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mmqchdygg

What's wrong with this Amaryllis? (Dec 18, no signs of activity)

mmqchdygg
16 years ago

I got this bulb last year from the hardware store. I babied it, and had a great show in December or so. "They" had planted the bulb on 10/28 (it was the last one available, and they said I could buy the already-growing one- which happened to be about 6" tall at the time...this would have been maybe Thanksgiving time)

ANYWAY...I let it do its thing all summer, and waited until the leaves (were supposed to) turn brown. They never did. So I lobbed them off sometime in late August or early September. I never removed the bulb from the pot.

It's still green, but showing absolutely no signs of activity yet. Shouldn't I be seeing SOMETHING poking out by now? I've never "regrown" an amaryllis bulb...only ever started them first-year.

Comments (17)

  • georgia-rose
    16 years ago

    Check the potting mix to insure that it is totally dry.
    Try placing the bulb in a cool, 50-55°F, dark location and check it periodically for signs of new growth.
    Dormancy period for dry bulbs is usually 10-12 weeks. After that, they can be placed in a brightly lighted location and soil moistened to induce growth. Keep soil fairly dry until new growth appears. That can require a period of a couple of weeks, up to 2 months! Once growth begins, water frequently to keep the soil moist and place in a sunny window, where it can receive a few hours of daily sunlight, when available! Fertilize about once monthly with a water soluble houseplant fertilizer, following package directions for Amaryllis.
    Good luck! :-)

  • mmqchdygg
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Dormancy period for dry bulbs is usually 10-12 weeks. After that, they can be placed in a brightly lighted location and soil moistened to induce growth. Keep soil fairly dry until new growth appears. That can require a period of a couple of weeks, up to 2 months! Once growth begins, water frequently to keep the soil moist and place in a sunny window, where it can receive a few hours of daily sunlight, when available! Fertilize about once monthly with a water soluble houseplant fertilizer, following package directions for Amaryllis.

    Hmmm...well, the soil was dry up until about a month ago, when I started keeping it moist...about once a week watering. I'll be less liberal with the water from here on out. BUT...it never went into a cool, dry place. It's been here in my office window for a year. The only thing I've apparently done "right" is the neglecting part after I lobbed off the leaves.

    So if it never does anything this year, does that mean it's a gonner, or can it be placed into dormancy later...like Jan/Feb and be good to go again?

    I think I'll go to the Blue Seal store and see if they have anymore left.
    Schucks.

  • hopflower
    16 years ago

    Yes. It certainly should have shown something by now. You could check the roots to see if they are still active. Amaryllis, actually Hippeastrum, like to be somewhat potbound and have a good nutritive soil. Is it getting enough light?

    Some are evergreen and do not show brown leaves at all. wait until the flowers shrivel and then take them off and let the pot dry out somewhat, watering say once per week and adding a soluble plant food. Some people plant them outside to get nutrients om the earth, but ths is not necessary. Then they bring them back in around September or so and let them dry out, keep them cool and dark, and bring them back out to start the process all over again.

    Try repotting it with fresh soil; if it has been in the same soil for all these months it is not getting any nutrition. Of course, you will have to wait again, but it might be worth it!

  • mmqchdygg
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    dammit!
    So I pulled it out of its pot..repotted. Roots were nice & healthy, despite the lack of soil in the pot.
    The stalk had been about 3" high; I never lobbed the leaves off very close to the bulb, so I thought maybe that might be the problem...so I lobbed it off a little more.

    Guess what was hiding in the very center of the bulb...yup, you guessed it...the little growth leader. Dammit! I cut it right off...if I had cut just a teeny bit higher, I would have missed it, but I didn't. I got about 1/4" of it. CRAP!

    Well, I guess I'll just keep you all posted on what transpires next, since there obviously wasn't a THING wrong with it after all. I could just spit I'm so mad.

  • ladychroe
    16 years ago

    I had an amaryllis bulb that had some damage on the tip of the bud. It bloomed fine. It was only the pod that covered the flowers that was damaged... at that point the flowers were tiny and undeveloped and didn't occupy the last 1/4 of the bulb.

    Congrats on getting yours to bloom again, I never had any luck.

  • Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
    16 years ago

    I could just spit I'm so mad.

    I could tell that...lol...Now settle down mmqc...Good things come to those who wait.

    Sorry you nipped it in the bud (As Barney always used to say)

    Sue

  • mmqchdygg
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    HI SUE!!!! LONG TIME NO SEE! HEY, YOU BEEN OVER TO THE POPPY SHOP YET??? HUH? HUH? bwahahahaha!!!

  • Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
    16 years ago

    LMAO...No and I did not even go last season...but have thought about it lately.

    I never got any of my poppies, or sweet peas planted last winter/spring, so I am still set really well on lots and lots of varieties...thanks to you and so many others.

    I have however been eyeballing the sweetpeas at the link below, and asked at Seed X conv where a good place might be to buy them. Check out the link below...and that's just the pinks!

    Wanna split an order? If so, email me!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Fragrant Garden Nursery

  • hopflower
    16 years ago

    Why did you chop it off now? It is the growing season.

  • mmqchdygg
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    cuz I'm obviously an idiot and didn't know any better. This is my first time "re" growing one, so I thought I did something wrong by not chopping it down far enough. I thought I was "stunting" its growth by having too tall of a 'stump' left on it.

  • hopflower
    16 years ago

    Hmmm; that is something I think I would have asked about if not sure.

    You don't need to chop anything until after the blossoms have faded and the stalk has turned brown or yellow; much like any bulb.

  • mmqchdygg
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    No, really, I get it now. I've got my sign.

  • hopflower
    16 years ago

    For sweet peas, Mrs Bernard Jones, named after one of the best hybridists and growers in this century known, is a great, delicate pink; so is Angela Ann and Geranium Pink. Hanslope Gem (medium pink) is superb as well. I have grown them all and it depends upon the shade of pink you like, but they are all beauties.

  • Central_Cali369
    16 years ago

    Amaryllis bulbs dont HAVE to go into a state of dormancy (no water, no light...etc). In the wild (and anywhere else where they are grown outdoors in the groud) they go evergreen, sending out a new flush of leaves a couple of times per year, and they bloom without going dormant. I also bought my amaryllis as a christmas time houseplant, but i planted it outside, where it undoergoes the process i described above. the dormancy, i think, is for northern gardeners who dont want to keep the plant in a pot for a whole year when not in bloom. anyway, if your plant is a houseplant/ office plant, i think you could just keep it watered all year and enjoy the strap leaves on the non-flowering season as much as the blooms in the winter.

  • hopflower
    16 years ago

    I am afraid they do have to have a rest. Darkness is not strictly necessary but a steady temperature of about 50 is about right. The hybrids are evergreen, but they still need to rest which a lot of people call dormancy. This means they are not actively growing and producing scapes. In order to regain energy all things must rest. A good reference book is Veronica Read's book on hippeastrum. Now, let's not argue over everything I say, okay? Lol!

    If you mean they do not have to be chilled and kept in the dark like hyacinths, you are quite correct.

  • Nancy
    16 years ago

    I have to tell my experience with amaryllis. I purchased about 6 different ones on clearance one year. They bloomed well, & in the spring I took them outside. They bloomed again in very late summer, & in the fall I brought them inside. They didn't bloom during the winter, but did bloom again the following summer, & continued a couple more years until I forgot & left them out overwinter. I could kick myself for that because I've never seen those varieties again locally for sale.
    Of course, I never really gave them that dark, rest period. I think if you give them that dark period it lets them think they must bloom when they get light. Without it, they have a different cycle. That is just the experience I had & may be different for others.

  • mmqchdygg
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    HEY HEY HEY!!!! I'm so excited...in the last two days, I not only have about 1/4" of growing activity, but I've got A NEW LEAF OR BLOOM THING FORMING and coming up!!! I DIDN'T murder him after all!!! Whooo HOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    What a forgiving bulb. I'm a happy camper today.