Neglected Amaryllis- sigh

13 years ago

Yep, it's me again, with my second topic for indoor plant killers like myself.

Each year I buy more amaryllis and each year i put them out in the shade for the summer and never fertilize them. And I know I'm supposed to have fertilized them every month through Sept.?.....

So, if you were me and you had MANY pots of abused, haven't bloomed aince their first bloom because mindy never fertilized them- amaryllis, what would you do?

repot? fertilize w/ what numbers and how often? shade/sun?

Do you ever unpot them and plant them in the ground for the summer?

I'm determined to not allow myself to purchase any more until I train myself to take care of what I have. Can you hear those little voices? They're calling out , "Pleeeze. will somebody pleeze help this woman to stop abusing us?!"

thanks much,

mindy

another mea culpa

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Comments (5)

aachenelf z5 Mpls
13 years ago
At one point in time I was an amaryllis collector and had around 40 of 'em. I didn't buy 40 of 'em, they multiplied like crazy. Shade is not going to cut it, they need sun outside. I would always take them out of their pots and stick them in the garden wherever I could find a spot. Of course the foliage they grew inside before being moved outside burned pretty quickly and croaked, but new, stronger leaves quickly replaced the dead ones. I fertilized when I remembered to do so. Staking the foliage is strongly advised. I also planted the bulbs much deeper than the normal recommendation with only the neck sticking out of the ground.

At some point I just grew sick of the whole process and dumped the whole mess of 'em into the compost bin. I've never had the desire to purchase another bulb.

Kevin
calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
13 years ago
Although I was never a collector, I was given many over the years. They all ended up in my garden, where they look after themselves. Some of them bloom every year about the end of May. They are on the drip system, which is enough to keep them alive, some of them producing more bulbs. They get sun until about 2, they never have been fertilized, though they do get some compost. Al
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billums_ms_7b
13 years ago
If I weren't in a zone where it is warm enough to just plant them outside in the spring and leave them there, I think that I would end up treating them as really pretty, really expensive annuals. (It doesn't get cold enough for tulips down here so they are annuals for me.)

We could start an adopt an amaryllis program where you guys up north could mail them down south to some gardener willing to give them a good home.

*cough* ME! *cough* :oP
mnwsgal
13 years ago
I forgot to pot up and grow my amaryllis inside this spring so planted the bulbs in the raised veg. bed thinking that at least the bulbs will fill out and I might get them to bloom next winter/spring inside. All have grown leaves and one had a beautiful stem and flowered. Though I haven't fertilized them the soil was amended well this spring.
arbo_retum
Original Author
13 years ago
billums, if and when i get to the point kevin reached, i will send them to you before i throw them on the compost. trust me.
you all have given me very valuable info. kevin,i'm a little confused- yes plant them w/ just the neck above ground?when should i bring them in?

you know, this is OT on my own thread, but, because i have been conversing w/ a few MN and MI GWers lately,I wonder if there's something in your genepool that leads toward gardening. I'm going to start a thread about this.

best and thanks again,
mindy

Neglected Amaryllis- sigh

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aachenelf z5 Mpls

calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9

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Neglected Amaryllis- sigh

Comments (5)

aachenelf z5 Mpls

calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9

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