Ohhhh lovely, keep them coming.
Amaryllis thread part 2
I will let you know when I get mine I was thinking they should come any day now.
Gita, I wish I was breathing all that oxygen instead of cat hair, LOL! You do look Marvelous! I applaude your own hair color too! That is a feat in itself!
Chris, what a breath of sunshine!! Town Hall is beautiful too! Wow, what a great testimony for AM! And their sales, no cheap seconds here!
They are here came in yesterday. I have 3 of them potted up need to go out today and pick up another pot for the 4th one. The bulbs are large and healthy looking. Hope they grow as nice as yours have Ladyg. They are beautiful.
Can't wait to see blooms!!
Here is one I got from Lowe's for 3 dollars after Christmas. I think Amaryllis may very well be a new addiction for me!
Pasadena
Pasadena---
Even though I work at a HD--I must learn to go to Lowes for their amazing
clearance sales on plants...HD does not do that--or I should say--
Bell Nursery (that owns all the plants) does not.
It is a shame--as they rather throw everything out than mark things down....
That is just their way to keep all merchandising 100% clean and beautiful--
and they do a good job of it.
.Lowes is 2 miles from my house....My HD is 4 1/2 miles.
YES! I do shop, now and then, at Lowes....
Gita
They do have great sales!! I picked up a couple of others and wished I would have bought a few more.
I looked at Lowes for clearance Amaryllis but they only had solid red not one of my favs so I passed them up but they did look nice.
Hi all, I'm so glad I came across this Ammies thread- I had totally forgotten about my bulbs that are put away for the winter-I'll get them out tonight and fix them up. (after I read Jill's article)
I had a nice red I got for my BD noid but I liked it alot.
Ronnie
that is gorgeous. Your's seems to have a nice sheen to it. Mine wasn't shiney like that....
Among all five of my Amaryllis pots--that I just re-potted--and that are starting to
show new growth---only ONE of the bulbs is showing a bloom bud emerging...
Bummer! Lots of leaves starting to grow----Hope there are some of the fat
bloom-buds to come....
Do any of you know IF the Bloom Buds, necessarily, emerge first--or can they follow
the emergence of the leaf-growth???
Thinking back to my first years of dealing with new Amaryllis bulbs---
It was always the Bloom Buds that emerged first.....
I am just impatient! Gita
Ronnie, I like your blooms, Nice double for a box store offering. and the red with the darker center just draws you in for a closer look.
Gita, Yea! a bud, that is great! For not going out of you way with TLC over summer, Great job.
I took new pictures today but need to down load them some time. One task at a time for me.
Thanks Carolyn, it was almost velvety looking!
Chris, I love the doubles, I will be looking for a few more of them for sure!
Gita I think when it come to flowers we are ALL impatient!
Two of mine have buds now with no leaves, the Pasadena I posted above and Christmas Story that is getting ready to bloom.
Star of Holland is just showing leaves and took a while to get started,no buds.
The red NOID showed a few small leaves then the bud shot up.
HMMM wonder if they vary by type?
All last summer I rotated three or four teas weekly weakly. Mind you all....you do not need four. I'm just a bit nuts on teas. They were bat guano, fish, kelp and my own compost and earthworm cast aerobic tea. Brought them in and cut the leaves off when they yellowed. Took them into dormancy at about 50 degrees dry and in a dark room boxed to keep the occasional light being turned on. Got them out about thirty days ago knowing it takes about sixty days from beginning watering to bloom. At thirty days I am looking at single and double buds up about eighteen to twenty inches. Leaves are just beginning to peek out of the bulb. The flower buds will open next, bloom for a couple of weeks, the leaves will continue to grow, the stalk and spent bloom will be cut off and soon out they go for the summer. Yea I say unto ye all, "spring will arrive in about six weeks". Yes we have modest yearly bulb growth.
Last fall I made several very good planting holes for them to be in the soil out of the pot this summer. I feel with the added use of mycorrhiza a better bulb can be grown and better strengthened out of the pot. I'll keep the teas on them and in the soil. I'll re-pot them with soil from the area they grew in all summer to which I will add a bit of choir for it's natural fungicide and growth hormones. Growing on the edge of my compost pile was fine but my help kept molesting them. That was a goes with. I stayed in the pot from that time to this Spring.
I surely do enjoy these critters. My brother-in-law got me started with a Christmas gift of one. He has grown them from bublet offsets to bloom taking several years to do so. He gives them a squirt of Miracle Grow once in awhile and gets his bloom every year. We both enjoy the bloom in the middle of the Winter.
I don't see how one could fail giving these bulbs reasonable care. I like the three or five in a large pot idea. Next winter may find me doing that large pot several in a pot idea.
Gita I have had leaves come up first before the bulb started.
Here is a pic of the ones I that came the other day.
Doc
good advice - I have several that I need to cut the spent blooms from. I was thinking of fertilizing with a bloom booster. I had not thought about using mycorrhiza. I appreciate this tip.
Holly - your bulbs look so healthy. What types are they?
My Aphrodite opened up - I'll have to post pictures.
Luv's, a gorgeous double bloom for little money! One thing about getting addicted to them is that they are gorgeous color in the winter, great excitement over waiting for them to just green up, and the amazement at how big they are when they do bloom!
Gita, I see that too, at Menards. Sale prices aren't sales, so yes, they most likely throw them away. Pitiful!
Froggy, smiling! Bring them up!
Luvs, your red is beautiful! I think if a person has had red before, they are wanting to try adifferent color after a while. Red is pretty powerful!
Doc, wow, that is great knowledge and a lot of help in ''easy to understand'' language! I can see by not feeding Mom's, it just dwindled and didn't grow the next year.
Holly, NICE!
Charisma is going to my friend that is having knee surgery this week
http://www.americanmeadows.com/flower-bulbs/amaryllis-flower-bulbs/charisma-amaryllis-bulb
Vera I'm keeping this one
http://www.americanmeadows.com/flower-bulbs/amaryllis-flower-bulbs/vera-amaryllis-bulb
Paris This one goes to my Mom for Valentines Day she just loves them and has such fun watching them grow.
http://www.americanmeadows.com/paris-amaryllis-bulb
Moonlight They sent this one as a freebie. I'll keep this one.
http://www.americanmeadows.com/flower-bulbs/amaryllis-flower-bulbs/moonlight-amaryllis-bulb
Holly, Charisma was the first to draw my eye. I think it's a fantastic gift!
Vera is beautiful!
Paris looks like a perfect valentine for your Mom!
Moonlight is a a nice light yellow and a nice free gift! It will be interesting to see your pictures because the catalog wasn't the best color.
Nice Holly, where do you guys get yours?
I am getting a few in a co-op NOIDs just colors but that's not a problem for me.
I do love the way the brighten up winter and so far seem to be pest free!
Doc, so glad you joined us. Encouraging to hear that your BIL has success with Miracle Grow. I am at a point where the KISS method is the best for me and sometimes the only thing I can do.
My blooms are giving me a real bright spot in my day. And seeing what everyone is growing is a delight.
Ronnie, Holly and I ordered our bulbs from American Meadows. Just follow her link above. They have a very good raiting on DG and they ship fast.
Here is Novella, Shorter bloom stalk, 5 blooms on stalk, another bud is showing at the bulb.
Here is Full House, 2 flower stalks, short, smaller flowers. 5 buds on each stalk.
This message was edited Feb 8, 2011 9:04 AM
And Lemon Star, Tall, 2 flower stalks. 4 blooms on 1 stalk, 5 on the other.
Lemon Star and Full House
The pictures are so beautiful and brighten my day too!
Oh Chris how beautiful!
I'll have to check out American Meadows. Thanks
Chris, those are so pretty, I'm taking notes because I'd prefer the shorter ones.
docgipe affirms that they are heavy feeders and cannot continue to bloom big without enough care.
Yes they are very much enjoying the ...weekly weakly organic tea program I work with. My BIL does not get doubles and the seemingly healthy bulb increasing in size. He is a 1950's Phd. Scientist and does not see or admit to seeing the value of healthy soil and consequently better growth all around that is sustainable. I choose to build the soil biologically and let the soil then build the healthy plant. I know that can not be done using chemicals that kill the soil biology. I went to the same undergraduate college as he. I have never bought the man made chemical company's baloney they always project and I do not care for the produce grown on chemistry poisoned soils.
Since there is no new soil to ruin and only destroyed biological content to rebuild any gains being made today are in the organic camps. Many of those gains are in backyards of America and small farms. Large farms and commercial acreage is just beginning to see the light and believe it. That makes me feel good after taking a lot of flack from the hot shots over the years. I may not live long enough to be able to jump up on a soap box and proclaim.... "I told you so". I am satisfied that the organic movement is no longer being beat down as even our Land Grant Colleges are beginning to accept the fact that eventually the poison chemicals must go as the biological techniques rebuild the soil to get the production back up to sustainable. The book Silent Spring had it right. Many are as we speak just beginning to admit that fact.
Yes Ronnie, They came from American Meadows and they still have some specials going on.
Doc, amen to everything you said!
Doc I have a few questions.....
1-- I brung my A. bulbs in their pots into my cool (58*)
Shop. I the one shop light that is on during the day--as
as I also have my 10 pots of Clivia down there.
The Clivia pots sit under the shop light.
Way back im more dark are my 3 dormant Brugs.
Q: Do Amaryllis require total darkness in their
dormancy period?
2--I know somw people plant their A. bulbs outside
in the beds and then dig them up.
Q: Would a large pot be just as good? I have no
place in my beds for these....
Q: What did you add to the soil last fall where you
plan to plant your A. Bulbs this summer?
3--I have quite a few offshoot bulbs that are now getting
to be a good size. Should I remove them and pot
them upin their own pots? Go back to the top and look
at my pictures again.
Q: If I allow the side bulgs to remain attached to
Mama--would that put a strain in Mama?
When I refresshened all the soil in all my pots--I added the
Dynamite slow-release granules (9 months feeding) to the soil.
I cannot make all the teas and soil like you do.
For the averaage gardener what would be second best?
Also--The only Mycrorhiza I have is mixed into a jar of
Soil Moist. Maybe I should add that to it....
Thanks, Gita
PS Still at work.....
When I get home i will dig up some of my older pictures
of my big bowl of red Amaryllis..
Gotta run! gita
Here is my Amaryllis in the BIG pot from 2005.
I have no digital photos of anything before 2005.
SO! This makes all my Amaryllis bulbs at least 7 years old....
But--they may be much older--as you can see a few side bulbs already
there and growing leaves...Maybe 10-12 years old?
Gita
Gita..............I see no use in answering questions that have been discussed by several growers in this forum including myself. You have said you can not do what I do. What I do does not in the slighest align with what you say you do. I really try not to suggest anything I think or feel would be second best. Guess I see no advantage in answering your questions again.
Gita, those are glorious!! I envy the age of your bulbs. Good job! I'd keep doing what you are doing!
Just took a picture---
Here is what my Amaryllis look like right now.
There are two flower buds emerging on two of the lg. bulbs in the big pot.
Wish I had better light to give them--but this is it.
Gita
That's pretty impressive Gita. You must be doing something right. Can't wait to see the blooms.
I like your ring support to keep the leaves from flopping all over. I have a few like that but I don't have any that would fit a 6 inch pot. Last year I took some wooden skewers and placed them around the pot and strung some twine around them. Not near as neat as your ring.
Holy--
That ring is what is commonly sold as a Peony ring. The single one.
It was VERY hard to cut it down to a lower height. It is made of steel....
With, now, 9 bulbs in this big pot (I just counted) of different sizes, there are a lot of
leaves to support. I find this "ring" works great holding everything together.....
Your way will work as well.....except the skewers will rot in a short time.
ladygardener---
I was trying to improve on my care of the Amaryllis outside last summer.
I don't think I did as well as I had hoped. Maybe, because I do not, really,
fertilize anything as often as i should.
Then--I have to worry about which fertilizer is best for what.
Somehow--with ALL the stuff that has to be done during the growing season--
the easiest to avoid is fertilizing and spraying...
Watering is a daily chore......all summer long....
Gita