Gift Amaryllis bloomed in box - sigh

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

A friend gave me an amaryllis bulb for Christmas. Unfortunately, the poor thing bloomed in the box before I even got it today. It even made a big seed pod, which I've never seen on one of these. I have a hard time just throwing it out.

But there's no way to successfully grow it in this phase, right?

I usually enjoy the flowers, then grow the leaves, repot, take care of it outdoors, fertilize, watching the leaves get longer and longer....

.... then give up a year or 2 later, once it's clear nothing will ever happen again, lol. As a matter of fact,

I've got one in the basement like that that I dug up last fall, to see if letting it go dormant would work. It's just drying up. No signs of a new flower stalk sprouting.

But since I never even got to enjoy the flowers on this - is there a way? Some secret? Thanks.

Featured Answer

dbarron

4 years ago

last modified: 4 years ago

Well, if you read my comments you'll see what works for me. And my grandmother had a large pot of species amaryllis for probably fifty years, which produced blooms at least twice a year.

In summary, people do crazy things. Grow it like a high sun house plant and it'll be fine, no dormancy (unless it's the bulb's idea not your), don't cut off foliage or roots. Absurd!

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Comments (8)

dbarron
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I know (because I commented on the thread) we (forum, maybe not you) had this discussion last year and the year before that...and that same thread came to the light this year.

Let me find it and link for you.

Yes, it was like three threads down.

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5788825/what-to-do-now-and-going-forward-amaryllis#n=58
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago) thanked dbarron
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks. I've skimmed, but I'll read in detail soon.

I keep hoping I'll find out the secret to getting them to rebloom, because I'm obviously missing something. Some people seem to do little, and get them to rebloom; I feel like I can't get it to happen for me. But I'm not ready to throw in the towel on a living thing.

I was disappointed to see that the 2 healthy bulbs I oversummered and dug up last fall to go dormant in my basement (like I do my dahlias) shriveled. One still has some life, one is a goner. So obviously, that wasn't it, LOL.
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robert567
4 years ago
Could you coax it to bloom again soon if you plant it and cut off the flower?
dbarron
4 years ago
Since flower buds are formed up to two years before you see them, I don't believe cutting off the bloom is going to do much. This isn't a zinnia.
robert567
4 years ago
Sorry, this is my first year growing "Amaryllis". My 'Red Lion' has started sending up a second flower bud after the first started to open. Thought maybe the boxed bulb was in crisis mode, might send up a second flower if given more normal circumstances.

Do these grow more like spider Lycoris? Late year "naked" flowers, then they grow winter leaves, then a dry hot summer. Hard to imitate that taking outdoors.
Northern Gardener (3b west central MN)
4 years ago
dbarron, I'm really interested in what you say about when flower buds are formed. Can you expand on that? This is a diversion of the thread, but when have we not done that before - ;)

I'm had good success with all my bulbs in 2021 (changed my fertilization regimen last year), they're almost all bigger than l2020 - I kept records so I know - and I'm wondering if what I will see this year will reflect not last year's growth, but what happened the year before; and maybe last year's bulk-up will only show up next year?

Thanks,

Joan
dbarron
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I don't know specifics for hippeastrum, but most bulbs produce fully formed flowers in the growing period before they actually flower, and initiation may even be the year before that. That's why hippeastrum can bloom in deplorable conditions after being treated deplorably, at least once.
This long production time also spreads energy output over a longer period, and may have something to do with why bulbs can produce such showy flowers (ie crocus) for such a tiny plant. In scale, hippeastrum is very showy and probably very energy expensive.