Amaryllis

ghostrider · Fri Oct 21, 2011 5:57 pm

I had this one in the ground and it did not bloom last year, I dug it up and planted in a pot with potting soil and have it in the house, will it bloom this year and how much light should I give it before it starts to grow? I first had a 60 watt lamp beside it then I thought of putting a clamp on light beside it with a 60 watt light and shine it right on the bulb, I then changed the lamps bulb to a 75 watt, and have foil around it to reflect the light. I go to several pages and they don't exactly tell how much light can simulate sunlight for these plants, I would put it in the window, but don't have anything to put on the bottom to collect water that won't tip it over. Would it be a good idea to find some way to get it in a place that has sunlight? Need help here. :?

CharlieBear · Sun Oct 23, 2011 10:45 pm

When they are forced indoors they generally do just fine with broad spectrum light I have even seen them grow and bloom with regular lights turned on in the kitchen for 6 hours a day and no outside light. As to whether it will bloom, depends on how much energy the bulb as stored. They do generally do better in pots indoors than out so good luck.

ghostrider · Mon Oct 24, 2011 5:59 pm

I was wondering if I should transfer my one Amaryllis to a smaller pot, they say they like to feel crowded and this pot I have it in is way tto big. Should I put it in a smaller pot? :)

cynthia_h · Tue Oct 25, 2011 12:50 am

How big is its current pot, and how big is the proposed pot? (in diameter, both of them)

I gave a commercial "forced" amaryllis as a holiday gift to a client three or four years ago, and it bloomed again for one or two years, but said client didn't really take care of the plant....I have no idea where it may be now. But the bulb occupied approx. 80% of the available diameter of the pot.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

ghostrider · Tue Oct 25, 2011 10:19 am

The pot that it is in is 10in, the pot I am going to put it in is roughly half that much, it is 5 in. That would make the bulb all nice and cosy.

ghostrider · Tue Oct 25, 2011 11:04 am

I dug up the bulb that was damaged, it had a spongy feel to it and it smelled really bad so I threw it away, I am going back over to the neighbor's later on and get another one to replace that one. I will put it in the 5 in pot that I told you about in the last post, is it ok to use the same potting soil that I had for the damaged one?

ghostrider · Tue Oct 25, 2011 6:03 pm

I threw the first one I dug up away, it was spongy and stunk, I went over and looked at my neighbors and they were so close together and I was afraid I would tear them up if I tried to dig, so I just broke the ones that were together in half and potted them both separately. I have a question, where can I put them when it gets too cold to sit in the windowsill? I have a bookcase next to the computer desk and have a 75 watt lamp there, will that be okay? :lol:

cynthia_h · Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:48 am

ghostrider wrote:I dug up the bulb that was damaged, it had a spongy feel to it and it smelled really bad so I threw it away, I am going back over to the neighbor's later on and get another one to replace that one. I will put it in the 5 in pot that I told you about in the last post, is it ok to use the same potting soil that I had for the damaged one?

Shouldn't be any problem using the same soil, as long as the damaged bulb wasn't in there long enough to transmit any soil-borne viruses. If the problem was simple rot, watching the moisture level in the soil will take care of that on its own.

BTW, the sizes of pots sound good; didn't have time to post when you gave that info! sorry.

Cynthia

ghostrider · Thu Oct 27, 2011 8:37 pm

I did not use the potting soil that the rotten one was in, I put fresh soil in the container, I did not tell you what the containers were that I can remember, one is a coffee can, the other is a whipped topping container ansd the other is a large,tall potato salad container that I cut down. Got another quextion, I have two lamps. one is a 75 watt and one is a clamp on light that is 60 watt, when it gets too cold in the windowsill and I can't take them outside can I just put one of them on them and they will grow? I have a article from J&L Garden Center and it says heat is the main growth stimulator, now how cool can they get and still grow? I don't want to cook them, but don't know just how much light to shine on them when it gets real cold. My neighbor was talking about blacklite on plants and I was reading and they said absolutely not! So would a regular lamp do the job when it is too cold to put in the window, help!

Kisal · Thu Oct 27, 2011 9:33 pm

I recommend putting several drainage holes in the bottoms of those containers, if you haven't already don't so. Good drainage of excess water is essential in order to avoid overwatering.

ghostrider · Sat Oct 29, 2011 9:22 pm

When I got the bulb from my neighbor the bottom looked kind of funny, it did not have the traditional roots, the stringy ones that look like actual roots, this had a chunk like you would cut off of a root. I soaked them in warm water for an hour and planted them, the soil is still pretty moist and nothing is happening. Should I dig it up and check it or should I just leave it be? I did water it like it said and it is still wet. I know somewhere someone told me that it could take up to 10 days before I see anything, is that true? Is it supposed to stay wet, mine is, I have one on the bookcase and two in the windowsill and none of them are doing anything. Are they supposed to stay wet?

rainbowgardener · Sun Oct 30, 2011 7:55 am

Nope, not supposed to stay wet. Supposed to stay slightly damp, like a wrung out sponge. Staying wet will cause it to rot.

ghostrider · Sun Oct 30, 2011 9:06 am

How do you keep from having the soil wet. when you plant the bulb, you are supposed to wet it thourouly. Which makes it hard to dry out, maybe I need to mix some dry potting soil in it or take some out, not sure if you can dry out soil or not.

ghostrider · Sun Oct 30, 2011 3:15 pm

I have good news, one of the bulbs is growing roots, I checked all of them and I noticed the one has a small root growing, the rest don't yet, I crushed up a aspirin in water and put some on each pot, and the soil is not as wet as it was, I think it is a good sign, just gotta remember to leave them alone now and do something I have a hard time doing,BEING PATIENT :wink: