Amaryllis and Hippeastrums: Minerva splits., 1 by raydio

raydio wrote:
HST~ (tee-hee)

The splitting I am referring is an actual division of the bulb into two seperate plants attached to one basal plate.

In the pic, you can see that the bulb scales are continuous all around, as in a single-crowned plant, but now it has two crowns. As the outer scales dry and fall away, eventually the two seperate portions will be revealed.

Both halves will be sharing a single basal plate which can be easily split, leaving each half with a full set of roots.

It doesn't happen an awful lot with Hippeastrums, but it will happen now and then, usually just after flowering. I think V. Read names a species or hybrid which tends to do that, just don't recall it at the mo'.

EDITED TO ADD: Read says that 'Germa' and 'Jewel' have a tendency to split in her experience.

Here's a pic of a bulb I received new which had already split before I got it, sending up three scapes--all from a bulb barely 3" across! It was supposed to be 'Salmon Pearl' (which I am still *dead* to find), but turned out to be 'Baby Star', which I love, anywho.


This message was edited Sep 28, 2007 10:07 PM