. I would raise the bulb so it's closer to the rim. Don't add more soil on top, tip it out and add more soil before setting the bulb in the pot.

[roseycheeks]

I have new growth on my baby Amaryllis! I just repotted it with more soil so it is higher in the pot, so excited!

[roseycheeks]

Fast forward to May 30, here are all the Amaryllis except the baby, they seem to be doing all right, usually they get the red blotch and one year they got something called Mosaic disease which I have never heard of.

[roseycheeks]

It is now the middle of September, should I bring the Amaryllis in? They all survived except for the baby. I think our first frost will be in October, so please let me know so I can cut the leaves off. Can I use Cinnamon to help the scapes emerge better?

[ButterflyLady29]

Set them where the pots can dry out but where they still get light. Then when the nights start dropping to around 45*F bring them in and cut the leaves off. I usually dump them out of the pot and store them bare root but you can leave them in the pot. Set them some place cool and dry and let them rest for a while. Then when they show new growth give them some bone meal and bulb fertilizer. I have found that they are heavy feeders and if not fertilized enough the bulbs shrink instead of growing larger.

[roseycheeks]

It is the 22nd of September and I have put the amaryllis to "bed", should I get them out and sprinkle cinnamon on the neck where I cut the leaves off? They all had a lot of roots, so that may be a good thing. They were not soft or squishy and they did not stink so they were not rotted, let me know about the cinnamon, ok?

[ButterflyLady29]

I've never used it and never noticed any problems as long as I kept the plant dry until the cuts healed over.

[roseycheeks]

ok, thanks ButterflyLady29, it is going to be interesting to see if I can get them to rebloom for me this winter!

[roseycheeks]

Well another holiday season is upon us, I put several amaryllis into dormancy in September, I have been checking them and they are not growing any. Am I rushing it o is something wrong? Should I take one and pot it up and see what it does? I am not going to drive you kind folks crazy with a lot of posts, just would like to see if any are going to regrow for me.

[roseycheeks]

I took a good sized bulb and repotted it, now we play the waiting game!

[applestar]

I love your amaryllis posts -- every year you grow beautiful flowers. Good luck! hope they come back strong.

[ButterflyLady29]

Patience Grasshopper, patience. They will start growing when they are good and ready. It's not something you can rush. Getting them to grow isn't the trick. Getting them to bloom again, that is the trick. If the bulbs are still large and hard they will grow and most likely flower. Many times the bulb shrinks after flowering. Those flowers take a lot of energy and nutrients. Fertilizer and some bone meal added to their potting soil will help keep them in flowering condition.