Xela's Garden

Amaryllis [V]

Species: Hyppeastrum.

Started 11.12 diningrm windowsill Vistabile
Bought 10.12 in Sainsburys @ £2.99

Hippeastrum bulbs are popular gifts at Christmas. They are often commonly, but incorrectly, known as amaryllis. By following a few easy tips, these showy, beautiful flowers will bloom year after year for you.

Cultivation notes:
Planting:
Hippeastrum is a tender bulb and needs to be planted in a pot indoors.

Bulbs should flower about six to eight weeks after planting, and should be planted from October to January.

How to plant your bulbs:
Plant bulbs using John Innes No.2 or multipurpose compost into pots a little larger than the bulb itself. Two-thirds of the bulb should remain above the surface
Place in a well-lit spot at 21°C (70°F)
Water sparingly until the new leaves develop and then start watering regularly. Do not let the compost dry out, but avoid excess water collecting in the saucer
Turn the pot regularly to prevent the flower stalk growing towards the light. Cultivars with large flowers should be staked
When in flower, move the plant to a cooler place, about 15–18°C (60-65°F), to extend the flowering period

Aftercare:
Method 1
After flowering, grow the bulb on and apply a balanced liquid fertiliser weekly
Place the bulbs in their pots outside or in the greenhouse during the summer months, but shade them from scorching sunshine and water regularly
In late September move the plants to a well-lit position and keep cooler at about 13°C (55°F) for eight to ten weeks. Stop feeding and reduce watering so that the plant becomes semi-dormant
After this cool dormant period, cut the remaining old leaves to 10cm (4in) from the neck of the bulb. Replace the top 2.5-5cm (1-2in) of compost
Commence growing as for planting of a new bulb

Method 2
In late September, withhold watering and let the plants gradually dry out. They may die back as a result
Keeping them in their pots, place the plants in a cool place, such as a greenhouse or garage (light is not necessary), for one to two months
Start them back into growth by bringing them indoors into the light and resuming watering and feeding

Hippeastrums need re-potting every two or three years in January to March after flowering.
Propagation Back to top

Hippeastrums can be propagated by seed or from bulb offsets.
Seed sowing:
Seed-raised hippeastrums can take up to six years to reach maturity and flower. They will also usually differ from the parent plant.
Sow seed as fresh as possible in spring in free draining seed compost
Maintain a temperature of 21°C (70°F)
Start feeding with a general pot plant feed five to six weeks after germination, until September
Grow in individual small pots, potting on periodically during the spring and summer into slightly larger pots each time the pot becomes well filled with roots
Keep the plants growing actively in moderate warmth and do not induce dormancy (do not drop the temperature as for inducing flowering)

Bulb offsets:
Propagation by offsets will produce a flowering bulb in three to four years, which will be identical to the parent plant.
Separate offsets from the main bulb when repotting (January to March). Look out for offsets with their own roots
Pot up in individual pots in a free-draining compost
Keep at a temperature of 21°C (70°F), feed in same way as potted seedlings and don’t induce dormancy

Cultivar Selection :
Indoor amaryllis are very popular in the run up to Christmas with many colour forms available. Here are but a few;
Hippeastrum papilio AGM – unusual white flowers with deep red streaks and touches of green
H. 'Belinda' AGM – deep crimson flowers
H. 'Bestseller' AGM – cerise pink flowers
H. 'Red Lion' – strong red-flowered form
H. 'Star of Holland' AGM – red with white markings
H. 'Lady Jane' – semi-double salmon pink blooms

Failure to flower can be due to drying off bulbs too early, growing in excessively shady conditions, or under-watering during the previous summer.

Attack from various fungal diseases or bulb pests (such as bulb scale mite or large narcissus bulb fly) might also be to blame. If placed outdoors in summer, watch out for slugs and snails.
[Source: apps.rhs.org.uk › Gardening › Advice ]

These huge South African bulbs make brilliant winter house plants and are the longest-lasting winter cut flower you can buy..... If you take care of your bulbs, they will bloom again and again, putting on an extra inch in girth and producing an extra flower spike every year you keep them.

plant the bulbs yourself into a beautiful pot. You can buy something chipped from a junk shop and plant upto five bulbs in that. They flower naturally, in the early spring.

Amaryllis like a tight fit in their pot with about 2.5cm (1in) between the bulb and the sides. If you're planting just one bulb, use a 15-20cm (6-8in) diameter container that's nearly twice that in depth. For three or five, the pot should be huge. Before planting, hydrate the desiccated roots by soaking them in tepid tap water overnight, resting the base of the bulb on a jam jar with all the roots (but not the bulb base) in the water. Amaryllis are huge bulbs and have a tendency to rot, so drainage is vital. Put a good handful of crocks in your pot to help with drainage and then mix together equal parts of peat-free multipurpose compost and horticultural grit or perlite. The shoulder of the bulb should sit one-third above the surface of the compost when you plant. Water from the top with tepid tap water. Once it has drained into the saucer, tip it away.

These are hot-climate tender plants and they love warmth - a light and well-ventilated place, free from draughts, about 20C is ideal. A shelf above a radiator is perfect. Keep the compost moist until a shoot appears and then water more. If you want to keep the bulb to grow again, this is also the time to start a weak monthly balanced liquid feed.

To make them look lovely straight away, poke in lots of silver birch, alder, oak or hazel branches between the bulbs. The twigs give the amaryllis support as they grow and the burgeoning nest of twigs and emerging shoots make a fantastic table centre even without the flowers.

As soon as the flowers start to open, move the plant to a cooler place to prolong their life. As light a position as possible, 10-15C is fine. Each flower should last about three weeks before they brown, but a great big bulb should provide at least one or two more flowering stems.

Even then, with the show over for this year, all is not lost. To ensure your amaryllis bulbs flower next year, you need to encourage the foliage to photosynthesise as long as possible. These plants are not hardy so don't plant them out in the garden.

Cut the old flower spikes down but leave the foliage. Keep them somewhere light and warm and continue to feed and water. They also need a dry, dormant season, so once the leaves begin to die back in late summer, stop watering and allow the foliage to shrivel. Keep the bulb (still in its pot) completely dry in the garden shed or under a greenhouse bench until early winter.

When the temperature in your greenhouse falls to below 10C, bring them into the warmth and begin gentle watering again and your bulb will re-shoot. Don't re-pot it for the first couple of years; it hates root disturbance.

Photos of this plant

Reminders for this plant