I never remove baby bulbs.
Clusters give spectacular performance; did you read about the Giraffe cluster in the Gallery section?!
{{gwi:411977}}click here or on the budshref>

This is the most reliable method to produce multiple stems in one pot; note: Bulbous blooms are herd animals and hippeastrums are no exception to that!

A maximum count of scapes from one individual bulb is not based on a maximum bulb size but instead dependent on a maximum of LEAVES which were produced in the previous uninterrupted growth season.
One scape is preformed per every 4 previously emerged leaves.
Thus an optimally designed and as far as possible prolonged growth season will be a great prerequisite in order to achieve the goal to induce the formation of 16 leaves and subsequent formation of 4 scapes.
I was to times successfull in that. That was long ago when my cluster of "Cantate" was positioned at the windowsill in a climatized laboratory (24°Celsius permanently) with very high window glasses and a very good position of sunlight imission.
I had the opportunity to realize vegetation periods of 10 months, which was enough to induce the growth of 18 leaves from the mother bulb.
Note: I obtained these specatcular results in two subsequent seasons (a gardener's amaryllis with 18 leaves is already spectacular), that means that the mother bulb which was certainly extinguished was though apt to produce the second set of 4 talks in the subsequent year.

With this particular remark I want to indicate that the removal of buds is nor obligate neither bebeficial in order to achieve a subsequent extraordinary performance.

The preparation of a good bulb is not a question of sophistic short-term actions - it depends on a steady and consistent husbandry - I like to assign that as the "homework" (as a symbol for a repeated benefical action) which has to be done... during an entire growth season, without interruptions.

Hans-Werner