Bulb Storage 101

I'm VERY "green" when it comes to bulb plants. I bought 2 amaryllises (or is it amaryllis?) in bloom for Christmas decoration, and was given a wonderful kit with a "hockey puck" of planting medium, a bulb and the container. All three have been a JOY for the last 2 months. Now I have spent flowers and would like to save the bulbs for "forcing" next Christmas indoors. When do I cut off the green foliage, store, etc. Or can this not be done with some of them? I do not want to plant them in my gardens...I usually plants banks of things, and certainly 3 do not make a bank! :)

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

Connie,

In order for the bulb to bloom again, it needs to maintain leaf growth during the spring, summer and fall months. They are easy to maintain in pots outside, but make sure the pot has good drainage.

I don't force mine or remove them from the pots, but I do bring them inside around the first light frost. It's okay if the leaves are frosted, but they need to be removed if they do.

Fertilize with a slow release fertilizer or whatever you have around (not bloom buster, especially if keeping in the same pot). Austin gets really hot in the summer, so you might place it on a porch or under a tree or shrub which will shade it from mid-summer heat.

If you bring them inside around November/December and let them stay dry and coolish, they will bloom for you in February/March. Or at least they do for me. I keep mine in a patio that is cool at night.

You can even keep them outside during the winter, but you must remember to cover them on bring them inside on nights that threaten a frost. Definitely bring them inside if you have hard freezes like you had last week.

So if they must keep the foliage and soak up light the other 3 seasons, why is it that I can buy bulbs that are in packages? I'm sorry... I'm just not understanding this yet! :)

Good question! I never even thought to ask that!

The bulbs that you purchased have already had a full season of leaf growth, then they were harvested, placed in cool storage (most of them) and shipped to the stores in a dormant state. Many are not grown here in the United States. They have to have a period of green leaf growth to survive for another year.

So, your amaryllis had already stored what it needed before it was harvested and forced to be dormant so that it could be shipped to your stores. They can be kept for months in this state, but once they bloom, they need to replenish their storage or they will shrink, eventually to nothingness. They build the storage in the bulb from the leaves, not just the roots.

Some bulbs grow leaves in the winter and go dormant in the summer (spider lilies, paperwhites, daffodils). Some grow leaves in the summer, but go dormant in the winter. Amaryllis grow leaves in the summer and go dormant in the winter (in my zone and yours). They typically bloom just before the leaves emerge again, but that can depend on the variety and the conditions under which they are grown. I have some that never lose their leaves as long as I keep them warm enough. I have some that will start growing leaves before the bloom scape emerges.

Does that help?

Yes! Thanks! I know you will cringe, but I've decided to throw them away and just buy more next year. I just don't have the time or energy to baby them all year long for one short season of bloom, since I only have 3 !! Is that horrible to a bulb lover like you?

I won't cringe at all, my friend. I certainly understand. To most of the US, they are disposable Christmas plants.

Can I make a suggestion? It is likely that these might survive in the ground in Austin, TX. If you have a nearby school, especially an elementary school, you might just stop by and leave them in the office with a note to a science teacher as to what they are. Usually, schools are barren of pretty plants and blooms and who knows? They may let some bright, little energetic youngsters plant them and watch them grow?!?!?

Or you could donate them to a church?

Keep in mind, that to most people in the US, these are annuals that do not survive after blooming. That is just the way it is and understandably so....

Oh wow..you just gave me an excellent suggestion! I'm actually a high school teacher, and our ASK program (mentally challenged kids) have a garden! I'll email the teacher in charge tomorrow and see if they want a "bulb" lesson! :)
Thanks so much!