Amaryllis back at home

you have been a busy beaver . it will be a spectacular display when they all flower.

Hi Balcony
I've added this blog to storage ideas ... it really shows how you can fit a lot of pots etc. into small areas !
I like the way you label the photos to make everything very clear. Well done :o)

You really are the amaryllis king around here!

Help Balcony - I bought a new one from Tesco this week to replace my almost 40 year old one that finally gave up.
When I got it out of the box it appeared to have a bit of mould along the growing point - how long do you think I should give it before giving it up as a bad job?

No room in your flat for the next few months then Balcony....

Whoops! I pressed the "Enter" button instead of the arrow one to centre the reply box in the middle of my screen!

Sorry, Stera, to have taken a week in answering your question, I've hardly been on GoY in the last week & hadn't seen your post till now! :-((

The mould you saw should be no problem. I expect you cleaned it off with a cloth or a sheet of kitchen paper, didn't you? It was probably due to poor ventilation in the box or the box had got wet at some point.

Have you planted it up yet? If you have I hope you left at least a third of the bulb above the surface of the compost when potting it up. These bulbs must never be planted under the surface of compost or they will rot. On the subject of rotting, don't give your bulb any more water after the first time - remember when you potted it up it had no roots therefore it wouldn't be able to absorb any water till it has made new ones. Wait a few weeks, till the Scape (bud/flower stem) is high up & then only water very sparingly.

NEVER let you plant stand in a saucer of water for more than a few hours as this could cause rotting of the roots. Amaryllis have thick, fleshy roots ideal for storing water but they also rot very quickly if left to stand long periods of time in water. These plants are much more adapted to living in a very dry environment so being dry is far better than being very wet. Just use your common sense.

Once the flowers have died & the leaves begin to grow you can give it more water. Don't forget to give it some fertilizer as well. Any fertilizer will do, just follow the instructions on the bottle. I prefer liquid fertilizer as you can control the amount you give your plant much better than with granular fertilizer. Then let the leaves grow all summer. BTW, they can get quite big - so be warned!

What do you do with your bulbs in winter ? Do you let them rest dormant or do you keep them in light and water ?

Gngrhill, sorry I haven't answered you question before now, we only returned home from 10 days away last Tuesday & I'm playing "catch up" where ever I go!

As to your question about what I do with my Amaryllis during the winter well, I have been storing them dry, still in their pots, for the last 2 years or so. Some are in our bedroom window where they get any sun that's going during the winter but no water - at least I don't give them a drop of water between September & January!

On some of the bulbs the leaves gradually die down but on others they just continue green but with a greyish look to them. This year for the first time ever I cut ALL the leaves off my bulbs before bring them home. I've never been so drastic before & have just let them die down naturally. Even the leaves that stay green during the winter will die down when the bulb starts making active growth after flowering in the spring.

I don't expect this to hurt the bulbs - after all the professional growers do it all the time! When you buy a dry bulb they have often cut the leaves off months before you get it home & plant it up!

In fact at this present moment 5 bulbs on our bedroom windowsill have buds coming out of the necks of the bulbs! They are ones I cut the foliage off before bringing them home from the allotment. I watered them last Wednesday for the first time since the end of August 2014! In about 6 weeks time they should open their flowers. :-))

If they are left to hibernate over winter their natural time of flowering is early spring, about the time the Daffodils start to flower. They can be forced, like Hyacinths, to flower at other times, such as Christmas, but their natural flowering cycle is in the spring.

I am confused. my Amaryllis (mid-February) are finished and are now growing these green leaves. I will let them get yellow? And then cut off the leaves and store them or just leave them where they are until I can plant in the garden?

I would like them to bloom not in the summer but winter. A year from now. Is this possible? If I am pestering you about this, forget answering. I have been following you on the Amaryllis situation and of course am now missing a link. Thanks.

You are a star Balcony - sent you a PM.

@Wells: They are doing what comes naturally. Let the leaves grow until about late August then stop all watering. You won't notice much difference in the plants for a couple of months. The leaves will take on a greyish/green appearance but won't go yellow until about November. They may not even die down till December, so don't worry about that, just keep them dry. They need about 6 weeks of cold - not freezing - temps, darkness is optional. Mine are not usually kept in a dark place when hibernating. You can even cut the leaves down to a couple of inches above the neck in November without it affecting the bulb.

Now your bulb is producing leaves you need to keep them growing all summer. I start with a general fertilizer. I prefer liquid, but you can use powder or granulated or even the sticks they sell for houseplants. About May I like to water them with a tomato or rose fertilizer as this has a lot more potash then general fertilizer & this encourages them to form flower buds inside & to make bigger & more flowers when they flower. I continue with the fertilizer up until I stop watering them. Be careful to follow the manufactures instructions & above all NEVER leave you plant in a saucer of water for more than a few hours. Amaryllis have thick, fleshy white roots - ideal for storing water during dry spells but they also rot very quickly & you could lose your bulb. Amaryllis will put up with much drier conditions for longer than being waterlogged.

Does your garden suffer from freezing temps during the winter? If it does then you won't be able to grow Amaryllis in the ground as they are frost tender. Nevertheless you can grow them outside in pots as long as you take them in to a frost free place as soon as you hear about possible frost forecast. I have to bring mine in about mid October & they can't go out again before mid May.

Is this your first year growing Amaryllis? If you are going to keep it in a pot then don't repot it, Amaryllis prefer to be tight, or potbound for a few years. If you fertilize it during the summer it can stay in its pot without a change of compost for about 3 years.

You're welcome & a PM returned. :-))