On 09 Feb 2004 11:09:41 GMT, Mike Zanker
wrote:

~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?
~

long reply!

Give it a chance - some varieties grow leaves to about a foot high
before the bud peeps out. They are not Christmas flowering bulbs -
more like February to April, so you still have time. The Christmas
ones are slightly forced I believe so you may not get one this season
because of that.

My technique is not really different to yours. Water/feed when the
flower scape starts to grow, enjoy while it flowers, then remove the
dead flowers. I leave the stem on till it wrinkles and twists, as it's
green and can produce food for the plant while it's still solid.
I then cut it off, and keep the bulb in a warm light place, feeding
every month or so. Don't let it dry out or sit in water. I don't turn
the pots once the flowers are over - they quite like being in the same
aspect. (While they are flowering, the pots move in and out of the
lounge for display).
I once read that you should get one flower scape for every 4-5 new
leaves it grows over the summer, so encouraging leaves is good. In
about late August/early September I stop watering and shove the pots
somewhere I can forget about them, though often I forget and don't dry
them off till much later! Leave dormant for a couple of months,
inspecting every week or so. Once you see any new growth at all, or
it's January, water well and wait. Hopefully you get a scape or two.
Don't repot them - they hate it! 6" is big enough - if you have to
clean out old crusty compost, do it when they're dormant and have been
for a month, and put them back in dry compost in their old pots, only
watering after Christmas.

I've currently got nine scapes coming on eight bulbs, so I figure it
works! I've never really put them outside - if anything, since I keep
the house ones in the conservatory, they get very hot, humid
conditions in summer, and seem to love it. There are two at work as
well (these are all grown from offsets from a plant I originally got
in 1988!) and they don't do as well in colder air conditioned
temperatures.

jane goes and risks finger blight having a poke at the work ones,
which are still in a cupboard yep, one's got a bud! :-)

Before anyone asks, all bar two are appleblossom. I keep giving them
away but always seem to end up with millions of the things! After 2/3
generations, I'm starting to notice colour differences,too, which is
fascinating as the offsets are supposed to be clones. I've usually got
them in flower from Feb through to April.


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

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