More Amaryllis Blooms Part Two.

Continuing the thread begun at http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/576645/ .

My Blossom Peacock is blooming again. It bloomed last winter and has decided to do it again.

Dancing Queen made another showing in late July. This time they were not as double as in the winter, but the color was good.

Anybody else have some repeaters?

Robert.

This message was edited Aug 19, 2006 5:03 PM

not me, but I've noticed greens have gone on a growing spurt. Wonder what that means. I saw your Rilona in another thread, ah! I bought Salmon from the VE coop, and I'm hoping it is close to rilona.

PS; I was wondering Iif you'd seen the amaryllis coop, but now I see what's going on: You have them all already!lol

I have "Supreme Garden" coming later from B&B's and *that is it* for new additions, so please don't tempt me vossner !!

Robert.

raydio--beautiful pic of your 'dancing queen'.

None of mine have bloomed this summer--I'm thinking I don't have them in enough sun. Do you have yours in full sun? I have mine in dappled shade.

Voss--I read somewhere that they have to have 6 leaves at least to bloom again--(mine don't do yours?) I wish mine would go on a growing spurt...

Haven't ordered any new ones--I'm on a hippeastrum shopping sabbatical until I can get these to rebloom. (No fun at all!)

tabasco-
What are the history and conditions of the bulbs you can't get to bloom?

Tabasco asked:
"Do you have yours in full sun?"

It's not true full sun. Full sun, strictly interpreted, to me at least, is sun-up to sun down, all direct exposure. In most people's yards, that is rare due to trees and such. Ans so it is in most of my yard. There are a lot of trees between us and both horizons, so some of the morning and evening sun is blocked.

Mine do get a lot of direct sun, mid-morning til late afternoon. I did move them around some when it was so very hot here for awhile. Some of them seemed not to require so much light (cybister hybrids) and a couple other hybrids, and I'd move them further under the edge of a tree so that they weren't in the midday sun. Some were placed so that they got direct sun later in the afternoon til late.

If the foliage started to look too light, going toward yellow, (not burning or yellowing as it does when leaves are shed) I'd shorten the hours of direct sun.

Now that the sun is coming in more and moreat an angle, I'm moving them around to adjust the exposure. It's mostly just trial and error after acclimatizing them from indoors where they have gotten weak winter sun, and not a lot of that direct to a moderate part-sun exposure. This has worked for me due to my being here all day to watch the watering. If they go dry in all that sun, they can yellow out a bit and lose leaves. Prolly keeping them in morning sun only would be better if drying out was an issue.

I feed them all season. A full strength feed followed by frequent quarter to half-strength feeds, and maybe another full strength if I've been giving plain water for a while. I had planned to give a constant feed with quarter-strength, but that was a bit much. I'll try to do better next year........

Good luck!

Robert.

T, Mine are in full, brutal tx sun from sunup to sundown. I will count the leaves, I bet I do have some with as many leaves. They have that "look", like they're ready to do something, but it just seems out of cycle.

Robert, there are lots of areas in our neck of the woods that fit your description of full sun. that is why we texans get in so much trouble. See a beauty in a catalog, described as full sun, we plant them in OUR full sun and they become a crispy mess in no time at all, lol

Point taken on adjusting plant exposure "suggestions" to local conditions.

I think in the ground most large-flowered hyrids would be fine here too, in full sun.Mine are all potted, and they just dry out too quickly for that exposure.

Are yours in the ground?

Robert.

I went out and took pic of my amaryllis section. not all, but several had 6 leaves and more. what does it mean, oh, what does it mean? Exhuberant is the word that comes to mind. what does it mean, whatever does it mean???

yes robert, they are inground.

You what "they" say it means---blooms a-coming!

Yippee!

Robert.

vossner~

I love the color of 'Rilona' and have thought about adding "Orange Sovereign" to my collection.

I'll be looking forward to seeing your 'Salmon' pix.

Robert.

"Piquant" is blooming again, only this time, none of the scape came out of the neck! Only the petioles carrying the blooms.

They are full sized--very large.

Picture didn't come through.

DAVE!



This message was edited Sep 18, 2006 10:35 PM

Trying again.........

Nice big blooms.

raydio -
I just LOVE that Blossom Peacock flower you posted above! Very beautiful!!

I have only had one kind of amaryllis (the plain red with white stripe... sorry, don't know the name). I bought an apple blossom at Lowes last year but it hasn't bloomed yet. Then, I had a neighbor give me one that "looked" like the apple blossom pic (from the box of the one that didn't bloom) but the flower was huge! Of course, he didn't give it to me until AFTER it got done bloomin :-( (come on,,, he had A LOT of them,,, grin). THEN, a friend sent me a few different ones and I have no clue what they are... guess I'll have to wait til they bloom.

I love amaryllis, but mine only bloom one time a year and the blooms don't last long. I've noticed you mentioned re-bloomers... do you know of a good source of information (i.e., web site) about re-bloomers and also, will they re-bloom in FL (zone 9b)?

LAKelly2~

Thanks for enjoying the Blossom Peacock. The second flowering was prettier than the first (wish I had pictures to show you). I think that was because the coloring was better due to being outdoors for the July second flowering and indoors in poor winter light in Jan or Feb or thereabouts.

From what I understand in general, any amaryllis (Hippeastrum) can bloom more than once in a 12-month period. There are always 5 or more buds in various states of development within a healthy bulb--assuming nothing has happened to abort them. Isn't that great?!

So when a bulb blooms, you're seeing how well it was cared for months ago.

It seems that the modern large-flowered hybrids seem to bloom mostly once or twice. I don't know why that is or why more don't bloom at least twice a year.

I re-potted and cared for some H. striatum bulbs and they bloomed in March and July. I fully expect them to bloom again before year's end, possibly as soon as October. I no longer have them, so I'll have to ask the owner about them to see if they do bloom a third time, though she has them in a window that I might pass by when I'm out that way.

I don't have any sites to recommend on the topic of re-blooming. Wish I did. :-( But if I find any, I'll post here. I have seen postings to vaious bulliten boards by experienced growers, who say what I have: it's not terribly unusual. It just might not happen that much. (If that makes sense....) I think the reason is that what most experts recommend is a cool rest period of 8 to 12 weeks, to get the bulb set to flower. (And most sources say day and night temps are both cool in the range of 45-55F. None adressed temps above 55F, though I am sure that a strict 55F max isn't necessarily the upper range limit, in general. Much of the information was how the procedure is carried out in commercial circumstances where environmental control is easier, on the whole, than what most of us can provide in a home setting.

Having a good greenhouse helps!

Since summer temps are generally much higher than this in the summer, you can see why it doesn't happen often in warm regions. Some varieties might flower from a briefer cool rest (6 weeks) as the striatums I re-potted did.

I looked at a day-by-day average temperature record for all days between March and mid-July and there is no way they (or any of the re-bloomers like Piquant or Blossom Peacock) had anywhere near 6 weeks of steady cool temps. There were lots of days in March and April that were 55F or below, of course, but these may have been seperated by days out of that range and/or by days that were above a 60F average.

What may have spurred the July flowering other than a cool rest was that they went dormant and lost all foliage after transplanting for several weeks. It may have been a reaction to being re-potted and having the foliage cut back severely, though, again, they did get a lot of the cool days/nights in April-May.

So, while the hybrids and species (including some blooming size striatums from the re-potted batch above) I have now haven't been at a constant "cool" rest, most *are* resting, though they are in full leaf. Mostly this is just a natural period of "consolidation" after putting on new foliage. The foliage stops growing and matures.

Just lately we've had some nights below 60F though the days may go back to the high 70s. I'll be taking them in after the nights start to drop below 45F and would fully expect it possible for them to bloom when they come into the warmth of the house if I had them in a sunny location. Unfortunately, I have very little of that and will try to hold then off as long as possible. I will probably have to let them lose their foliage (and/or encourage it) and bring them into growth a couple at a time because of lack of space. I may actually use and old fridge to cool store them for as long as needed, so that I won't have them competing for window space with each other and with all the other plants I have.

Hope I didn't run on too long and I hope something I said helps you with the re-blooming question.

I don't think everything is known about *all* the variables involved and the various individual needs of the hybrids and species. If you want to try to encourage a second or third bloom per year, consider following the outlines for forcing an amaryllis as you find them on the web. The latest "news" is giving the "cool rest" treatment in a sunny position. (Veronica Read covers this in her book.) That way, your plants keeps it's roots and foliage which puts it that much further along after flowering. The best thing about it is that your bulb doesn't shrink the way a newly planted bulbs does. I have had some that didn't seem to lose anything at all. They just stayed plump due to already having leaves and roots from which they could maintain their "weight".

Robert.

Great post raydio. I'll add this.

I'm not a professional grower either, but this is what works for me re reblooming:

As raydio said, it's a result of care. Give regular water with a weak bit of bloombuster mixed in each time as long as long as it has leaves. Do not induce dormancy. With this constant care, even indoors in the NE, I get at least three blooms a year -at times of their choosing- from a variety of amaryllis including Jewel, Peacock, Red Lion, and Lady Jane.

If you've had green leaves for a long time and the bulb is healthy, hold back on the water for a week or so. Then resume watering and see if a bloom emerges. I don't have to do that often, but it seems to work if a bulb goes a year without reblooming.

Nice Raydio!

Thanks Raydio for the good post and valuable discussion.

I have been moving my Amaryllis around outside to try to catch the right sunlight. A bit of a chore to keep tabs on this 'sunshine maximizing' operation-- and my kids say I give more attention to my amaryllis than to them (of course they are 22 and 25! I wonder why?!)

My 'ams' do not look as happy as Voss's and are still limping so I have lifted my Am. 'purchasing sabbatical' and have found some to buy. But--

Has anyone had good experience with "Country Road Daylilies and Amaryllis"? I thought that I had read good things about their big bulbs, but now I can't find many comments about the quality and size of them.

http://countryroaddaylilies-amaryllis.com/

The reason I asked is because if they aren't any better than VanEngelen's or B & B I'd rather buy VAnEngelen's better priced ones.) (But I think I recall Country Road's are really big bulbs.)

So, if anyone has good experience with Country Road ams., please let me know.

Thanks again for all the good info on these Amaryllis threads. t.

Howdy T. I remember calling Countryroad DLs and Ams earlier this year and if my memory doesn't betray me, I think the lady told me they were not selling ams this year. I did buy ams from them but wasn't too attentive as to bulb measurements, but I will say they bloomed the same season. I've also bought from B&B and a couple didn't bloom the 1st year. I would say that is a plus for Countryroad.

yep, all mine are in full texas sun.

I would like to add this to what I wrote earlier:

One reason that large healthy bulbs (that would seem to be the ones to reflower) don't rebloom more than once a year, might be that they frequently send up three and sometimes four scapes during a flush. So it would naturally take some time for the next buds to mature. Simple.

So, if you have a big show over a couple months, it would only seem right that the bulb might just have to take a long time to be ready for more.

The bulbs that I have had bloom months apart seem to support this: they are typically the ones that only threw one scape during blooming.


Tabasco~

I know what you mean about moving a lot of pots around to maximize and adjust exposure, but I think it really works for the better if you do it. We have a lot of trees around and when the light starts changing in latre August, it seems as though I have to move them every week, due to the sun creating so many more shadows than it did in previous months.

Robert.

Robert - Wow, you outdid yourself on that post... LOTS of info!! Thank you so much. I guess I have my amaryllis growin "au natural" LOL... I just plant them outside and let nature take care of them. I rarely water... not because I don't believe in watering... (more because I'm busy working full time outside the home and raising two teen boys)... I have a well but no inground sprinklers so I have to pull a hose/sprinkler around LOL... what a pain. Anywayyyyy,,,, I rarely water and I rarely fertilize (ackkk... no one hit me LOL). My amaryllis has leaves all year long. I DO cover them on the rare occassion we get a frost, but that's only because I'm covering other stuff around them that is more sensitive to the cold. Maybe I should buy another one from Lowe's this year (that's a good excuse to buy another one, isn't it? LOL) and pot it up and play around with it to see what I can get it to do!

Thanks again for the info...
Linda

Oh yes, Linda, whatever "reason" you can think of to add more amaryllis bulbs to your collection is a good one!
(How;s that for enabling? lol)

It is fun and interesting to try new things and who knows what you might discover?

I know just what you mean about not having time to water as much as you might like. There are only so many hours in the day and a family has first dibs. Lord help you if you work outside the home too!

I have had the luxury of being around the house all summer and can garden and water to my heart's content. In years past, I was usually too tired at the end of the day to bother most times and could only get caught-up on weekends. I hated that, but that's just the way it was.

So now, I'm worried about next year.....I planted a lot of moisture-lovers (Cannas, bananas, Crinums, Brugmansias and so on) and they flourished this year and if I'm not able to give them that kind of care next season, I will so hate seeing them suffer. :-((( Guess, soaker hoses and mucho-mulcho are the answer.

Good luck, and do buy more bulbs soon, lol!

Robert.

Oh no!

Just went to the Country Road site and my resolve to *NOT* add anymore bulbs till next season is weakening.......and now Tabasco says: "so I have lifted my Am. 'purchasing sabbatical' and have found some to buy." Well, I am trying to be strong but, you know, their selection and prices look too good to hold to some silly old moratorium, right, enablers? LOL!

Robert.

Hey Robert... go for it.. I mean, if the price is right and the selection is just about perfect, then we probably should have you considered for the insane asylum if you DON'T buy them heehee

Ohhhh, I would LOVE to have the time to take care of my family properly, earn money, AND play in my garden. There is just so much I'd love to do to my yard, etc. We landscaped around a new pool this year until my lower back finally gave out. Now I'm trying to rehab it myself (my best friend is an athletic trainer)... ugghh. I'll have to post my photobucket sight as soon as I figure out how to do so on this forum LOL.

I have one kind of cannas (the orange the yellow ones)... my neighbor has the banana tree's (they hang over my fence heehee)... I have crinums (my absolute fav's)... and no brugs (aren't they the ones the kids use to make psych tea??). I also have my amaryllis, of course, spider lily's, society garlic (love the smell), elephant ears, and a bunch of other tropical stuff that I can't remember the name of right now LOL I'm terrible with names... one of these days I'll learn... when I have time!

Let us know if you "purchased" heehee