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How about an easy simple way that I tried a few weeks ago. Using a mini-doughnut container, I poked like six 1/4 inch in the bottom and placed an inch of Jiffy seed mix in it. Slightly wet it with warm water, plant the seeds deep enough to just slightly covering them with the mix. Spray warm water until it runs off at the holes. Close the lid and place in warm and bright place. Check container once in a while for moisture build up and soil dryness. Too much moisture...slightly open the lid till moisture evaporates then close it again. If soil mix turns light brown and container is light in weight, bottom water till it gets enough water...mix would turn dark brown. Once seedlings emerge, slightly open lid and bottom water with very slightly fertilized water. I'm still learning how this method would do with Amaryllis seeds. Been very successful doing this with my vegetable and flowering seeds though. So far so good, after 18 days...the seedlings are starting to sprout. I'll try to post pics later...Good Luck and Have Fun!

Here's the pics of the ripened seed pod when I opened it. I didn't know which ones to plant so I planted all of them, small and big ones. Apparently, the big ones are the viable ones. {{gwi:374738}}

Here's the humble doughnut container. {{gwi:374741}}

As of today, 18th day after seeds were planted, 6 seedlings has emerged. Sighhhhh...wish I know more about computers so I won't have to do this one at a time. Oh well...it works anyway. {{gwi:374743}}

hello I germinated my seeds in a aquarium with about 3 inches of water just enough to cover the heater at 82 F. I hade the first sprouts in 4 days and the seeds were a year old . I had luck I guess , but got 95 % germination . see the link below for fotos at 16 days

Here is a link that might be useful: seedlings

Hey Kenny, that is so cool! I would love to try that but am afraid my daughter's golfishes might have my Amaryllis seedlings for dinner! I do have an empty aquarium though...hmmmmm now your giving me an idea. Thanks for the info!

You are welcome It worked great for me it was just sitting around empty and I thought I would give it a try , I had read you can start the seed by floating in water , so I just used heated water , every where I read said the seeds that sink will not sprout but they did .
Here is the text I found in an other forum I hopeit is not to long
Here is the California Method of Germination

CALIFORNIA METHOD OF GERMINATING AMARYLLIS SEED.
Select a clear glass container with as much surface available as possible. Fill 2/3 with water. Begin with very warm, but not hot, water. Float each amaryllis seed on the surface, either side up. They should not touch, but they may drift to touching and there's no real harm done. Put the container in a place with strong light but not in direct sun. The non-viable seed will sink to the bottom and may be removed. After a few days, each viable seed will put down a white root. When the root is a half-inch or so long, prepare pots with your choice of potting mix. You may make a community pot with several seeds in it, or prepare one pot for one seed. I prefer the latter because you do not have to transplant again nearly as soon. Poke a hole in the potting mix and gently put the white root into the mix, leaving the seed flat on the surface. Place mix around root. Water gently. Place flats with pots in strong light, but not yet sunlight. In a few days you will see a grasslike blade arising from each leaf. Gradually move pots into stronger light. Ultimately, place the pots in the strongest light available, but only early morning or late afternoon sun. The amaryllis will form tiny bulbs that increase as time goes on. A weak fertilizer (Peters 20-20-20 is fine, but diluted from usual strength) may be given every 10 days or two weeks. Keep the amaryllis growing right through the winter. They do not need to go dormant until they have a rather large bulb. Sometimes a bloom can occur in as little as 18 months, but more normally, blooms occur from 18 months to 3 years. You need move the small amaryllis into larger pots only when they really get potbound. Even then moving them into a four-inch pot will suffice for several years. If the seed are good when you begin, there will be nearly 100% germination with this method. If you keep them moist, but not wet, they will continue to grow and thrive during the crucial first few months. Drying out is not good for the very young plants. They may also be grown successfully under fluorescent lights for the first year or so.

This method floats seed until the root is developing and some folks will float till leaves are growing. Some just soak overnight then plant. One item I have always been told is that the seeds viability is short and the sooner planted the higher the germination. Store in the fridge if you need to hold them for any length of time. The Clemson link under the Slicing Bulbs topic will help with ideas also plus it gives recomended fertilizer rates for the babies.

Hi greenthumbfamily,
Lots of good advice already.If you can get coir,it's a wonderful growing medium.If not,a good seed starting mix with a little extra perlite is just fine. I use deli containers too for starting seed. For fungus gnats,there is a Bt product called Gnatrol,or you can put a mosquito dunk in your watering can. The larve of fungus gnats can wipe out a tray of seedlings in no time at all.
I personaly prefer to start seeds in a medium other than water. It's a very fiddly thing to get the sprouted seeds out of the water and into soil without breaking roots.
Hey Maria,great job with the photos! Lora

Hello Kenny
Water germination is O.K.
What interests me is 95% germination on a year old seeds.
Please elaborate.
When were the seeds collected. How were they stored and for how long. Why did you delay the sowing.
I had the impression that the seeds must be sown within a day or two.
ARIF

Hello ARIF
The seeds were from last winters blooms . I crosses every thing with everything , I had 8 blooming at one time so I just crossed this with thatand that with this so I really don´t know what I will have :-) . I am embarrased to say how they were stored :-( just in a plastic bowl on a shelve in the kitchen , Why I waited so long to plant them I had forgotten about them :-( . I had been reading in this and other forums and thougt before I throw the out I would try them im water . Maybe I just had luck , but I have never had such a high percentage in soil when I have germinated them in soil . I started them in water on December 17 . some I planted as as they sprouted . others I waited until I had a green leaf those are now 3 1/2 inches tall now . This is just my experience .
Kenny

Hello Kenny
My seed pods mature in MAY which is very hot.
This year I will try delayed planting as well.
Thanks,
ARIF

And how did they do?

I dont think that amaryllis seeds are that picky... I had a stalk with pods that had just started forming break off because of a storm... I put the stalk in water for about 3 weeks... the pods never turned yellow or brown and they never opened, but I figured it had been long enough and I would try it out... I broke open the pods, scraped out the seeds and put them in a pot of soil... the seeds grew no problem in fact they started growing 4 days after I put them in soil. I now have about 40 little amaryllis plants growing, and they are growing nicely!

I love this site!! I just found it as I was searching for growing amaryllis from seed. My siblings and I got my mom a greenhouse and I'm trying to get her started on some projects. She loves amaryllis,so I just wanted to know how to grow them. I've found wonderful information on your site. But could you tell me how I can get the seed? That may be a dumb question, but I'm just learning. :-)

Gwen,
You can get the seeds from other amaryllis that you have OR...you can ask on the list if anyone has any to spare. There have been a few offers lately. Start a new message with something like "Do you have seeds to spare" in the subject line.
Kristi

Hi Gwen, In a week or two I should have 4 to 6 pods ripening and I would be glad to send you a starter handful! If you are in the Continental US send me an email through Garden Web and I'd be glad to help you out. This is a bad time of the year for seeds, but most of us usually have a plant or two that blooms and these would be selfed seeds. Each one will be a surprise!!

Donna

Hello Hans -Werner

I read your post and whole heartedly agree ,this method i used for 35 years and for me was the only and best way to get good germination and allows the seedlings some way to grow before transplanting ,Flotation method works , but not my idea of good practise ,thank you for proper advice my friend ,
Jack

Just place the seeds on a couple of inches of any potting soil or compost and cover them with a thin layer of the sand, soil, peat or compost. Spray water on top of it and keep it moist; that's all about growing amaryllis seeds.Of course, if you want to be more sophisticated, it's your choice.

I placed mine in potting soil and kept them outside. Got lots of sprouts, then over night something ate them so it looks like the next try I will buy some copper screen to place over them and give them a better change. I have always grown them in pots outside as my first experience with them was by accident as when I saw the seeds I thought they were just little papery and nothing else so I tossed them into the flower bed and ended up with a few more bulbs that bloomed in a few years without any care what so ever. So I guess mother nature does a better job than I do, but the fun is getting things to grow and sharing. Thank all of you for all your post helps make gardening so much more fun
Paul

Hi there,
I always want to have an amaryllis but the bulb is not cheap. I wonder if anyone has some seeds to spare. I don't mind to wait.
Thank you

This is best done in an aquarium. Fix up a good fine screened seed mixture in a large about 2" deep over a bed of landscape sand (play box sand contains toxins to keep plant growth down). Separate the seeds and let them lay on the top of the medium. Sprinkle some find ground screened (back door screen good enough) over the seeds so that they are mostly covered to about half. Atomize water with a spray bottle (distilled or reverse osmosis water) wetting each seed and that covering you just put on it. Cover the aquarium with an aquarium cover and watch the magic of nature.

The debate continues about floating vs direct sowing. Luckily, people can use whatever works for them! Not sure why this old post floated to the top again, but it is seed season, so I suppose those new to the list are wondering. If you sow directly, then you can let the seed grow a bit before transplanting to a pot; however, the flotation method seems to result in faster germination....but then you have to transplant to soil. Why not try both and decide for yourself what works best for you!?

K