Amaryllis ( Hippeastrum ) and how I came to love them.
19 years ago
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- 19 years ago
- 19 years ago
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Hippeastrum / Amaryllis Seeds Help required ^.^
Comments (25)Soultan - I'm very happy to hear you're having the meeting taped!! Great idea! Perhaps it will help change things a bit in your favor! I am more than interested to hear how things go at that meeting! What a shame the orchid-lady's greenhouses are in disrepair... any time I see an empty greenhouse, I always think what a waste it is, going unused like that... and it's also a shame that you have no sunny window space to place your seed trays in... that all being the case, I hope you have your seeds stored well! Perhaps when everything is said and done, and the construction is over, you can finally find the space and time to get them planted. Primeribs - There was a time, not that long ago, that I would have said your name is making me hungry... I love prime rib! Nice thick, juicy, medium-rare to rare prime rib swimming in its own juices! Mmmmm! But I haven't eaten meat in a long time! I'm not a vegetarian... I went healthy and decided to lose weight and boost my body with good nutrition. I have Lupus, so my immune system needs a lot of help! I eat 2 meal replacement shakes a day, fruit and yogurt, and a handful of vitamins. I've lost almost 40 lbs., I hardly ever get sick, and I feel pretty darn close to "great"!! As far as seed viability goes, I think genetics has a lot to do with how long they last. Storage method would also be a factor, as Elizabeth noted. As with any seed, though, the longer you wait to plant them, the lower the germination rate... I keep all my seeds in little paper envelopes in a closed container, and for some reason, I never seem to be able to throw out old annual and perennial seeds that I've saved. It's the "packrat gene" in me! Last spring, I planted several packets of perennial seeds that were at least 4 years old, maybe older... the germination rate was very low, almost non-existent! I did manage to grow a few plants from each packet, but I sure wish I had planted them sooner! I did notice, however, that even some of the fresh seed I bought this year had a low germination rate... I wonder why that is? Even the green beans I planted had a low rate, and those seeds grow like weeds normally!!...See MoreFun book: Amaryllis and How to Grow Them (by Peggie Schulz)
Comments (13)Well done Grant!!! one of the most important techniques in that book is from Mrs. Schulz's friend Mrs. Hardgrove in Arkansas. Her technique involves cutting the bulb at the base of the neck just as it finishes blooming, but before it goes into growth stage. The bulb will come into bloom again in just a few weeks and Mrs. Hardgrove is justifiably amazed and proud of her discovery. The bulbs she is using it on appear to be not hippeastrum, but amaryllis belladona the plant of African origin. I was surprised and pleased to find mrs. Hardgrove and her discovery mentioned when I read the book a couple of years ago. I figured out and defined the technique about 10 years ago for hippeastrum (amaryllis0 and wonder what other amaryllidaceae could be brought kept in the blooming stage in similar manner = heamanthus ? brunsvigia ? For 8 years I have been teaching this technique in seminars to Master Gardener Groups; Clubs: and even a few homeowners associations. Last weekend at the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs State Convention in Jacksonville FL., I was gratified to have amaryllis lovers who attended some of those seminars tell me of their successes. One lady kept her amaryllis in bloom for 4 bloomsets in under 6 months. That is one original bloomset from a new commercial forced bulb followed by 3 bloomsets expressed from bulb by decapitating the neck just above the bulb. A bloomset in these young 3 to 5 year commercial bulbs like Benfica, Pink Diamond, or Gervase bulbs is 2 or 3 flower stalks. I call my technique bloom extension[originally Consecutive Blooming] because by cutting the tips of the new leaf growth you are keeping the bulb in the blooming stage instead of letting it go into growth stage when the the new leaves ang root growt occur. You can do this with the bulbs you have in pots or in your garden. You will have difficulty with cybister hybrids and some species, but the wides range of hippeastrum hybrids is open for you to have a 4 to 6 month amaryllis flowering season. You cut the whole neck of the bulb completely off 1/4 inch above the bulb before the last stalk of the bloomset goes soft or wrinkles. E. Wm. Warren...See MoreHardy Amaryllis, St. Joseph's Lily Hippeastrum x johnsonii
Comments (1)MY Johnsonii came from a ranch in Texas. I know that it looks like pictures of Johnsonii, but I cannot say for sure that it is the real thing. It usually has 6 blooms per scape AND it produces seeds when selfed. The pods will take 7-8 weeks to be ready for harvest....See MoreHippeastrum / Amaryllis Propagation help
Comments (4)I have successfully multiplied amaryllis bulbs into 16-18 bulblets. It was done when the bulb was at the end of dormancy, that is, 15 January in Pakistan. The bulb was divided into 16 with a sharp sterile knife, with a part of basal plate attached with the chips. The chips were submerged in antifungus solution for fifteen minutes. Then some clean sand was sterilized by heating and moisted with sterile water. 1/4th of a new transparent polythene bag was filled with this moist sand. The chips were put in the sand with basal plates touching the sand. After blowing air into the bag, it was let resting in a dark place. After about a month you can see small bubls with green leaves emerging from the basal plates. When it swell to the size of a pea, separate them from the chips and plant outdoor. Sometimes, 16 chips will produce more than 16 bulbs....See More- 19 years ago
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