Robert,

Give me a bit, okay? I'll try to find a picture.

This was actually something that I had observed that Hans told me meant the seeds were not viable. I don't know that I have a picture, but if I can find one, I'll upload it.

No pics, and I looked for the link that Hans gave me to see a picture of this, but the link is no longer valid (it was in German).

Then, I remembered that the pod that had already formed on Ferari when I bought it had those seeds with the spots. I found the seeds in the cup where they were left to dry out.

Sorry, but I had to use a flash. It is almost dark...

The seeds are the ones with the whitish look, but the white is actually cream/tan colored.

{{gwi:382841}}

I think these seeds may be a result of bee or accidental pollination with an incompatible variety, but I can't say for sure.

Not a very good picture, but you'll know it when you see them. Anyway, Hans said to toss them (not his exact words).

Thanks for the pic.

It's different from what I had seen and thought you were talking about.

WOW-will have to watch for any 'spots'. Is this normal of Exotic Star not to take pollination? I feel I am treading unknown waters here, elizabeth.

As for recovery, I hate to use this post to say it, but my surgery has been postponed until next November 2007. My insurance will not cover costs until then. It's been a horrid day for me, i was so close to getting a new start. I am so glad to come here and find friends to take my mind off my distress at the moment.

God love ya-be well and happy. At least I will be available now for all my "birthings" :c/

I crossed Exotic Star with the following: Jewel & Floris Hecker did not take, dried up. The cross with Emerald has nice fat pods, the cross with Supreme Garden was just done.

Exotic Star
{{gwi:378635}}

karilynn22 - lovely Ex Star. Good luck with your other crosses, I'll be interested to see how the Emerald crosses do. Nice combo I would think.

Here's my pod inventory this morning. Out of 18 crossings I have 15 healthy survivors. I feel lucky that only 3 pods aborted.

{{gwi:382842}}

Survivors are:
EXOTIC STAR
x Red Lion
RED LION
x Lemon & Lime
x Bolero
BOLERO
x Self
x Lemon & Lime
LEMON & LIME
x Self
x Red Lion
x Bolero

Congratulations Cindee!!

What a nice bunch of crosses! Very interesting!

I just harvested my first seed pods for the year 2007 this week. I feel soooooooo LUCKY!!! Woooooohooooo!!!

GilmarXGilmar
first pod - 70 seeds
second pod - 61 seeds
third pod - 31 seeds

Thanks Robert-it will give me something to play with this spring.

Maria-wow, what a colossal collection of seeds! You grow, girl!

I have an Amaryllis that is spent but at the very top there are 2 pods, that might have seeds? This has been like this for several days. What do I do, if anything?
Thanks much, BetsyBr

bets, they probably self pollinated. Let them be until the pod starts to turn brown and starts to split open. Keep us posted, and we'll go from there. The pods generally take a few weeks before the seeds actually ripen. I am sure someone else can be more detailed, but this is my first pollinating expierence. I've had them pollinate on their own before, in the garden, and generally the pods start to dry up before you want to remove the seeds.

Harvested some more seeds yesterday:
GilmarXWedding Dance 32 seeds

Cindeea...this is a LOT of seeds. More than I can handle really in my limited winter growing environment. Don't be surprised if you see Gilmar seeds in Ebay...lol!

Maria-I'll bid, just email me!! Let me take some off your hands, dear! lol I am looking at a lot of seeds too. I can't wait for them to burst. I'll send any your way that interest you. For now...it's a waiting game. Gilmar, eh? hmmm may have to bargain here.

Hi Cindeea,
Those are some good lookin pods !;)
I am very curios to know if the Exotic Star X Red Lion pod has viable seed.
Those puniceum seeds are finally ready! Send your addy my way & I'll get a batch to you.
Oh Maria,
Take the plunge and Just Do It !!!
It really is easy one you get the hang of it and the kiddos can help you get through :)
Besides,I don't have Gilmar,I might just have to bid that myself.....watch out Cindeea! Lora

Hey Lora-nice to hear from you! The Ex Star/Red Lion is has me worried. It is the hugest pod I have, but it is begining to wrinkle a bit. It looks ready to BURST open. I gave the plant a little water today, our temps dropped drastically this weekend to the upper 30's, quite rare for SW Florida. I have my pods protected somewhat behind a beach towel...hey this is Florida-we grab what we can! lol I'll send you my addy lora, Can't wait to try the puniceum seeds-love ya!

I will wait patiently for the pods to dry. Then?
Let the seeds dry and plant like any other? Will sure give the larger pot idea a try. I am really limited in space.
Thanks much

Hiya Cindeea,
You could try shining a very strong flashlight behind the pod to get a sneak preview:o
If it glows green it's probably empty,a bit of a shadow can men chaff or unfinished seeds and a dark pod (keeping fingers crossed)means seeds -but- you can't tell if there are embryos till it splits. Do you know what the due date is? It should take right about 6 weeks but chill can certainly delay them a week.
Ohh,a low in the upper 30's ? I bet it -is- tough when you grow all those tropicals in the ground.Towels and sheets stretched out everywhere.
I wish we could just get above freezing :/ Lora

Cindeea...email me with your address and I'll send you some late Happy Valentines gift...lol

Lora...I have some good stuff waiting to be shipped to you. Email me when your weather there will be warm enough to send these goodies. About ebay, I peaked and looked into the "SELL" link. Geeeezzzz....to much trouble I think. My teenage daughters find it "Cool" though and are still trying to convince me to do it.

I think I will be harvesting my first seedpod from Supreme Garden in a day or two. It is SG X Jade Serpent. It has dried up and starting to crack open. It is the smallest seedpod I have ever had, less than an inch in diameter. I am sooooooo curious on what's inside...success or failure.

Betsy,

My procedure is planting hippi seeds in my compost in plastic cups after they have self-pollinated but here is what somebody wrote about starting them in water. This example is one reason why I read this forum. Sorry, I don't know who wrote this. I saved this before I "knew" any of these people.

Germinating hippeastrum seeds

Like most liliaceous plants, hippeastrums produce seed pods containing many winged seeds; seeds enclosed in a papery sheath. Hippeastrum seed can be difficult to germinate directly in soil, however they can be successfully germinated via the flotation method.

Once the seedpod has ripened and begun to split open, remove the seeds from the pod and let them dry for a few days. Most commercialy sold hippeastrum have shiny black papery sheaths. If the sheaths are gently rubbed between two fingers, the actual seed can be felt as a hard inclusion slightly larger than a seseme seed. If no seed is felt, the seed may not be viable; the sheath can be opened with tweasers to confirm the presence of a seed without actually damaging it.

Fill a clear plastic container, for which a transparent lid is available, half full with water. Hard tap water seems to work better than distilled or soft water. Sprinkle the sheathed seeds onto the surface of the water. The seeds will naturally gravitate towards each other, and it is acceptable for them to remain touching, however each seed should be floating directly on the water, and not resting on top of other seeds. Place the lid on the container, but do not seal it. The lid will help to maintain an elevated level of humidity, but if condensation on the inside of the container is observed, the lid should be opened further, or rotated so as to reduce the humidity.

The seeds need light to germinate, but cannot handle direct sunlight. A window sill that does not receive sunlight is perfect. After about two weeks, small white roots will be observed growing down from the bottom of the sheaths. In another week or so, small grasslike leaves will be observed pushing themselves out of the sheaths. It is acceptable, but usually unnecessary, to help the leaves escape the sheaths by using tweasers to slightly separate the papery layers.

Once the roots and leaves are both about 1 cm (1/2 "), the seedlings can be carefully removed from the water and placed, individually, in a seedling tray containing normal potting soil. Wet the soil well before transplanting, and use a toothpick to make holes into which individual roots will be placed. Gently pick up each seed by its leaf and settle its root into the soil. The remains of the sheath should be resting on the surface of the soil. After all the seeds are placed, water the tray gently but thoroughly to encourage the soil to adhere to the roots. Use a clear lid for the seedtray, or place the tray in a clear plastic bag, to continue to maintain an elevated but not saturated level of humidity until second leaves begin to appear.

At this point the seedlings may be hardened off by lowering the humidity and exposing them to open air. Given the usual time at which hippeastrum set seed, it will now be early summer, and the seedlings can be, in their tray, moved outdoors. They cannot handle direct sunlight, and the soil must be kept moist at all times for the first summer. In fall, watering may be reduced, but not, as for mature bulbs, entirely stopped. Continue growing the young bulbs outside in the summer, indoors in the winter. Provide a mild fertilizer, in summer only, beginning the second year. Do not transplant them until they become crowded; hippeastrum roots are important to the plant, but the roots of immature bulbs are not yet sturdy and can be easily damaged when transplanted. In three or four years the bulbs will have matured sufficiently to begin blooming. Since most commercially sold hippeastrum are hybrids, the young flowers will not likely look like the parent.

Charles

Maria-I sent you mail, but since GW is unreliable with delivering email, here's my addy

cindeeaddessi@aol.com

Lora-forgot to mention that flashlight trick is something I am going to try. Fortunately, my amaryllis are all in large planters on my patio so they are pretty protected. I did hang some beach towels around them just to be sure.

Charles thank you for posting these super directions for planting/foating new seeds. I am just waiting for the 2 huge pods I have to dry out and open. I have been watering as usual, should I have cut back on the water?
Thank you again.

Betsy

I just harvested my first seedpod from Supreme Garden....SUCCESS!!! 72 seeds, the tiniest amaryllis seeds I have seen with embryos in them. I am sooooooo excited with this. Next SG seedpod, starting to crack open, is Supreme Garden X Gilmar. I will post an update on it in a few days.

Congrats, Maria! The SG x Gilmar should be very interesting!

Thanks Cindeea! Funny how my SG reacts to pollination. I would pollinate all 4 flowers in one scape and at the end, only one seedpod would make it...just one per scape, the rest gets aborted. I did use some Papilio pollen on some flowers of SG. Seems like they took. I hope they won't abort.

I harvested Supreme Garden X Gilmar last niight and got 26 viable seeds only. So far, Gilmar has been a very good pollen donor for me. Even Papilio X Gilmar seedpod looks promising. Papilio X Jade Serpent seems like shrivelling/aborting.

No it's not ET, it's my Exotic star x Red Lion seed pod ready to burst!

{{gwi:382843}}

And of Plethora of Pods from my Lemon and Lime. All 8 of them still looking healthy.

{{gwi:382844}}

Cindeea...that pod (Exotic Star X Red Lion)should be ready to be harvested. I pollinated my Exotic Star flowers too. Two with Papilio, two with Jade Serpent, and the next two will be pollinated with Gilmar when they open. The bulb, after producing 3 scapes has shrunk terribly though.
Lemon Lime seems to be a very good seed parent. Those are nice healthy looking seedpods.

Maria-I am waiting for more harvest before sending you some. I am excited the ExStar is ready. Can't wait for the others, now.

Exotic Harvest.

{{gwi:382845}}

should I help the seeds out of the pod or leave them intact to fall loose on their own? It is still surprisingly moist. I thought it would be drier to the touch. When I plucked the pod, it readily split open.

You can get them out of the pod and plant them now or save them for later planting. Check the seeds if they got embryo in them. I would take a seed and put it in front of a lighted bulb. If you see the tiny embryos inside the seed, then you can plant them now or store them later planting. I put them in ziploc bags, tag them and placed in veggie compartment of refrigerator. Lora places them in her butter compartment.

umm, what's the embryo look like?? Most of my seeds seem to have exited the papery shell.

Maria-I must thank you! Your Gilmar seeds arrived today! YIPPEE

Betsy, continue to water until around August or September. You want to build the bulb for the next blooming.

Two SGXPapilio sedpods aborted. Oh well...

SUCCESS!! My Lemon and Lime x self opened it's first pod this morning with a plethora of plump seeds!

Sorry about your SGXPapilio seeds, Maria. Keep the faith!

I will water as instructed. Pods are about half dollar size and beginning to lose the brighter green color. Thanks to all for the info I gleaned form your postings.

My pod has split and the seeds are floating on the water in a container. I still have another one that hasn't split yet. My friend in FL has been promised the seeds. Thanks for the tips.

Congrats, betsybr. Check the chaf (paper casings) to see if you can feel a hard bump or seed inside them.

SGXPapilio seedpod aborting sure was a dissapointment but that's alright. I harvested 2 seedpods ,both SGXGilmarII, last night. One pod had 72 seeds and the other 52 seeds. I guess I'll have to force feed my family with mini chocolate doughnuts to have enough deli containers to plant these seeds...LOL!

ha ha Maria- that's an EXCELLENT excuse for doughnuts! I am sorry to say, after closer examination to seeds I have left, the Exotic Star x Red Lion seeds seem to be all chaff. I felt a few that may have seed but most are just paper. Unfortunately, before I sent some to you, I didn't know how to be sure if there were seeds inside. Not to worry, I have a bunch of others coming your way. I am staring down the Gilmar you sent me waiting, waiting, waiting to see some green pop up from the soil.

Hi,

Maria! What is the difference between Gilmar and Gilmar II? I have Gilmar in bloom as well as SG, Emerald and Amputo (and others).

Exotic Star, La Paz, Ruby Meyer, Misty, as well as many others have pods that are swelling daily. It remains to be seen if they contain viable seeds.

Please keep us informed. This is GREAT INFORMATION!

Thanks!!

Cindeea...yes the Exotic StarXRed Lion seeds were chaff. I just didn't inform you as not to spoil your excitement. Thanks anyway. It's the thought that counts...right girlfriend? I have been watching my GilmarXGilmar seeds to sprout too. They were planted Feb. 20.

Elizabeth...This is Gilmar that was given to me by my friend.

{{gwi:373402}}

and this is what I have been calling GilmarII. I got this at HD in a box named Piquant. It is very similar with Gilmar except for the elongated lower petals. Gilmar has more prominent veins.

{{gwi:380447}}

I have harvested seeds from SG using both Gilmar and GilmarII pollens. I will still have to plant them and see their germination rate if ever. My heater vents in both the living room and dining room are all occupied by doughnut containers...lol. Hopefully it will be warm enough to plant them without needing bottom/extra heat.

Another seedpod that is holding on is Exotic StarXPapilio pollinated last Feb. 20. Another seedpod with same cross on same scape aborted. Two pollination of Exotic StarXGilmarII is still under observation. Two pollination of Exotic StarXJade Serpent failed. I will update you again.

By the way, I have important info about Jade Serpent. It is NOT a diploid.

Maria, darlin', thanks for not pointing out my Chaff ignorance...I owe ya one! Hey that's pretty fast germination on your Gilmar seedlings! I planted mine in a partially sunny area on the patio on Feb. 27th. No green yet, but I am hopeful! Please let me know if you have any success with Exotic Star crosses. I was very disappointed over mine.

Check them all for bumps and they all had one. Hoping for the best results.

Cindeea...you are just a week away from my date of planting those Gilmar seeds. You shouldn't be waiting too long for my seeds started sprouting today. Yipppeeeeee!!!

My seeds grew roots and now are planted darn near everywhere in my house. Some in paper cups and the rest in pots, now I wait. I sent seeds to a friend in Florida and my youngest son. He will get a kick out of this. Thanks for all the tips.

Cindeea...I still planted the 12 Exotic StarXRed Lion seeds that you sent me as an experiment. These seeds and GilmarXWedding Dance seeds are all in 1 container but seperated by a marker. Guess what? One seed of ESXRL decided to sprout the other day. Apparently, not all the ESXRL seeds are chaff.

I am so glad I planted a bunch too, but nothing...yet.

Of the 52 or so seeds I got 2 starter flowers. They died on me when I had to go into the hospital for my gallbladder.
I am trying to dry out the 2 plants I have alive and winter them before Nov. I like the cheerfulness of the flowers in the crummy weather. NJ is not for growing outside.
I will try again but wait longer for the seeds. I think I go over anxious.

Hiya Bets and everyone! Sorry to hear about your gallbladder, bets, I hope you are on the mends! It has been an interesting summer with all my seeds/seedlings. Some got flooded from rains, so didn't take at all. Of all the seeds I got from Maria of Gilmar x Gilmar, only one is hanging on and nicely. The others didn't take. I have pastry plastic little trays everywhere with seedlings. Eliz shared a bunch with me too as well as Maria. Raydio, that lovely Striatum Miss Ethel you sent me is sending up another bulblett and doing very well on my potting bench. Lora's Lil Pinkie seedlings are doing marvelous...where are you Lora? Miss you. My patio is teeming with large happy amaryllis this summer. The summer rains are keeping them growing and greening. I have actually had to use stakes and ribbon to tie up some of the heavier leaves that keep drooping on me. I am anxiously awaiting the winter season again so I can be in blooming heaven. I doubt I'll do a lot of cross pollinating this winter (yeah right! who can resist) I have so darn many babies right now I should open a Hippie Farm! Cheers everyone. Enjoy the rest of your summer!