My Amaryllis plants dying from bug damage or something else?

I am submitting a link to a webpage I created for this post because it has so many images and more info than what I feel is allowed here. If I need to post more of the info/photos here please let me know.

I am worried that I will lose all the seed pods and not sure why. :(

The seed pods all started out great and now are looking like their life is being drawn out of them!

Any help/questions/suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

http://www.kcff.net/flowers/amaryllis/problem/

This message was edited Jan 10, 2012 3:03 AM

Shoot! It won't let me edit my post. I forgot to add the link to the webpage I made! LOL

Found how to edit my above post. Please remove this one if possible.


This message was edited Jan 10, 2012 3:04 AM

It's natural for seed pods to turn brown as they mature.

ecrane3, first off, thank you for your quick response!

That part I understand but the pods seem to be, can't think of the word, but instead of staying round like the normal seed pod, it looks like they are being squeezed in the middle, like in the image above. I looked up seed pods for my Amaryllis yesterday and even though they shrivel up a 'little' bit as they mature they don't to the extent as I am seeing in my seed pods and it is worrying me that something isn't right with my plants.

I'm talking about the seed pod at the upper left, and the two on the right, that are yellowing and looks like they are being squeezed in the middle. Would it be better for me to put in an image that is just of the pod I am talking about?

This message was edited Jan 10, 2012 12:59 PM

Water and cold would be likely factors for the pods to shrivel up rather than just drying out. Too much or not enough water could be the culprit.

Another possibility is the flowers didn't fertilize. I understand from your website that you hand fertilize? Is that right? Perhaps these didn't work. I don't see any insect damage.

themoonhowl;
thank you for your comments. I will keep an eye on the water. I 'think' that the bulbs were getting too much water since the pot wasn't draining properly and that is why I replanted them into the jars. There I can keep an eye on the water level and the bulbs. If nothing else, this was a newbie learning experience as these are all my first amaryllis! I was given the Red Lion by my husband and than after reading when the best time to purchase the bulbs I went and got the other 3 bulbs. Why did I choose those specific ones? Because they were already were growing out of their boxes and to me they were screaming, "TAKE ME HOME WITH YOU SO I CAN GROW!" I would have loved to have taken more but being new with these, I thought 4 would be a good start. :)

kwanjin;
thank you too for your comment. After reading your post I went and looked at the seed pods again with your comments in mind. I do have some that have stayed plump while others didn't. So, I'm thinking you are right. I thought if the stems got a 'seed pod' that meant they were fertilized but I guess even that can be deceiving. All the flowers stems did grow the 'bumps' as talked about and seen in photos. Even in some of my photos all the pods can be seen. I will wait and see what happens with the remaining 'plump' pods. I will be taking photos as they progress so don't be surprised if I post again if some succeeded or they didn't. :)

Yes, I did fertilize them myself. It was really weird when I started because I wasn't expecting the 'anthers' (?) to swivel! It caught me off guard.

This message was edited Jan 10, 2012 9:06 PM

Another question I have is now that the flowers have died off and hopefully some have seeded, do I just let the new leaf stems keep growing or should I give the bulbs some rest time?

Leave the leaves alone. When they die back, the feed the bulb for next year. I'm not sure about these but they may not come true from seeds or even get any seeds. I'm curious to see what happens. Be sure and keep us posted.

You are very welcome. Welcome to wonderful world of gardening...Grin

Thank you kwanjin and I will just sit back and keep watching my little beauties and I will definitely keep you posted. :)

Thank you as well themoonhowl. Yes, I am enjoying the 'indoor' gardening now that I can't do the outdoor gardening any more. :)

How do I marked this as 'solved'?

This message was edited Jan 11, 2012 11:08 AM

This forum doesn't have a place for that.

Happy gardening.

kwanjin, Ok, thank you!

I agree that it could be incorrectly pollinated flowers. Sometimes they die because the ovaries die.

Here's just an update:
I'm posting some of the images I have taken of the seed pods that started after the flowers were 'pollinated'. They look good and healthy. Plump. :) At least that is what I understand they are supposed to look like when germinated. Then, the pods seemed to not look healthy any more. Not the plump green coloration. The yellowing shriveling look. Then as the days went by they got smaller and darker brown and most 'died'. Only 3 pods seem to make it. That is, to the hardened brown shape. Today, I took the 2 remaining pods off my Amaryllis Susan and opened them up. Ok, they do NOT look like the images I have found on the net. Them being black and most likely larger than what mine were. I am adding a few images of those 'seeds' that came out of my 2 pods. Thank you for checking out the images and any suggestions or comments greatly appreciated.

another image of the 'pods' are slowly deteriorating.

An image of the pods becoming more emaciated.

Here is a photo of the pods starting to dry out.

A photo of the pods all dried up.

sorry wrong image

This message was edited Jan 19, 2012 11:05 PM

The correct photo.

Sorry about that. I wish the 'edit' had the ability to delete a post. But, sadly it doesn't.

I suspect the ones that are shriveling up just didn't "take" for whatever reason, and the ones that are developing normally everything worked correctly and there are seeds forming. Even when you help out on the pollination, every single flower isn't necessarily going to necessarily produce a good seed pod.

Now for the images of the seeds from within the pod 2 pods I opened today.

shot 2

photo 3

And the last photo. Is anyone sure these aren't viable even though they don't look like the black seeds?

ecrane3:
Thank you for your comment. I guess what confuses me is that ALL the pods looked healthy and large. Oh well. There is always next year! :) I will not give up. I'm definitely learning a lot from my experience with these flowers. :)

I also noticed that on a couple of flowers I didn't wait until the female part was completely open before attempting to pollinate. I will know better next year. Patience. :)

This message was edited Jan 19, 2012 11:32 PM

Did the pod split on its own, or did you force it open? Generally the pod needs time to dry out and will split on its own when the seeds are ripe. It looks like you may have rushed it a bit.

Thanks for the response, themoonhowl. I think I did push it thinking they were dead. Yes, I did open them myself. I didn't think they would open on their own and that is why I need to have patience in the future. Does it look by the photos, like they would have finished developing?

I was looking up the photos of ripe seed pods and one thing I noticed was the seed pods were still on healthy stalks. Mine weren't. They were dried out and on the table. :( I think something really went wrong with my flowers. I'm thinking I should have just let the flowers be as they were, beautiful, without trying to pollinate them their first time flowering for me.

But, this has all been a learning experience with a new plant and I have really appreciated all the great info members have given me here! :)

You got seeds, no question there...and perhaps they may finish ripening....I do not know, but it is normal for the stalk to dry up after blooming...and for the pods to get really dry and then develop a split in the pod. It is always difficult the first time around. Don't be discouraged...you got them to bloom and pollinate...points for you. And the next go around you will know more...more points for you....GRIN

Maybe the plant can't take up enough nutrients, most likely because there is no soil. If you fertilize it, it may not be enough. After flowering, I would plant it in nutrient rich potting soil.

themoonhowl:
Thanks for your comments. Yeah, I will definitely know more the next time around. LOL Oh, I'm not discouraged. Just positive for the next time. :) And, if by chance, I don't succeed, that is ok too as I get to still see beautiful blooms!

Bloomfly22:
Thank you for your comments as well. I had them in soil to begin with but when things started looking like something was wrong with the plants, like a bunch of little flying insects around the soil, I figured it would be best to remove the plants from the soil. I know great minds think a like as I was going to be having my hubby pick up some good potting soil today while he is out! I want to try and re-pot them. Though, one of the bulbs grew rapidly after being placed in the jar so the jar will need to be broken in order to remove the bulb. :( That was really quick!

So, I will get them potted again and see how things go. Thank you for your help and comments. :)

The small insects you saw were probably fungus gnats...a nuisance, but pretty much harmless.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05584.html

The biggest issue with fungus gnats is that their presence usually means you've been watering too much--the overwatering will typically do more harm to the plant than the gnats will.

You're right.

Watering from the bottom (like a saucer) is a big help in avoiding the fungus gnats problem. People tend to want to judge the moisture in a pot by the top of the soil appearing dry and that's precisely the wrong way to make that judgement. It's the roots that need the water, not the top of the soil. Feel the weight of the pot when the plant has received moisture - it's much heavier than when it is dry.

More plants die from over watering than not watering enough. Ideally each plant would get enough water to keep it happy but doting gardeners are too often those who kill the very plants they proclaim to love by giving them so much water it locks out the oxygen they also need.

Thank you, themoonhowl, ecrane3 and pirl for all your comments on the gnats. I will be checking out your link, themoonhowl.

Yes, I am seeing a big problem with the amaryllis being in the jars, other than just outgrowing them. My other plants I water from the saucer and I was watering the 3 amaryllis plants from a saucer but the problem I was having with the pot I wasn't able to remove the 'removable' bottom so I had to water it higher than this lip. And now seeing what you all have said, using that pot was a BIG mistake.

Since I don't have any new pots to transplant the bulbs from the jars, I saw on the net how to make 'seeding' pots from toilet rolls etc. I'm thinking of taking a bunch of my excess plastic containers from sour cream and those types of containers, putting holes in the bottom of them, and using them ASAP for re-potting. That way I can put containers under them and still water from below.

Boy, such a learning exp! But I love learning about things I love and I will keep you all updated on my progress.

Thanks again for all your info. Now off to check out your link themoonhowl.

Happy to help...have fun....grin