Amaryllis - excessively long leaves

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plantkiller_sc Camden, SC(Zone 7b) Nov 04, 2010

Hello,

I have two amaryllis plants - a 1 year old & a 2 year old. Last Christmas they behaved nicely & presented me with pretty blooms. I rewarded them by allowng them to go outside this summer. I read it's ok to let the leaves grow, as they will produce nutrients for the bulb. But in all the pictures I've seen, the leaves are quite short. I have some that are close to 2.5 to 3 ft long! I'm guessing I've done something wrong, but I don't know what.....

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kwanjin (Zone 7a) Nov 04, 2010

I'm not sure why they've grown so long but I seriously don't think it's because you did something wrong. Are they in the ground or in a pot? Full sun? Shady area?

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acts238 Fort Wayne, IN Nov 04, 2010

The information I have is to bring them into the house and cut the leaves off and store the bulbs in a cool, dry place for six weeks. Then you can plant the bulb again and it should bloom. I remember getting frustated by only getting leaves and gave up. I just bought some new ones and I'm going to try to keep them and hopefully get them to flower next year too. So you've not done anything wrong, you just might have to wait a little longer for the blooms. I hope this works for you.

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acts238 Fort Wayne, IN Nov 04, 2010

There is also an Amaryllis Forum. You may find some answers there.

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Vadis Alum Bridge, WV Nov 04, 2010

Our Amarillis spend each summer outdoors and come in only when we expect frost. Yes, we get long leaves, and our blooms come scattered throughout the winter (many blooms) and we also get offsets and our bulbs grow huge (8 inches in diameter) and I wouldn't trade this behaviour for mere Xmas bloom in a million years. Give them a chance to slowly dry off. Enjoy what you have.

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plantkiller_sc Camden, SC(Zone 7b) Nov 05, 2010

I just put them in a pot & placed on the front porch - morning to midday sun. All the leaves on one plant already turned yellow & I cut them off. The other plant leaves are slowly turning yellow.

Vadis - I don't particulalry care what time of year they bloom - if they wait until after Christmas, that's fine with me! I just wanted to make sure I'm not doing something wrong. :)

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tommyr2006 Poughkeepsie, NY(Zone 6a) Nov 07, 2010

Nothing seems wrong to me. Let them do their thing. I don't do the dormant treatment any more, I just treat them like normal houseplants and let them bloom on their own cycle. That way you get a nice surprise every now and then!

When one loses it's leave I stop watering until it starts growing a new leaf again.



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