Go ahead. Admire this gorgeous
flower I grew last Spring. Just let me confess upfront, however, that growing it required zero green thumbs. Okay, I provided
water, but that's it. In fact, I found the
plant abandoned (still in its pot) on the side of the road. True! That was last winter and maybe the owners thought it was dead. But, no, it was just sleeping.
What you're seeing is an Amaryllis (
Hippeastrum). The Amaryllis is a bulb that's easy for beginner
gardeners to grow, producing enormous blooms like this one. Each bulb typically costs around $5, which is a steal when you think about it. You can expect to get two super giganto-flowers per bulb. Bear in mind that different varieties produce differently-sized blooms.
Plant your Amaryllis bulbs in a
container filled with quality
potting soil, leaving the top third exposed. Not sure it's pointing the right way up?
Click here for an illustration. Basically, the heavier and hairier side points down. Water your bulb well, place it in a sunny spot, and leave it alone. After around three weeks, you should see it sprout. If you live in the South, your Amaryllis can live outdoors year-round. Those in northern states will have to grow their Amaryllis indoors unless Spring has truly sprung, because warm, sunny weather is essential. A final tip: store unplanted bulbs in the crisper of your refrigerator so that they remain dormant 'till you're ready for planting.
Judi Roaman: We Talk Endlessly About the Next President,…
Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)
What do you do when you've tried a bunch of things on an old amaryllis bulb that won't bloom anymore? New,good soil mixes, fertilizers, storing in basement when dormant, then just letting it grow and get nutrients from it's leaves for a couple of years since I've given up on flowers ??? How can I get flowers again?
ReplyHi Judy. Hmm. That's a tough one. So you've tried all of the above? Including fertilizer? Could it possibly be the location? Too hot and sunny, perhaps? Or could you be putting it out too soon and it's too cold? I'm assuming you're not overwatering, because in that case the bulb would probably show signs of rot. I'm also assuming you're not underwatering because if you were there would probably be no signs of growth at all, yet you say that you do get foliage, just not flowers.
ReplyOkay, are you cutting off the flowers at the end of the growing season? If so, make sure you cut off only the flowers, not any of the foliage. Keep watering the foliage for as long as it thrives, until the end of the growing season. Also, are you sure you're not burying them too deeply?
Finally, where are you storing your bulb during the rest period? Did you know they should never be stored in refrigerators that are also used to store fruits, especially apples? Could that possibly be the problem?
That's about all I can think of!!
Good luck!
One big trick to amaryllis is to STOP watering them in late august, let their foliage die back, and let them go dormant for a month or two, preferably in a cool, dark area. This is when the foliage buds inside the bulb change into flower buds. Then water them (not soaking), and put them in a sunny warm window and wait. Let the soil dry out some between waterings. Generally they bloom in around 6-8 weeks from that point. You can let them grow a bit later, but that will mean later flowering - definitely not for Christmas, perhaps not even Superbowl.
ReplyAlso, they prefer to be somewhat rootbound - don't put them in a very large pot, or they're less likely to bloom. 1-2" wider than the bulb is fine, and plant it with 1/3 to 1/2 or so above the soil. Do provide fertilizer or good potting soil. Get them a good amount of sun - they need to store a bunch of energy to put out those flowers.
A good set of guidelines:
http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2005/12-7/amaryllis.html
http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=117
NOTE: while they say they need 8 weeks at 50-55, I've found that some (not all) will bloom without cold. I was stopping watering in Sept, taking them inside, letting them dry out, and then just kept them in the sunny window for a month or two before watering again. Cool (not cold, maybe mid-60s) at night, but sunny and warm in the day. This year, doing that, looks like about 1/2 of them will bloom.
Grown like this, you can keep a bulb producing 2-3 stalks of flowers for decades. Some people have bulbs 30-40 years old or more.