Oh my gosh java_j! Does it ever end? This is terrible! The first thing I would do is email easytogrow and let them know about this and the Papilio bulb. On sale or not, they should not be sending rotting bulbs. I'm pretty sure they are unaware of these issues since they seem pretty hidden at first. The one bulb I ordered from them seems very healthy, but I don't think the sucker is going to bloom...it is just sending up leaves. Arghhh!

I'll let the experts give guidance on what to do from here as the infection seems to be all the way to the core from your photos. You may be able to cut it up and make several more bulbs from it.

Good luck! I hope the other 2 bulbs will perform twice as well for you!

-Frank

Well... if it were my bulb, I'd dust that sucker liberally with Captan powder and let it dry for a few days. Then, I'd paint some rooting hormone powder on the bottom, and plant it with just the basal plate area stuck into soil... you may have to prop it in there with rocks or something... and then, I'd get it on a heating pad and hope it formed a good root system relatively fast.

Once the raw flesh dries over and heals, I think the bulb will survive and be ok... but, it's going to take a long time before it grows into anything. Be patient, and be careful with watering.

Definitely contact the Customer Service Department and let them know what you found! They should offer a replacement or a credit.

So sorry to see you having these problems... one way to avoid this is to immediately open all newly received bulbs and check them all right away! Get them out of their bags and peel back the dead dried layers to see how the live layers look. This is what I do! I immediately inspect every bulb that I get, and I get rid of any dead layers right away. I've been really lucky, and haven't had any rot problems that I couldn't take care of, myself.

We have to remember that the later in the season it is, the longer those bulbs have sat at the supplier's location. We're lucky to get them for such a great price, but we also take a risk. Ordering early in the season and paying full price gets you much fresher bulbs, though every once in a while, even fresh bulbs come with problems. Knowing how to care for sick bulbs can be a very good thing.

I wish you luck... I think you'll be ok... carefully nurse your sick bulbs, and get a refund or credit or replacement from the seller.

Good detective work. I think it'll probably make it.
I had one last year that the whole center was rotten. I just let it sit out all summer in a pot and nothing happend for months, then 3 offsets came up and are growing nicely. Don't think they will bloom this year, but they have a good start for next year. I let them grow all winter. I didn't bother to clean up the bulb. the outside of bulb was solid so thought it must have some life left and it did. These are tough bulbs if one doesn't give up too soon or drown them.

Java, I've examined my bulbs from easy to grow bulbs after reading your post. Found a chico bulb rotting on the bottom so I contacted seller. Thank you for posting, visually mine looked fine too until I started peeling some layers. Good luck with yours, I am very new to growing bulbs in pots. I have some of my amaryllis growing in bed.
Jan

Yes, I've had this sort of thing happen with amaryllis, too. Like an onion, sometimes bulbs begin to rot from the inside and it's not visible, to the seller or to the buyer.

I've had really good experiences with Easy to Grow Bulbs and I'm sure if you contact them they'll replace the bulb. They seem like fair and reasonable folks.

Jillian

My Estella was also rotten. I started peeling some rot and found it to be throughout the bulb. The company was nice. They had run out of these, had felt they were fine prior to ship, and had no more. They offered a refund, replacement or an Estella this fall, which was my choice. I appreciated they didn't question my opinion and were so willing to work with me , unlike a high priced competitor. I was impressed with the customer service.

My first purchase of bulbs of Estella were very nice and firm. Except that they were mislabeled...LOL! A very prety mistake though...
{{gwi:380273}}

I got some Estellas from another company. I am having a strong feeling they will end up like this one too. It must be a mistake from the grower. Unless somebody can show us a true Estella in bloom pic.

Anybody out there has one?

The TRUE Estellas in Keukenhof
{{gwi:380274}}

Lovely photos, Maria.. and a lovely mistake! Sometimes, mislabels turn out to be welcome additions to a collection!

I did contact EasyToGowBulbs about Estella and Papillio.

They are sending substitutes since they no longer have either one. That's fine as long as the replacements are healthy bulbs.

I think there is hope for Papillio. I have updated my post on Papillio with new pictures.

I'm not at all sure about Estella. I don't see any green.
I suppose I could just put it in vermiculite and hope for the best. Replacements are coming so this can be just another of my accidental experiments.

Here is a link that might be useful: Poor Papillio

I am going to repot Estella sometime next week. It will have been drying for a little over a week.

I'm not sure there is much hope, but there is not much to lose either.

I would like ideas about what type of potting medium I should use.

I can obtain vermiculite, perlite, sand and potting charcoal. I will also get a clay pot.

When I first found this forum I noticed a post in which someone had experimented with different medium for cuttage. I no longer recall what it was called so I cannot search for it. I think, but I'm not certain, that it was a post by one of the Marias.

If someone could find that post and provide a link, it might be useful.

Before I forget, if I use a very porous mixture, will bottom watering work? Should I moisten the medium first before potting? My inclination would be yes.

I would like to address the last question... bottom watering will work, I believe, depending on what you mean by "porous mixture". If you're talking about particles larger than 1/4 inch, I'd say no, bottom watering will not work. But if you're talking about particles larger than potting soil, but as small as 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch in approximate size, than bottom watering might work fine.

In any case, it always helps with potting and watering if a medium is pre-moistened. You don't have to make it wet, just barely moist.

Veronica Read recommends using Seramis or vermiculite for Twin Scaling or Chipping. The process is too complicated to type out here, but I'm fairly certain that if you Google the process, you'll find information somewhere on the internet. Everything is on the internet somewhere! LOL!

Actually, if you do a search here in this forum, or even on GW, I think you'll find the threads you need. Use the words "Chipping" "Twin Scaling" or those words with the word "Bulb" as key words, and I think you'll get good results.

Hope this helps you somewhat. Perhaps others can elaborate.