Greetings from Duesseldorf, Germany:

Use coco fiber substrate = coco peat, prepared from blocks.
Experience based: Very good.

Hans-Werner

Thank you, Hans. Unfortunately, coco fiber is not readily available for me unless I order it from a mail order catalog, which seems overkill for growing a single bulb.

I wonder though since Amaryllis grows in the ground year round in warmer climate and does not seem to require special growing medium, can't I just use good potting soil?

Yes, you can use potting soil.

Dilute potting soil by 1/2 of the peat and you'll have a perfect medium.

Wonderful!. Thanks, everyone. I'll repot the bulb tonight.

coco not readily available...

oh what a pity...Certainly you can use the proposed "conventional" substrates and mixes with good success.

One other aspect should be emphasized:
Knight star lilies unite in themselves the two controversal properties of a potential very HIGH water demand - and the sensitivity against overwatering.
I found out that they react particularly well on watering from below. Daliy (or every second day for practical reasons) with quantities of lukewarm water which are quickly absorbed through the bottom holes.
The upper centimeters of the substrate should remain permanently dry.

Hans-Werner

Thank you again, Hans. I'll be very carefull not to overwater the Amaryllis.

I might go get more bulbs this weekend. :-)

Regular potting soil is fine. Don't add peat; it's just not necessary, and when it dries out it becomes difficult to re-wet.

Amaryllis are very easy plants and once you get them going they're quite low maintenance.

Hi pitimpinai

The peat is fine. Potting soil is good too. I tried a chunkier mix last year and my bulbs were not as secure as the plain moist peat. They are funny bugs, they put up the flower stalk before growing more roots so the only trick is to keep those with taller stalks upright. Some get very tall! All they want is a little water, a little warmth and some sun. Got Get More!

cynthia

Cynthia....have you tried Amaryllis outside in our area, like in a pot on the patio or in a sheltered area next to the house? I was considering trying it this year. What do you think? Could it survive? I'm just SW of you in Granbury.

Hi pitimpinai:

If you've planted your Amaryllis in the kit, unpot it, buy a far bigger pot and re-pot it - as soon as possible - per the recommended suggestions discussed below.

I've grown these bulbs for a number of years and one of the "tricks" is to place them in a much larger pot than is usually recommended. Currently, I have a Amaryllis bulb planted in a 16 inch diamter pot and it is doing very, very well. If fact, it has two "kids" growing as well.

Many years ago, when I went to repot one of my bulbs and noted that the roots of these bulbs were comparatively large and I came to the conclusion that the usually recommended procedure of the "forcing" i.e. planting - of these bulbs in pots that are just an inch or two larger than the diameter of the bulb is FALSE - mainly because there is insufficient room for root growth and equally insufficient room for the take up of nutrients let alone enough room for good nourishment. In short, there seems to be no logic to place these bulbs in a 'straight-jacket' and expect them to grow in stature or longevity.

No human being can "grow" under such straight-jacket conditions, so why should be come to believe that the same method should be more than 'suitable' for plants. Doesn't make any sense.

Consequently, I repotted my bulbs in much larger pots 12 - 16 inches minimum. Of course, I trimmed the roots and got rid of much of the 'old' soil and gave the bulb a nice new home of good potting soil. I would highly recommend that you pot your Amaryllis in a good sized 14 or 16 inch pot with some depth to it.

One of the consequences of this development was the magnificant array of blooms that I experienced in their third year of growth. Not only did the bulb grow larger, but the mother bulb gave 'birth' to several 'kids' so that I ended up with three or four or more stalks all full of bloom one Christmas. Lovely - absolutely lovely. I had two stalks coming off of the mother bulb.

I did repot this bulb in the fall of last year into a 16 inch pot, because I had one 'kid' who was making it's appearance. We have a horticultural program where I work and I donated the 'kid' to the program and it was potted up in a nice large pot. Sure enough, the 'kid' came into bloom this spring.

Another source for my idea and inspiration was the story I was told about one of the former employees working at Kelly's Seed & Hardware in Peoria, IL. This employee - of German heritage - planted his Amaryllis bulbs outside in the late spring and early summer in a very deeply prepared and in a very loose soil structure. He fertilized and watered them on a regular basis and ended up with Soccer sized Amaryllis bulbs in the late fall.

I would have loved to see his bulbs and talked with him about how he accomplished this, but I do think that planting these bulbs in far larger pots than usually recommended is very beneficial (and equally enjoyable).

With regard to a suggested soil mixture, I would purchase a very good, loose, humusy soil mixture or make one up myself with good potting soil, some perlite, some aged cow manure, and some sphagnum peat moss and then give the bulb and soil a very good soaking of 1/2 strength fertilizer and then let it rest for a bit and then water it. You can then give it another good soaking with 1/2 strength fertilizer and then a watering when needed. And repeat the process.

Hope this information becomes more than inspirational in your Amaryllis growing efforts.

Bill

Thanks, Bill. That is a great suggestion. I will have to repot the bulbs tomorrow. I was wondering about the itty bitty pot myself, but I was not familiar with potting them for indoors in this climate.

Thank you very much again.

Interesting tips, Bill. I often receive an amaryllis as a Christmas gift but have never been able to get them to bloom a second time, although most have gone through a few cycles of leaf growth. Maybe they were just starved! When I get one I will try the bigger pot and some real soil.