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Old 09-02-2004, 12:11 PM
Brian Watson
 
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Default Getting Amaryllis to flower again


"Mike Zanker" wrote in message
.. .
Hello,

has anybody had any luck with getting an Amaryllis to bloom the
following year?

I was given one for Christmas 2002, cut off the flowers when they
started to die, cut the stem back after all flowers had died, put it
outside over summer/autumn until the leaves died down, cut them back
and put it in the garage for a few weeks until last month and then
brought it into the house.

Unfortunately, all it wants to do is produce leaves. What's the secret
to getting it to flower?


My aunt (actually my wife's aunt) does this - she lets the leaves die back
after flowering then strips off the dead stuff and puts them in the bottom
of an airing cupboard for darkness and gentle warmth to over winter, then
she brings them out with a single feed of Baby Bio in March and waters them
sparingly until (I think) June, at which point she stops watering.

Apparently the plants panic, thinking they are going to die, and throw up a
good head of flowers as a final gesture!

She fools 'em the same way every year.

:-)

--
Brian
"Don't be afraid of playing the fool, or of letting go, or of not being
dignified, or of not being pretty, or of not being conventional, or of
thinking that someone will laugh"