Does anyone else own one of these? I need some advice, like what kind of soil/soil less mixture to use, fertilizing, etc... I don't wanna baby it but I also want to make sure it has the best environment considering the cost!
Thanks for any help guys :)
I had several that died on me. Good luck with it. I would be inclined to keep it in the most sterile environment that you can, rather than outside, but I had mine in a humid area.
Do you know exactly how they died :(
Hey Josh, where did you purchase it? I have been looking everywhere for one. Any place I have found is extremely expensive!
As for the soil I keep seeing people say to just put it in a mixture of mostly small rocks (10 mm) and you can add in peat moss or something like that to help keep a little moisture. I saw several pictures of them potted in only peat moss as well.
I really hope to get one of these soon. I grow tons of amaryllis bulbs at my house and they do amazing in the ground here so if I get it, I'm just planning on putting it in one of my raised beds.
How is this doing? Is it growing well for you? I would love to find one fairly cheap.
I'm looking for this plant too and will keep watching this thread for a source. Fortunately, I can just plant it outside in my garden here probably, but need to check into that as far as the rainy and dry seasons go. Hippeastrums thrive here even with the long rainy season, which surprised me when I first moved here. They do get a rest/dry rest during the very short dry season however.
I was just on eBay and there is one right now for bid it started at $9.95 and it is now $172.39!!! #110782023341 - Ends Nov.30,2011
at 20:17........Go there if you dare!! LOL I wish I could place a bid for it but I have a little habit....I like to eat!! :D
OMG!!! The Blue Amaryllis on eBay just sold for.....$202.50!!! Wow!! But it is so awesome !!! I must start saving my
pennies today!!! LOL :D
Happy Holidays!!
Another one is up for bid. I've got a bid in. Worse than spending the money is having it die. Please, if anyone has any planting advice or experience would you share it ? I dont know if I'll get the bulb of course, but just in case.
http://www.strangewonderfulthings.com/184.htm
There's a link near the bottom of the above page with more tips on growing. Good luck!
Snapple45 look on my site http://hobbyodlaren.se/worsleya.html of growing worsleya in Sweden. It did´nt work at all. I try 2 times.
Sylvia
Thank you both, Pirl and Sylvia. Its a difficult plant. I can see that it will be challenging.
I bid on a small one on ebay and won it with shipping for around 22 dollars. I was regretting bidding that much then I won. I am hoping I can keep it alive and it will prosper. It is in my kitchen window and I noticed it sending up a new leaf. The leaf it has doesn't look like the one on the internet but maybe because it is small. I still wish I would not have bought it as I am really afraid it will die.
I hope all goes well. I'm bidding on one now. I wont know for two more days. It might actually be a relief if I dont get it!
For the best information on how to grow Worsleya, all the expert growers are participating and sharing their knowledge and expertise in the Worsleya group on Yahoo Groups. In fact all the recent posts in the last week have been on the very topic of how to grow it, what to feed it, what kind of potting material to use, etc. Also check the archives for many more discussions on those topics.
The one key concept with growing Worsleya is that it has to have perfect drainage: As soon as you start watering it, the water needs to drain out the bottom. So for older seedlings and mature bulbs, this means some kind of medium composed of pumice or lava rock (scoria) or orchid bark or fly ash, or some combination of these. For newborn seedlings up to a year or two in age, several people have found that long-fiber blond sphagnum moss is the way to go since seedlings aren't able to cope with drying out as well as older bulbs can.
Worsleya in habitat receive lots of water during the warmest part of the summer; most people water them daily. In the winter, they receive very little water. I think typical average monthly rainfall during January (July in the N. Hemisphere) is 12 inches and during July (January in N. Hemisphere) is 1 inch. As for temperatures, in the summer the temperature almost never exceeds 90°F (although Worsleya don't mind much hotter temperatures, even into the low 100s °F), but the key to flowering isn't the summer daytime highs, it's the summer nighttime lows. Temperatures always drop down into the low-to-mid '60s °F, even during the hottest periods. This is why people haven't been able to flower them in Florida, for example. It is also very humid during the summer and only somewhat less humid during the winter. This is why they won't flower in California if grown outside; the summer nighttime temperatures are perfect, but the humidity is way too dry. So places like the east coast of Australia, New Zealand, and the central area of South Africa have a much easier time of growing them and flowering them. (And of course the plateau areas of southeastern Brazil where the Mata Atlantica used to grow.) As for winter, they can, however, tolerate fairly cool temperatures, especially if they're kept mostly dry. Typical winter temperatures are highs of upper 50s to low 60s °F in the day and 40s °F at night, although it can and does get all the way down to 32°F every once in a great while. Mine are never bothered by temperatures in the mid-to-upper 30s in the winter, but I only water them maybe once every two weeks depending on how cool it is. I keep them completely protected from our winter rains.
Hope that answers Josh's questions.
--Lee
I have three Worsleyas - two seedlings and one bulb. I've had them since Dec. 20th. The bulb at the base is 1-3/4" in diameter. It is growing one leaf, ( 4" ) replacing one that died during shipping from Brazil. The seedlings were shipped wrapped in sphagnum moss and had sprouted only the radicle. Today each seedling has one leaf and is putting out a second leaf. All are in a south facing window. All are planted in Dyna Rok II. All are watered daily and fertilized with 2 drops per quart of water of General Hydroponics FloraMicro 5-0-1 and General Hydroponis FloraNova Bloom 4-8-7. So far so good. The bulb has put down one massive root and several smaller ones. The seedlings appear to be thriving, all beginners luck!
I am following the posts in the Yahoo group. I plan to summer them outside. Here in Zone 5 that means that normal summer temps are 75-80 daytime and nights in the 60's. Last summer was a historical exception, with nearly two months of 90+ day time temps and lows at night in the mid to upper 70s.
I cant seem to find anyone who has any experience growing them in zone 5. I have no idea how to grow this bulb to flower in Zone 5 with wintertime indoor temps of 70 day and 69 night and 40% humidity. Any suggestions?
