On 3/21/2009 7:28 AM, Jim Shaffer wrote:
At the end of 2007 I bought two amaryllis bulbs from a reputable
online vendor who was getting rid of them at half-price. They both
bloomed, and I was able to re-bloom them this winter, so I assume I
know what I'm doing with amaryllis. But last Christmas I bought three
more bulbs of different varieties from the same vendor's closeout
sale. One of them bloomed. The other two had flower buds just start
to peek out from the top of the bulb, then the buds sat there and
didn't rise further while the leaves grew. They stayed that way for
two months, now the buds are shriveling. The leaves are still mostly
healthy. Does anyone know what caused this?


Are they true amaryllis, or are they hippeastrum? See my
http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_hippeastrum.html for the
difference between them. I'm not really familiar with true amaryllis
but am very familiar with hippeastrum.

The latter might fail to bloom if it is over-watered or under-watered.
If it's over-watered, it might be rotting and not salvageable. If it's
under-watered, it could be salvaged by giving more water. The soil
should be constantly moist but never soggy.

Another problem with hippeastrum not blooming is if it's forced into
dormancy. This bulb (quite unlike true amaryllis) is evergreen and
should be kept growing year round. Of course, it might go dormant in
the winter on its own if grown outdoors where there is light frost. One
of my did indeed go dormant this winter; it now has the start of new
leaves. Another did not go dormant and is now in full flower.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary