I was searching for an extra pot... when I came upon some aryyllis bulbs. I probably should have left them alone!!! But now I've taken them out of a bunch of old dirt & stuck them in water. Am I killing them?
AMARYLLIS 911
Not yet. Put them in dirt up to 2/3 of the bulb height. Water lightly. Put in a dark closet for at least 30 days. Brintg them out one by one, like 1-2 weeks apart. to prolong the blooming season. Once you have brought them back out into the light, water sparringly until blooms begin to show. Then cut back watering.
Darius,
I too have been searching for help with some amarylis bulbs. Mine were outside in pots for the summer and I brought them inside about three weeks ago. Last week I decided I needed to take them from their pots, because their roots were sticking out of the pot, and store them until Nov. What I am wondering is how do I store them? Right now they are just sitting in a box with as much of the dirt off the roots as I could shake. Should I pot them up like you suggested to B2B, or just leave them in the box until Nov. Since the storage time is so short, I wondered if potting was necessary during the storage period.
roshana, sometimes I leave my bulbs bare in a cardboard box if it will only be a couple of weeks, but generally I re-pot them when they come in from the yard. I don't start watering them until I'm ready to bring them out into the light.
Water lightly until they send up flower stalks.
Ok. Thanks, Darius. I'm going to just leave them in the box until Nov. I'm glad to hear that they will survive!
roshana, I didn't say they would survive! I merely said sometimes I forget, and leave mine in a box for a couple of weeks, LOL. Happens, my dark storage closet in the basement is cool and damp, but what's to say yours isn't? My "advice" would be to put them in a pot.
I only forced an amaryllis once many years ago and I remember putting that into a fridge for a few weeks. Is that not really necessary?
LimeyLisa Kay
Ahhh! OK Actually my basement is dampish at times but not particularilly cool. Thanks for the clarification!
LimeyLisa, the fridge is not necessary. A cool and dark spell is, however.
I put them all back into the pots. I think I may have put them too close together. The bulbs were pretty huge. Do they need sun or shade & when do they flower in Calif? Thanks everyone!
I have been growing amaryllis for about 25 years now and have experimented with various methods. I have finally found one that works really well for me.
I used to grow each bulb in it's own individual pot but they multiplied so rapidly I didn't have room for all those pots. So now I use large shallow bulb pots, at least 14" across. I put in a shallow layer of potting soil with Osmocote added. Then I arrange the bulbs on the soil. I put in as many bulbs as I can fit, 7 to 10 large bulbs or more. I also tuck smaller bulbs in among them. The bulbs can touch each other, amaryllis like to be crowded. I weave the roots around the bulbs and then I fill in with more soil mixed with Osmocote until the bottom half of the bulbs are covered with soil.
I water lightly and keep them in a cool spot, about 50 degrees, until they sprout. I don't water them again until I see the new growth. If the bulbs are too wet they may rot. I water when the soil is beginning to dry out. Then I move them into the light. They need good light or the flower stalks will get leggy. The plants will also be shorter and sturdier at cooler room temperatures so if you can keep them in a cool light place until the buds start to open you will have less problem with the flower stalks getting floppy. With this system I can get 40 to 60 flowers blooming over a period of weeks in each pot. They are really beautiful.
When there is no danger of frost, I move the pots outside where they get sun until mid-afternoon. All day sun is too strong for them in my climate. The only care they get is regular watering.
In late September or mid-October I bring them into the garage so the soil will dry and the foliage will die back. When the foliage is dead I cut if off and remove the soil from the pots. (I used to let them sit in the soil until it was time to repot them, but by that time the soil was like cement and almost impossible to remove.) Then I return the bulbs to the (soil-less) pots, and put them in a dark cool place to rest for 6 - 8 weeks.
After they have rested, I bring them out and repot them and start the cycle again. The bulbs continue to grow and multiply.
It takes 6 - 8 weeks or more for the amaryllis to bloom after it has been repotted. If you want them to flower at a particular time (like Christmas) just count backward (weeks to flowering, weeks of dormancy) and bring them in to go dormant at the appropriate time.
This system has worked out really well for me. It is very simple, the pots are beautiful when they are packed with blooms, and they take up a lot less space than would be needed if each bulb was in it's own pot.
NoH20, putting a lot of the bulbs in one large pot sounds like a good idea. I may have enough to put some together, and still have staggered blooms with the others. Right now I have 3 in one pot and the rest are singles.
I didn't know about smaller and sturdier flower stalks with cool temps + light. I usually put a peony stake in the big pot to keep them from flopping.
Thanks.
Thanks for all the information, NoH20. Sounds like you have formulated a good system. From your time table, it sounds like the bulbs should be potted up some time around the last week in Oct.. I have 4 really large bulbs (maybe all amarylis are that large) that I thought I would put them in all one planter when they are ready to pot up again. It's good to know that they like to be crowded.
The hard part for me is the cool temps. But I'll try to find a place this year. Thanks again. I've copied your info and saved it for future reference. 25 years of amarylis growing makes you a definate expert!
Thank you!! Amaryllis are definitely on my want list and now I know how to grow them.
Amaryllis bulbs should rest on there "side" in a dry cool place when in the dormant stage, prevents them from growing shoots.
Shhh - they are sleeping....
Someone told me about this and it really does work,
I force my amaryllis every year during Christmas time.
after it blooms, I then let it dry out naturally, shake off the dirt, return the bulb to the box, lay the box on its side, and repeat the dormant sleep again for next year.
Sandee
This message was edited Oct 15, 2003 7:17 PM
Well, thanks, Moda. That's good to know! I'd better run out to the garage and turn those babies on their sides! This is such a good thread about amaryllis care!
This message was edited Oct 15, 2003 11:34 PM
I just stick mine under the kitchen sink after it finishes blooming and for get about it for a couple months. Then I haul it out and water it and it grows and flowers. When it is finished and dies back it goes bach unnder the sink. I have followed this cycle with one red amarylis bulb for 5 or 6 years now. I have never repotted it but may have to this next time around since the bulb has gotten tight in the pot now.
So it looks like mine is doing good in spite of the fact I have never treated it right.
Now that I know the right things to do I guess I ought to quit abusing the poor thing!