Amarylis
John Cotterill
I've two Amarylis one is upto 2 feet+ and in bud.
When and with what do I need to feed it with, and what after care will the
bulb require?
The other remains dormant it tried to grow but stopped, it's been potted
since November in moist compost and kept in the same conditions as the above
example which is growing well. Any ideas how to make this one grow would be
appreciated.
John
Rodger Whitlock
<jo...@greenhouse.fsnet.co.uk> wrote:
> I've two Amarylis one is upto 2 feet+ and in bud.
> When and with what do I need to feed it with, and what after care will the
> bulb require?
Stake that flower stem with a length of bamboo and a twist-tie.
Otherwise it stands a good chance of falling over.
Aftercare:
0. Cut off the flower stem after the flowers all fade.
1. Water and feed regularly with a low-nitrogen fertilizer.
Phostrogen wouldn't be a bad choice. Beware over-frequent
watering. Keep it in the house. See footnote on feeding
technique.
2. When the weather turns warm, you can put it outside in a sunny
spot. Keep up the water and food. If you have narcissus fly in
the area, swathe it in a layer of cheesecloth to keep the flies
from getting at it.
3. Four and a half months before you want blooms, stop watering
and feeding. Keep it in the sun. When the foliage start to
yellow, cut it off. This would be at the end of July if you want
blooms in mid-December.
4. Two weeks later, put it in a dark, cool place, as cool as you
can manage. The temperature can drop to close to freezing, but
not below. Leave it there for two full months, dry, dark, and
cold. An old refrigerator would be perfect, but you can manage
this with a cool, unheated room.
5. After another two months (two months before you want flowers),
take the bulbs out of storage, unpot thema nd repot in fresh
compost. Water well *once* and bring into the warmth of the
living area or the greenhouse. Don't water again until there is
strong foliage growth. Once there is good foliage growth, you can
water somewhat more freely, and eventually start feeding
regularly. Keep your fingers crossed.
If all goes well, flowers will appear on schedule. You may want
to note the exact dates, because I suspect the different
cultivars vary somewhat in how long it takes them to come to
flowering after you restart them.
6. After flowering, cut off the stem and repeat annual cycle.
> The other remains dormant it tried to grow but stopped, it's been potted
> since November in moist compost and kept in the same conditions as the above
> example which is growing well. Any ideas how to make this one grow would be
> appreciated.
Amaryllis are temperamental plants at times. My specimen of
'Lemon-lime' did the exact same thing this year as your sleeper.
I suspect I over-watered it and rotted the new roots. Possibly it
is a a cultivar that needs more warmth than I can give it.
Footnote on feeding: a good strategy is to water to schedule, say
once a week or ten days or two weeks. Use *tempered* water; that
is, on the tepid side, rather than icey cold water straight from
the cold water tap. Water well three times at half-hour intervals
and let drain between each watering; this will flush out any
accumulated fertilizer salts. Then give it a dose of liquid
fertilizer and allow to drain a while before putting back in its
usual position.
Over watering is a more likely problem than under watering. This
is true of virtually all indoor potted plants, but people
(including myself) regularly forget it.
I water my houseplants in the kitchen sink as a matter of
convenience because of the drain.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Harri Kulju Erin Winslow
"John Cotterill" <jo...@greenhouse.fsnet.co.uk> skrev i meddelandet
news:a3s5pd$j22$2...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
> Hi folks,
>
> I've two Amarylis one is upto 2 feet+ and in bud.
> When and with what do I need to feed it with, and what after care will the
> bulb require?
Allow me to play devil's advocate and take the contrary position to Rodger.
:-) I have 2 amaryllis, one from Yule 1997 and one from about 2 years ago.
They are treated with *severe* neglect, live in my partner's workroom,
almost *never* get watered and get fed even less! They both bloom like
clockwork approximately every 6 months. The older one seems to be producing
ever more vigorous blooms over time, too.
The main form of care they get is having their soil replaced every summer. I
use my worm box compost and it apparently is just right. I've wondered if
the variation in daylight affects them since I live in Sweden and there's
quite a difference between summer and winter daylight. But the plants bloom
twice a year, so I don't know if that matters.
hth
Erin
--
Erin Winslow
arki...@yahoo.com
http://home.swipnet.se/~w-52319/fred1.htm
Philippe Gautier
>
> "John Cotterill" <jo...@greenhouse.fsnet.co.uk> skrev i meddelandet
> news:a3s5pd$j22$2...@news5.svr.pol.co.uk...
> > Hi folks,
> >
> > I've two Amarylis one is upto 2 feet+ and in bud.
> > When and with what do I need to feed it with, and what after care will the
> > bulb require?
>
> Allow me to play devil's advocate and take the contrary position to Rodger.
> :-) I have 2 amaryllis, one from Yule 1997 and one from about 2 years ago.
> They are treated with *severe* neglect, live in my partner's workroom,
> almost *never* get watered and get fed even less! They both bloom like
> clockwork approximately every 6 months. The older one seems to be producing
> ever more vigorous blooms over time, too.
>
I've always done to mine, following the "by the book" rule, but I was
wondering what happen if you continue to water the plant all the time.
Harri Kulju Erin Winslow
"Philippe Gautier" <Philippe...@hgu.mrc.ac.uk> skrev i meddelandet
news:3C638EED...@hgu.mrc.ac.uk...
> Do you stop watering and let the leaves dry at some point? That's what
> I've always done to mine, following the "by the book" rule, but I was
> wondering what happen if you continue to water the plant all the time. . .
Well, I continue watering as usual, which means not very often! The other
plants in the guestroom/electronics workshop are cacti and I water all the
plants about 2 times a month. The air in my apartment is really dry, btw,
and the above are the only plants that I don't have to mist.
The leaves just stay the same all the time. I cut off damaged or yellowing
ones and I cut-off the flower stalk after it's finished blooming.
John Cotterill
Thanks for the advice, much appreciated.
John
Rodger Whitlock <toto...@mail.pacificcoast.net> wrote in message
news:3c629f01...@news.newsguy.com...
dave_poole_in_torquay
>Do you stop watering and let the leaves dry at some point? That's what
>I've always done to mine, following the "by the book" rule, but I was
>wondering what happen if you continue to water the plant all the time.
Unless you want them to flower at a particular time, I don't think it
makes very much difference. I grow mine out of doors where they
create a magnificent show in late spring. Naturally they get a fair
amount of winter wet and tend to retain most if not all of the leaves.
Slug damage makes them a bit tatty by late winter and I cut off the
worst at that time. Drying-off in late autumn will facilitate
flowering soon after they are re-started into growth, but it is not
necessary to ensure flowering.
My bulbs are partly exposed ('shoulders' above soil level) and get a
good roasting by summer and autumn sunshine. They are fed regularly -
say every 2 or 3 weeks and that seems enough to ensure flowering. As
far as I can see, Hippeastrums make promising garden plants for mild
regions and can provide a spectacular show to follow on from late
tulips and the like.
David Poole
TORQUAY
Michael Berridge
Philippe Gautier wrote in message <>Do you stop watering and let the
leaves dry at some point? That's what
>I've always done to mine, following the "by the book" rule, but I was
>wondering what happen if you continue to water the plant all the time.
They will continue to grow, and eventually flower, just the same as if
you had stopped watering and allowed to dry out.