Amaryllis

Has anybody ever got one of these bulbs (often given as Christmas presents) to flower again?
I was left with quite a plump bulb after it had flowered and the leaves died down. I repotted it in late summer but all I got was several leaves one of which has withered while the rest remain green, but limp.

 

Hi Jack,

I will be watching this thread with interest as i have just started off a bulb myself. Was going to pack it in sand in a dry place til next year after it has done its thing but if any better idea's come up i'm game :D

 

Hi, Jack, haven't seen you in a while and hope all is okay with you. Do you still have the cat ... sorry, can't remember what you named him.

Amaryllis (Hippeasstrum hybrida) are difficult creatures.

First thing is that the bulb should be planted only halfway in the compost/earth, just like Valottas (the Scarborough Lily). You should keep it warm and fairly dry until leaves start to appear and then start watering regularly. Allow it to dry out between waterings. The leaves will die down after flowering ... just pull these off ... it's like dying leaves on a tree.

I have mine outside here but do not have as much success with it as I do with the true Amaryllis, the Belladonna Lily.

Hope it blooms for you again.

 

Thanks for the advice LOL!
Nice of you to remember my cat. Yes he's still around but spends most of his time outside in his kennel rather than in the warm room where he's most welcome. His "official" name is Toby, but I tend to call him Puss!

 

I was going to start a thread on this topic, but then i found this one so decided to post here instead.

I have 2 hippeastrum (amarilis) bulbs, bought in consecutive years. When they were first planted they flowered beautifully, however since then they have grown nothing but leaves. Contrary to hippeastrum cannon they have not died back at all and have remained virtualy evergreen since they flowered. They have been properly looked after according to (the sometimes contradictory) advice in the books and magazines, yet still no flowers have been produced.

Recently, somewhat out of exasperation i took both bulbs and cut all the leaves off, in the hope that this might somehow 'shock' the plants into flowering. i felt i had nothing to loose. it was that or get rid of them! I presumed that since they are bought without leaves and then flower before producing leaves that this is what stimulates flowering (ie the removal or loss of leaves).

After cutting them back I put them out in my conservatory, which is cooler than the rest of the house, however I have today moved the indoors as it has perhaps become too cool out there.

Can ayone advise me (and the rest of us frustrated hippeastrum growers), what we might be doing wrong? How can we get our plants to flower again.

Thanks

 

Hope this info helps,
If you want your amaryllis to re-bloom for next year, this is what you need to do. After the plant has finished blooming, cut off the dead flower heads and place plants in a sunny window. Continue to water and feed monthly to promote strong foliage. During the summer, bulbs may be placed outside in a semi-shady location (keep them in their containers). Once the leaves begin to turn yellow, stop fertilizing and cut back on watering. In early September, when their leaves have dried and before any frost has occurred, bring the amaryllis indoors. Move the bulbs (in their containers) to a cool, dry (do not water them during this phase) and preferably dark location until new growth emerges, which usually occurs within a 2 month period. This is a good time to either re-pot your amaryllis if needed (usually every 3 to 4 years) or add some new potting mixture to the top 2 inches of soil mixed with a granular fertilizer. As in the previous year, place all of the bulbs in a sunny position, water and fertilize. This simple cycle of care will keep your amaryllis blooming and magnificent for several years to come.

 

Agreed. Hips need a rest in a dry cool place to set buds. If you allow them to keep on growing green leaves they won't flower but will bulk up the bulb. If potting up small offsets they are better being kept in leaf for a couple of years if possible to promote growth instead of flowering too soon.

Commercially the bulbs are given an artificial rest cycle to promote blooming for the Christmas season. Left to their own they are normally spring/early summer blooomers.

 

These have been grown, following the methods described by walnut and frogesque, ( along with a lot of other offsets) from a single bulb purchased in 1987.

 

WoW i love red

 

Beautiful colour Pete.

 

That should be enough encouragement for anybody to try. Just beautifull pete

 

Stunning Pete! And good advice too - I will try again (have had no success in previous years).

 

Wow Pete,

They are gorgeous, hope i can follow in your wake with mine

 

Have just looked in at this thread again after a while and got a bit depressed when I read walnut's instructions and thought I might just buy a new one.....but when I saw what pete has achieved by following these procedures I think the effort might be well worth it....absolutely lovely!

 

Originally by Jack the Hedge:

Oh come now Jack. If you're a gardener you don't mind a bit of faffing about.

Mrs Sarra saw this thread and after seeing Pete's efforts she has no objections to my faffing at all. She has ordered an amaryllis bulb despite the fact that I pointed out to her that Pete's is 20 years old, and in 20 years the only plant for us is probably the daisy. She says she has no objection at all to risking it, or to wasting my time.

PS to Pete. That's another one.