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Old 08-04-2006, 02:18 AM posted to rec.gardens
sherm
 
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Default amaryllis did i kill it?

thanks for the response. yes this is Hippeastrum Amaryllis "Aphrodite"
it was growing in the greenhouse only because nighttime temps are below
freezing here at night on some nights and i had just gotten the bulbs
from someone and they had just started to grow. i thought they would
enjoy the direct sun instead of indoor lights. i doubt i will ever have
the luck you do w/ them as i live in zone 6. but i was looking foreward
to seeing them bloom in a couple years.

do you think the actual bulb was damaged by the 135 dF temps? the
bulbs didn't feel soft like when you bake garlic or onion in the oven so
i was hoping the were ok.

the leaves continued to dry out over the past few days so i went ahead
and cut them off as those leaves were gone. i have been misting the soil
so it is just damp, so it seems like i am doing what you had suggested.
i guess time will tell. have you ever had any bulbs cooked w/ outdoor temps?

sherm


David E. Ross wrote:

sherm wrote:

i was distracted today and never got outside to check on my greenhouse
until it was too late. temps were up to 57C. some of my plants
looked peaked but the amaryllis leaves looked like badly wilted
lettuce. i immediately opened everything up and sprayed everything w/
a mist of water and then soaked each pot. i quickly got temps inside
to 30 C. i think everything else will recover w/ no real damage
done. however since the amaryllis looked so poor i afraid it will be
a goner. i did sink the whole plants under water after i had
everything else cooled down. and was going to let it soak for a few
hours so that maybe the leaves will soak up some water it they aren't
too cooked.

really my big question is that if the leaves are dead, can i just cut
them off and put the bulbs into storage for a few months and then
retry to grow them? or should it continue to try to grow them out now?
sherm



Was this a true amaryllis (A. belladonna)? Or was it a Hippeastrum?

I can't help you with the former.

With the latter, remove the leaves only when they are clearly dead. Keep
the potting mix moist but not wet. Leave the pots in the greenhouse.
If they are still alive, they should show new growth within 4-6 weeks.

Hippeastrum is a tropical, evergreen bulb. I have them growing both in
pots and in the ground, all outdoors. In the winter, they sometimes do
go dormant, more because of the leaves being battered by wind and rain
than from the cold. However, I treat them as if they are constantly
growing. Often, they remain in leaf throughout the winter. Those that
do not go dormant often bloom twice in the summer and sometimes even
three times.

See my http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_hippeastrum.html.