Mid-Atlantic Gardening: Amaryllis thread part 2 , 1 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
Lady--
IF you are not opposed to using Espoma's "Systemic Granules" on all the pots you will be
bringing in, you won't have any ants or bugs or snails or whatever to worry about....
Besides--it is SYSTEMIC!--as in killing sucking insects as well....

Just sprinkle it on top of your pots or W-Boxes at least 2 weeks before bring-in time--
scratch it in---water it in--and you will not have any bugs in about 2 weeks. ....
Kills anything and everything that has crwled into the soil of your pots.

I swear to you--I have NEVER had insect problems of any kind--on any plants in the house--NONE!
I believe it is because I do this every year.
Oh--I do have Fungus Gnats----or are they fruit Gnats? Must find a doable solution for them.

I have been using the sticky pads--by "Safer"--but now have used them all up.
Some of them are covered in Gnats! But--having them out for a year or more--
they lose the stickiness.. The ones I have had for a long time--I bought at "Good Stuff Cheap"...+
Somewhere, in my foggy attic of a brain--I remember reading that you can use a yellow
index card slathered with Vaseline..The gnats will stick to that too. has to be yellow, though!

Anyone know where these can be purchased????? I don't really venture out to different
Garden Centers. Maybe they still make them--somewhere.....??????

It is a given--as soon as there is any fresh potting Mix being used--there they come!


Anyway--back to Amaryllis------

My big pot has a lot of "baby bulbs"--(picture above) and they have been there now for
a few years. None have bloomed--they do grow leaves.....

--Would it be beneficial to the Mother bulb for me to remove and repot them?
--Do they sap the energy from the mother bulb?

Thinking that -MAYBE???--if I cut these off--and plant these in my garden, they may grow
bigger....and bloom sooner....I would have to plant them in a big pot--not, actually, in my garden....
Can't think of a fertile spot to plant them--as every inch is taken....
Maybe in front of my 3 Roses--as they do get fertilized a few times--the soil is OK--etc...
Still--even here--I battle the finer roots of my Maple tree every year...

I would leave the mother bulbs in the pots and really--really feed them everything I can
think of this summer to "fatten them up".....I think I can---I think I can---I think I can......:o)

That's about it for ideas..........Gita

See all the baby bulbs on these pots? Just--hanging in.....