Would someone please tell me what I'm doind wrong: I have me Amaryllis
outside all summer... I let it slow down in the fall, let the foliage die
down, bring it in... then put it in a dark corner, give it tiny bits of
moisture, and then it starts growing again -- foliage. No buds. What's up?
Do I have to actually erpot it in fresh soil? Give it fertilizer? (It sure
didn't get any in my D.s garden - grey sand, in FLA, where it bloomed every
year). Not enuf darkness? Too cool? help.....
karen in NJ
Yes, Fertilize. Both when the bulb is growing and when you bring it in.
And full sun. I think the conditions have to be very good to get it to
store food in the bulb and then it will flower when you bring it out of
dormancy.
Esther
karen swaine
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 11:32 AM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: my failures with Amaryllis
Would someone please tell me what I'm doind wrong: I have me Amaryllis
outside all summer... I let it slow down in the fall, let the foliage
die
down, bring it in... then put it in a dark corner, give it tiny bits of
moisture, and then it starts growing again -- foliage. No buds. What's
up?
Do I have to actually erpot it in fresh soil? Give it fertilizer? (It
sure
didn't get any in my D.s garden - grey sand, in FLA, where it bloomed
every
year). Not enuf darkness? Too cool? help.....
karen in NJ
Thank you Margaret and Esther -- I guess I'll start fertilizing right away,
and give it as much light as possible. What type of fertilizer should I
use, Blossom Booster, or one specifically for bulbs, or... ?
karen in NJ
Karen, I just let my plant go all year. I don't force it to stop. Is that
what you are doing?
When I have leaves, I feed it with bulb food (I use Hollands) and then the
stalk comes and it blooms. If the leaves die back on their own, I just set
it aside to rest, water occassionally, and when there is a sign of growth,
it gets fed again. Mine has bloomed for 8 years in a row. Now, I do not put
mine out though cause of bugs and such. I hate treating things inside unless
I really have to because of my kitties who supervise all. This winter, I
have hjad two sets of leaves, first two now three and no flowerstalk yet but
something is happening. Maybe it is trying to split. I hope....
Marg
up?
> Do I have to actually erpot it in fresh soil? Give it fertilizer? (It
sure
> didn't get any in my D.s garden - grey sand, in FLA, where it bloomed
every
Lazy me I just used Miracle Grow with my other house plants. And then I
think I've tried something for flowering when bringing out of dormancy
but didn't notice a difference. I usually only get a second year of
blooms because of the sun situation, (not enough) I think. Or er, uh,
maybe you should follow someone elses suggestion for fertilizer
Esther
karen swaine
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2004 1:28 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: my failures with Amaryllis
Thank you Margaret and Esther -- I guess I'll start fertilizing right
away,
and give it as much light as possible. What type of fertilizer should I
use, Blossom Booster, or one specifically for bulbs, or... ?
karen in NJ
in.
> And full sun. I think the conditions have to be very good to get it
to
> store food in the bulb and then it will flower when you bring it out
of
Amaryllis
> outside all summer... I let it slow down in the fall, let the foliage
> die
> down, bring it in... then put it in a dark corner, give it tiny bits
of
> moisture, and then it starts growing again -- foliage. No buds.
What's
Amaryllis should be fertilized at least every two weeks after flowering until
September when it is allowed to dry and go dormant. They need fresh soil
added yearly and repotting when the bulb is an inch bigger than before.
Anne in MA
In a pot, as others have said, you need to fertilize as the roots are
confined and can't seek nutrients as they can in the garden.
Agree with what others have said; sun, fertilize and feed. Because I
can't remember from one day to the next what I did the previous day,
I find time-release fertilizer like Osmacote is the best way to go
for most potted plants....at least its their best way of having a
chance of getting fertilized:-)
I bring mine out when temps have warmed up and leave them in what
passes for full sun for me - which it ain't - and bring them in when
temps start to get into the 40s; let them go dormant if they want to
and if they don't, I keep watering. Most of them bloom for me
sometime around February or March - more so if I've remembered to
feed and repot:-) If they've lost their leaves or most of them when
I bring them into the garage, I just shove them under my potting
bench until they show signs of life; don't water until they do show
new growth. When they do, I bring them out into light and start
watering; repot if they need it, etc. Temps under bench probably
around 50F, maybe a bit lower. This regime has worked for me for
donkey's years.
If these bulbs get too dry, they will start to go dormant, so you
need to make sure they get sufficient water in summer if they're
outside.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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> From: karen swaine
> Would someone please tell me what I'm doind wrong: I have me
Amaryllis
> outside all summer... I let it slow down in the fall, let the
foliage die
> down, bring it in... then put it in a dark corner, give it tiny
bits of
> moisture, and then it starts growing again -- foliage. No buds.
What's up?
> Do I have to actually erpot it in fresh soil? Give it fertilizer?
(It sure
> didn't get any in my D.s garden - grey sand, in FLA, where it
bloomed every
Thank you Marge for a good bit of info -- I am lazy about these plants -- I
will repot and use Osmocote -- I don't fetilize my sole lonely orchid
either, a good excuse for it not to produce bloom!! Shame on me.
karen in NJ - where at last temps are going to be above freezing today,
time to shop away some of the thick ice at the end of the driveway!?
I did have one that the second time around the foliage
came first and then the buds. As these are expensive
bulbs and worth saving, I'd try the new, rich soil
and maybe a dash of Miracle Grow. Before I put the
bulb away, I'd let the leaves take in all they can of
the sun too. I do that for my dafodills and gladiolias.
When I bought these, they came in a very dry starting
soil like the kind that come prepacked for seedlings.
As long as the bulb is healthy, I wouldn't give up on
it.
June
A friend gave me a bright red amaryllis in bloom for
Christmas about four years ago. I asked her if I
needed to repot it in soil and she said she didn't think
that was necessary. So, I left it in the little pot with
practically no dirt. It had no bloom for about three
years. I gave up and repotted it in potting soil and it
sent up a blossom stalk right away. Last summer
my sister gave me a pot of Amaryllis (not in bloom)
with three growing in it. She instructed me to repot
at end of summer growth dividing up the bulbs each
to a new pot. I did that and repotted the red one
again. I threw in a little Miracle Grow. To make a
long story a little shorter - I have three pots with
beautiful blooms. One of the three is not blooming -
too small I think - but it has very healthy leaves (straps?).
The most amazing thing is that two of the blooming ones
(the red one and one of the apple blossom) are sending
up additional blossom stalks. Doing some online
searching last night I learned that this is not too unusual
and that sometimes a third one will develop on a single
plant. Anybody that a third one?
ann
think@francomm.com
Mid-Hudson Valley Zone 4/5
up?
> Do I have to actually erpot it in fresh soil? Give it fertilizer? (It
sure
> didn't get any in my D.s garden - grey sand, in FLA, where it bloomed
every
