Topic: Amaryllis

[ellie2cats]

I was given an Amaryllis last Christmas to look after for my neighbour.  On her return from holiday she said "Keep it" so I did and it finished flowering and in due course all the leaves faded. Now I have a pot of dry compost with a bulb sticking up and don't know how to start if off again. Have I left it too late ?
Should I repot it, or soak it, or keep it in the dark ?  Help please, it was a beautiful flower last year and would like it to bloom again.
Hoping for salvation for my Amaryllis. 
Ellie2cats

[windygale]

hi ellie2cats, i started mine off around mid oct, beginning of this month, but give it a drink by place the pot, dry compost and bulb in a bowl of about an inches of water over night, to soak up enought water, then allow to drain, them place on a saucer in a window sill -- temp 65 and see what happens, hopefully around christmas time you should have long leaves and around the middle of jan the flower should be out, keep a check on the watering, under water rather than over watering, or the bulb will rot out (water it like a cactus) once a fortnight) but not on top of the bulb, water in the saucer,

hope this helps
windy ;)

[asbean]

Thanks, Windy  :) :) :) :) :)

[windygale]

hi here's a little extra advise, http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0807/hippeastrum.asp
 ;D

[laurieuk]

We bought amaryllis in Holland the year of the storm (20 years ago) we still have four bulbs from the original having given many away to Charity raffles. Briefly the way we treat them is : from new they flower, after flowering you remove the dead head, leave the stem, then start feeding with any high potash feed. You do this for up to 4 months by then you should have leaves up to 3 feet in length. Stop feeding and reduce watering, let them go dry but leave the leaves on. When you want to restart after a couple of months rest you can cut the leaves off, to get it wet you will need to stand in a few inches of water as being completely dry the water tends top run straight through. You can at this time move into a larger pot.You only use water until they flower, then back on the feed.Over the years we must have given away around 25 bulbs in bloom and as I say still have four.
There is a mathod now of growing green right through the year but I have not tried that the important thing is to remember they are bulbs so need food and foliage to build up the bulb to flower.

[flowerlady]

Do you make your own high potash feed or do you buy?  Which one if so ??? :-\

[laurieuk]

There are many high potash feeds on the market. I use several different ones, there is a chempack, Phostrogen, even Baby Bio do a high potash now . Their early one was too high in nitrogen for flowering plants but they do a range now.I prefer to give more frequent feeds at half strength rather than a few at full strength.