waking 'em up - quick question

Hi -

I have several bulbs that were out on a sunny balcony and were fed all summer. They are now dormant; I find that now that I am watering them, leaves are emerging but no flower stalks yet. One of them looks like it may have one soon (something a little thicker than a leaf seems to be peeking out). This is quite different from the freshly-bought ones, where usually the stalk comes out first. Has anyone else had this issue? I am wondering if there is something else I can do better over the summer. Someone else suggested that when I want them to go dormant, I should cut off all the leaves instead of letting them go yellow, but I'm not sure that's the issue. Thanks!

Hey Scuba~

Just because the bulbs are fresh newly purchased ones, doesn't mean they will *all* send up the scape before the leaves. As you've seen, many do, but many of them send up leaves and flowers at the same time, while others will leaf out for a coupla-few weeks before you get the scape emerging.

It all depends on the individual character of each cultivar and to some degree, the conditions of their harvest and processing after that. And they may follow a different order in subsequent years after you've had them potted.

It's only an issue if it displeases you for some reason. Its not a problem and isn't any reason for concern. That's just the way they are.

Personally, I can't think of any "reason", per se, that cutting down the foliage would ever be preferable to allowing it to yellow and die back naturally. Did they say why you "should" do it that way? Could it be to help force a dormancy so they could be scheduled for blooming at a particular time? That might be a "should" under those circumstances.

The foliage yellows fairly quickly in the dark and can be cut off as soon as it dries a bit. I think if you have lots of big plants and don't want to have all the yellowing foliage indoors, you might cut them back before taking them into a dark room, after allowing your plants to run dry for several weeks. It helps set the stage for complete dormancy.

I wonder if you've considered keeping them green and trying the "cool period" treatment to help time the blooms instead of totally drying off your bulbs? Veronica Read goes into some detail about this in her book Hippeastrum-the gardener's amaryllis_ and it has been mentioned some here. If you have a room 45-55F or so with good light, you might try it.

Something you might do better next season? Sounds as though you are doing everything you can to give your plants what they want.

R.

Thanks! I think I was just worried that after all that TLC I would only get leaves this year and no flowers :) I'll just be patient, keep my fingers crossed and stop checking them so frequently! (Regarding the cutting of leaves, I think this person had probably heard about it in terms of trying to force dormancy. I've found that it takes several weeks for all my leaves to go yellow...I'll have to see if I can get that book out of the library.)

Whether or not your plant re-flowers depends on a lot of factors.

With a new bulb, after that initial flowering, there must either be more buds within the bulb body itself that are in development and/or the plant must produce enough growth foliage-wise, after which it will start to produce a flower bud. If it has enough time to mature the flower bud within before dormancy or during the "cool period", it will re-flower, all else being equal.

If your last scape came out "dead center" of the bulb's eye, that usually indicates a bulb has no more buds "in development. It will have to produce, most likely, another four leaves per side to then start producing a flower bud. Hopefully it will and it will have enough time to get that developing bud to a point before the end of the season, to further develop during a "cool period" or during dormancy, so that it flowers soon after it starts up or early the next season. It can take longer though...you just can't be sure what's in store!

Also, if that "last scape plant" didn't make at least 4 leaves per side that first season, the count continues on with each new leaf the next season. Meaning that if in the second season, you got five leaves each side, those would be added to the previous total, say, only three each side, making eight each side all together, you know you're likely to get two scapes that bloom, with two more "in development". Those can bloom later the second season, anywhere from late spring on.

Sometimes a new plant will only send up two scapes, leaving one or more still "in development", and those may emerge later in the first season or be ready to go sometime in the second season.

Hope that wasn't confusing, but all in all, re-blooming comes down to how well your plant grows after that first blooming.

If you're not trying to time your flowers to bloom in winter, you don't have to give them that "cool period". They'll bloom "when they're ready". Cooler temps in the winter seem to help alot in general, but it doesn't have to be done in a full-out way, as Read covers in her book. Just being outside while temperatures drop in late summer/fall and/or being indoors in a cool room seems to do them good.

R.