When are you putting them to rest? What month? That really makes a huge difference.

Salpal...My garage temp. stays in the 40-50 temps until like March. Once it gets temp in the 55F and above, some of the hippies would be slowly putting out scapes just in time for them to be placed outside in late April/May. The 60F temp. of your garage I guess is not enough to keep them asleep. Slightly open (crack) a window or door to keep colder air to come in. That might help them from putting up further growth.

I rarely get unexpected scapes from the sleeping bulbs in the garage. Cupido did this last winter. Some Exotics including Papilio are have different growing cycles as the regular varieties. Some of them are winter growers, putting out new growth even if it's this cold. I have a Papilio that is putting out a scape right now and the Striped Panthers are waking up in the middle of winter. If the varieties that are waking up are exotics, let them wake up to grow and bloom in their own schedule.

Thanks Larissa and Maria. I put them "to bed" in mid to late October. I guess it's been long enough but in previous years they didn't wake up so early. Making the basement colder would be good, but I can't open a window since much heat would escape! I guess I may try seeing how fast they try to grow at that temp. At least not all are doing this. Maybe my CHAD days with hippies are officially over, I had thought it so convenient I could stash them in the basement till I wanted to bring them up. These bulbs do make their own schedule don't they!

NO! Don't say your CHAD days are over! They are so rewarding. Do you have a garage that perhaps gets a bit cooler than the basement?

I have very limited experience in the re-blooming department. I have the original Minerva bulb that I bought many, many years ago... her modus operandi was to begin sending up new scapes in February. And now, this Lady Jane that is going to re-bloom is sending up her scape now!

I don't know why they're beginning the process so early. The only difference is... the old Minerva bulb only had natural light from a southeastern window, and my current light is an eastern window plus 16 hour supplemental lighting.

The temperatures are about same, which is just indoor temperatures comfortable to us, about 70 degrees. Watering and feeding are about the same, if not more consistent now.

I wonder if our planet's slight changes are affecting this process?

Jah- Larissa, my garage is about 0 to 20 degrees F!

lol Sal, I do believe the garage is not an option. lol Where do you live that is so cold? I'm in Kansas. It's 29 tonight. Brrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!

Kansas- why you lucky girl! Minnesota here, one of the warm parts, we have had -20F this year but where I was born it can get -40. (ouch) Cantcha see why I have an urge to grow tropicals? (OK I'm a little cracked)
Jodi, I think climate change would affect warm or cold but not day length. We get lovely long days here in the summer (daylight till 9:30 or 10 pm), nasty short ones in the winter (5pm), but I can't see this would affect bloom times differently. This has actually been an "old-time" winter this year with lots of snow and cold. (We have had 5+ "warm" winters here recently.) These early scape-putter-uppers are weird though. Of coarse I haven't been growing these that many years, this may be normal. It will be interesting to see if your Minerva or any older bulbs bloom at different times. My Jewel did put up a scape earlier which I attributed to the fact that some say it is a frequent bloomer. Apparently it wants to be evergreen, it slept about a week! (what a waste to have cut those leaves) My old Papilio has 2 current blooms and one more scape, but I never put it to sleep. I'm stuck with the 60F basement, I'm thankful I have that, but I'm a little jealous of Maria.

Most of my Hippeastrum are planted in the earth.I segregate new aquires in pots for awhile to make sure they don't have disease or pests.The only time I rest or pot up a bulb is to have it as a parent out of season.Hippeastrum pollen is relatively short lived,so some times that's necessary.It's helpful to rest bulbs,so that times are optimal for crossing.I wonder if some are using the term "reblooming"interchangably with timed blooming.I have grown thousands of hippeastrum,and I've only had one Mature bulb bloom in August.I don't know if it had bloomed in the spring,but I have kept watch for it to do it again,since then.I asked onece for members to list varieties which had
flowered,naturally more than once in a year,but only had two responses,which were helpful,and appreciated.

Del

My definition of "reblooming" is the time at which my Hippeastrum bulbs go through their second and consecutive bloom cycles within my care. I acquired a Lady Jane in the winter of 2007, and she bloomed shortly thereafter... she is now going to "rebloom" for me! It may not be the correct term, but it's how I describe the consecutive bloom process, or cycles, of my Hippeastrum bulbs.

Since I grow mine as houseplants, never forcing them to sleep or into dormancy, they operate on their own schedules. I provide them with the natural light of the windows, coupled with the lighting from several light fixtures. The lights are on timers, so the plants receive about 16 hours of light each 24 hour period.

I have found that different varieties will lose their leaves at various times and rest... some rest for only a short time, and then begin to grow leaves again... some rest for longer periods of time before putting up new growth.

Some bulbs still have a few of the original leaves they grew after flowering for their first time in my care. Those are the few bulbs that were relegated to the north window sill, as I was out of room everywhere else. My theory is that they haven't quite gathered the necessary amount of energy due to a lower light situation. Those, I doubt will bloom this coming spring... although, I was very impressed by the large, beautiful leaves they've grown.

The bulbs that received better lighting in the east window include the Lady Jane that is budding now.

What I really need to do is keep records of which varieties lose their leaves to rest, and when they do so. I also need to record when they grow new leaves, thus waking from their slumber.

The excitement and newness of this hobby have thrown off the logical thought that it would be good to keep detailed records! I guess I'm still in awe of these wondrous bulbs and their beauty! I'm just along for the ride right now, and enjoying every minute of it!

Jodi, I think of rebloom as the daylily people do. For me a reblooming Hippieastrum is one that blooms more than once a year, like my aphrodite. Late winter/early spring then again July/August not just two or three stalks during the same season but with a space of months between bloom cycles. When they "rebloom" again next season, I just consider it blooming during it's normal season. Confused?
Is there a third definition out there, or one from a hippi society that anyone knows of?

I get it... I'm just so excited that this Lady Jane is actually going to bloom, though I think it's a bit early for the natural cycle, don't you? January is still a bit early for a normal bloom time, I think!

In the world of Daylilies and Iris, re-blooming is a plant that blooms again during one season... so I'm misusing the word, I know... oops!

Being confused is nothing new to me... but hey, I'm blonde... I can be confused and everybody thinks it's just normal! I get away with so much! Heehee!

LOL, Jodi, it's one of the advantages of being our age. And I was a blonde for many years, some of it was real! LOL,

When I was very young, I was naturally a dark blonde... but as the gray advanced, I decided to go totally bleached blonde, and I haven't looked back! Thank god for Loreal!

I can't picture you a young blonde disco dancing party animal, Chaz... well, I could... but would my imagination match reality? LOL!

It probably would match reality Jodi, scary at times. I was born a real tow-head straw blonde blue eyed kid. as I got older into my teens we discovered Clairoxide developer mixed with shampoo takes the yellow out of hair, well I was platinum within a month and most of my family went blonde. I discovered then we were all using the same bottle of shampoo! In my 20s the hair started to turn brown now on to grey. Time is so cruel to the body huh?

Picture, long blonde spiral curls hanging in front of my face and matching length down my back. Weight, 165 pounds, 31 inch waist, tight to the ankle jordache jeans, huckapoo brand shirt open to the waist, gold chains, feather "earing", Capezo shoes, double belt, silver stitching up the leg of the jeans. Dancing the night away, mind in places I'll probably never visit again...And to really ice the cake a Members Only satin jacket. LOL, OMG and there were others just like me, damned we were hot! LOL

And just to keep on topic, I grew hippis then and there was one I came home with that I was able to get to rebloom 2 or 3 years for me. A gorgeous neon pink NOID I got in a local nursery. Even survived a winter in a freezing area between doors against a house wall one year, bloomed and never came back after that stress.

Though I chuckle at the visual you have so aptly implanted in my brain, I was a party girl of the Eighties, too!

Imagine a 5'3" blonde, dressed in black leggings, high heeled ankle height slouch boots with chains and studs, mid-thigh length shirts, belted, with a fringed leather jacket to top it off... or, straight leg jeans so tight you had to lay down to zip up, concert t-shirts with holes purposely cut in various revealing places, with sexy undergarments peeking through... and very BIG hair!

Teased, sprayed with Aquarock, as big as I could possibly get it! Remember Lita Ford? That was my hairstyle! I'd still have it if long hair wasn't such a pain in the butt to take care of... and, if I could find a stylist who could actually remember the Eighties and cut my hair like I want it!

While you were disco dancing at Studio 54, I was headbanging to Kiss, Iron Maiden, Van Halen, Def Leppard, Poison, Ratt, Ozzy, Motley Crue, Guns n Roses, and too many others to mention! I was the girl your parents warned you about!

I survived the Eighties, although I sometimes wonder how!

In keeping with the original topic, I wouldn't discover Hippeastrum bulbs until much later in life, but I did keep an extensive houseplant collection! I had a coffee table laden with gorgeous African Violets, and an apartment filled with plants, several handmade macrame plant hangers at each window, luscious spider plants and philodendrons cascading from each one!

Wicked times... but very fun! I still dabble in macrame... and big hair!

Ugh. The big hair. I was a 1982 baby. My mom was really young and always into beauty and fashion. I was rocking a perm, poufy bangs, banana clips, crimped hair, big bows and it was such child abuse ;-) She would come at me with a comb and VaVoom every morning.

Do they still even MAKE VaVoom? That was forever ago. My Grandpa was a hair stylist. Not a barber, mind you, but a STYLIST. I was permed and coifed and cute-sie. I really miss that man. I miss his presents of high end make-up and how he referred to colors with food names such as champagne, cinnamon and bisque. Sigh. I miss him.

You poor abused child! How dare they make you look cute! LOL!

I haven't used mousse or hairspray in forever! I use a leave-in anti-frizz conditioner... Lupus makes my hair fall out bigtime, and it's in such poor condition... I do anything to keep the hair I have and keep it from breaking!

I remember VaVoom and all that... never used it! AquaNet, or AquaRock as we called it, was the best hair cement on the market back then!

I rock out with a ponytail nowadays. Mommy life sucks the pretty right out of you. My mom still uses AquaNet. That stuff is awesome. That hair isn't going ANYWHERE.

Jodi, the best leave-in conditioner is GHD Elevation. You can buy it on sephora.com and it is the BEST. It is a little pricey, but you get what you pay for. Give it a shot :-) You will be thanking me :-D

I don't know why I typed "leave-in conditioner." I was looking at your other post and just kept typing. lol It's a regular conditioner. It's the best of the best, though.

Thanks, Larissa... I'll look into it! I currently use that stuff from Pantene for protection from breakage, and its matching conditioner... Pro Restoratives, it's called. Works good... my hair falls out in cycles, and there's nothing I can do about that, but the Pantene keeps it from breaking and splitting. It's good stuff for off-the-shelf products!

Mommy life sucked my energy and beauty right out, and now Lupus and all the dogs are trying to do the same thing! I'm doomed! I was never super-model material, but I've been called a cute blonde! Anyhoo... hang in there, Larissa... it's only until they're 18! Ya, right! :-)

Hey, Guys! True beauty is yet to come! It comes with age and loving, working with plants and babies and building community! MY mom was a plain teenagers and a gorgeous 90 yr old! I intend to follow in her footsteps!

Every year I am getting better and better....every year I Am getting better and better....every year I Am getting better and better....etc.

(One of these day I might even beleive it!)

So Liza it sounds like you are telling us we'll "rebloom" at 90? I guess that means we'll all get a second chance and I kinda like that! (But I'd like my rebloom to be just a bit earlier, can I have 90 be my 4th or 5th?)

If I'm gonna rebloom, I'd like to do it before I hit 70... I can't picture reaching 90, though I hope those that can, do!

Lizalily, you're great now! And you can believe that! :-)