Amaryllis

[Nicos]

A bit of advice please with my experiment!

I bought some bulbs a few weeks ago and kept them cool but they now look like they’ll have finished blooming by Xmas.
Pity, cos I had hoped I could stall them long enough

Anyway, I had a brainstorm…
I suddenly remembered I’d left last year’s bulbs to die back in the barn and after lots of rummaging found them under a pile of ‘stuff’

So - I brought them in and soaked the pots in warm water overnightto get their temperature up and now wondering how to bring them on quickly with the hope they might be in flower for Xmas/ New year.
How long do they usually take from their dry bulb state ?…and how do I bring them on to flower rather than just grow leaves?
Is warmer the better the best approach or would that encourage leaf and no roots?…I can keep them well watered in the lounge near the woodstove if that helps?
Would soaking banana skins and using their water help bring on the flowers?(thinking high potassium here….)

Mist sites seem to say 7-8 weeks before blooming….Can I really do this in 3-4 weeks?
Any tips please will be much appreciated.

[mothhawk]

Don't think it will happen in 4 weeks, Nicos

They want a temperature of about 20C and only a little water until the stems start to grow, keep the compost on the dry side - too much may make the bulb rot. As to getting a flower, like daffs, if the bulb has made a bud, it will flower, if not, you'll just have leaves.

edit - a sunny spot too

[Nicos]

Ok - thanks for that MH.
20C is easy to achieve. I’ll leave them now to dry out until the stems show.
I have south facing windows in the warmest room too …thanks. ( I did wonder if they were in the dark they might grow quicker - like rhubarb?)

[ameno]

They won't grow quicker in the dark, they'll only grow leggier.

Amaryllis are meant to flower in the spring, really, so they need a bit of finessing to make them flower for Christmas.

If you want to keep them for future years, you're better off just keeping them in their pots and treating them like a herbaceous perennial, as well as letting them flower when they naturally would. Keep them fed and watered until the leaves die off on their own (this can take months), then don't water at all while they are dormant until either early March or when they start into growth on their own (whatever comes first), then water only minimally whilst in flower (they don't take up much when flowering), then increase watering and start feeding once the flowers die back and more leaves grow. You may want to repot every year or two. Do so when dormant. Use the same pot, just with fresh compost.

[DannyK]

Go Orthodox, that'll give you a bit more time!

[Nicos]

^^^^ha!….or even Chinese NewYear?

[Nicos]

Well…I can see new roots growing in the pots!

[Nicos]

Update….as expected- just a few cm of leaf growth so far!

However- the bought ones I thought would be over were still in flower over Xmas. Being doubles, at least the second flower extended the flowering long enough for Xmas!

[mothhawk]

My mum was given yet another amaryllis for Christmas. I potted it up on Boxing Day. So far it has grown an inch, but I can only see leaves, no bud yet.

[Babru]

I bought an amaryllis bulb, potted it up, then didn’t keep a close eye on it and the compost all dried out. I did this last year too, and it means you get no flower. I'm mad at myself, doing it two years running.

I'll start another if I can find one for sale, and keep it on the window at the kitchen sink. Right under my nose. I'm determined to get a flower this time!

[Nicos]

I can’t see any flower stems forming on mine…I didn’t feed them last year, so I’m starting to think that might be a problem

[mothhawk]

I can just see the tip of a bud on ours now.

Nicos, I'm sure I read somewhere that to get amaryllis to form flower buds for the next year the bulb needs to be in bright sunlight for a period of time. Can't remember how long, I leave mine on a sunny windowsill all year, whether growing or not.

Similar to daffodil bulbs, I suppose, they won't make flowers if they are in a very shady position. So if yours have been in the dark all summer, they may not flower. There's always hope though....

[Nicos]

^^^ ah, yes- they’ve been in the dark barn.
At least I know now what to do in prep for next winter! Thanks for that.
I’ll feed them too .

The ones the previous year just happened to be near the open doorway so would have got plenty of light seeing as it’s South facing.

[ameno]

I just move mine outdoors for summer, then bring them back into my conservatory in the late autumn. They flower most years, so they must get enough light that way.
I do the same with my Christmas cacti. I have a bad habit of forgetting to water my perennial plants in the conservatory over the summer. If they're outside, I'm more likely to water them along with everything else, plus they get some rain, too.

[Babru]

It's often suggested you put your houseplants outside for the summer. I tried it once, but was not happy with the amount of wildlife that came back in with them. Slugs etc, which I can get rid of, but also greenfly which are nearly impossible once a houseplant is infested.