Theresa- They look plenty moist, so I wouldn't water them any further. In my opinion, they look very much like very stressed out bulbs. I have some very similar. If you bought them in mid February, they were probably waiting for someone to pick them since Novemeber or so...thus the stress.

I would just put them in a warm, sunny place and wait for them to put out leaves to replensish their energy for blooms next year. Let them dry out pretty well so they will put out some roots too.

-Frank

Hippeastrum bulbs actually prefer to be treated a bit more like succulents, and kept quite a bit drier than the tags and labels tell us. When you water, only do so when the soil is dry down to the rootball. You want to allow the soil to dry out before adding any more water. Too much moisture held in the soil for too long can cause the roots and bulbs to rot.

That said, the best way to test for moisture is to stick your finger down into the soil as far as you possibly can... if you feel any moisture, don't water. If you're not quite sure that you can feel moisture, wait another couple of days before watering. It's best to err on the dry side.

My personal preference is to plant the bulbs so half of them are above the soil surface. Planting them 2/3 into the soil is the recommended approach, but I like to keep an eye on the bulbs for rotting, so I plant mine a bit shallower. I stake them for balance once the leaves and scapes get tall.

I also prefer a medium that's more gritty and porous, inorganic, and comprised of larger particles. I use a bonsai approach to mediums. Sharp drainage and larger soil particles help keep the soil from collapsing due to decomposition, keep the medium aerated, allow excess moisture to exit, etc... I've included a link at the bottom of my post. I highly recommend reading it so you get a better picture of what happens under the soil surface. I also recommend doing some reading over at the Container Gardening Forum... there's a wealth of great information on container growing.

As Frank says, bulbs are very stressed by this time of year... they've been sitting in some store or some warehouse since fall, waiting for someone to purchase them. They have used some of their energy and moisture to remain alive, and asking them to bloom perfectly after such a long wait is not feasible.

You may also have a bit of fungi going on there, though I'm not an expert... if they were my bulbs, I'd spritz them just a little with Schultz's 3in1 spray, which is a combined miticide/insecticide/fungicide. This may help any fungal problems from spreading, if that's an issue, and kill any mites, just in case any are present.

At this late date, the abortion of buds can be a common occurrence... I've had it happen to me. Consider them next year's pride and joy, and treat them well over this coming summer. They can use the rest and the TLC, and they'll regain their energy for a wonderful blooming next cycle.

So, remember... ease up on the watering, and let them do whatever it is they're doing... once they begin to grow leaves, you could lightly feed them with a diluted liquid. It's better to feed plants a low level of fertilizer on a more constant basis, so I go about half strength on the fertilizer every other, or every, watering... and I leach about every 5th watering or so, allowing the water to exit the drainage holes and carry all the accumulated salts away.

I hope this helps... if anyone else has more information to add, please post...

Here is a link that might be useful: Container Soils - Water Movement & Retention VI

Very good advice Jodi.

It raises one question for me, should he remove the aborted scape?

I don't know what other people do in general when it comes to dead stuff removal from plants but I subscribe to the, 'let it wilt till it falls off,' mentality.

Pawing through a Clivia forum I came across a post that warned people not to pull wilted leaves from the pseudo bulb as this leaves little openings for disease and rot.

So people agreed some thought it was rubbish-- but there is no harm in leaving a scape or even a leaf on a plant until it has completely given up the ghost. Let the plant naturally and therefore thoroughly seal off the areas it no longer intends to keep.

What say you?

Ryan

I concur. I allow leaves and scapes and dying bits of buds to remain on the plant until they're brown and crispy, and most obviously dead. Then, using a clean pair of surgical scissors, I clip off the parts the plant doesn't need. This way, there are no fresh, open wounds for any bacterias or fungi to enter.

In the case of annuals, such as Petunias or Geraniums, removing spent blooms helps the plant put its energy into the production of new blooms, and it doesn't have to expend energy to push off the dead ones. Deadheading in the garden serves a definite purpose.

But Hippeastrum bulbs tend to be a little susceptible to rot and fungi, so bruising and open wounds are to be discouraged from happening.

I would still spritz with Schultz's 3in1... just to be on the safe side. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Thanks guys. I did keep them on the dry side but when they didn't grow and started to dry up, I watered them more than usual.

I'm just glad to know that it wasn't really anything that I was doing, and that it is bulb stress. I'm also glad that it's not a bad bulb (i.e. will always perform in the same manner each year).

Jodi, that is a little mold that you saw, it's just from some decomposing organic matter.

Schultz's 3in1 sounds like a nice product.

Tapla's "perched water table" info is good stuff. I read that a while ago and was quite fascinated by it. It's always good to review it again.

That little bit of mold and the fact that so much decomposing is going on in regular bagged potting mixes is the reason I got away from using them! The faster a soil decomposes, the faster it collapses, causing the roots to suffocate from lack of oxygen, or aeration, in the medium.

Since a container environment doesn't have the same activity going on as soil in the garden, with regards to worms, nematodes, microorganisms and the like, it can quickly become toxic to plants and cause a decline in their health. With an inorganic medium, everything is controlled by the gardener... moisture, feed, etc... and the aeration is maintained for a much longer time because there is very little decomp going on.

The reason I suggested the Schultz's 3in1 spray is because of the reddish areas on the necks of the bulbs and the stressed buds... though some of that red is due to the variety coloration, I know... and some is probably just a bit of bruising from when the grower originally cut off the top growth. At first glance, the red reminded me of mite damage, but that's probably not the case.

At any rate... mold on potting soil scares me. I don't like to see that amount of fungus and funky stuff when I'm trying to grow things! :-)

Well Jodi, you sure are knowledgable and very helpful and it teaches us all. And your info is always much appreciated.

I don't like straight potting mixes myself. When I purchased these bulbs and brought them home, I mixed up a few things I had on hand which included turface, perlite, and some cactus potting mix (but not the brand I normally use). This time I also tried some coco organic stuff mixed in. After potting up, I sprinkled the cactus mix on top so that the perlite and turface didn't show as much. The fungus on top was most likely due to potato water that the plant was watered with after I made french fries. This one got a little extra starch concentrate from the bottom of the bowl.

Now that I know it was "tired bulb syndrome" and not lack of water that made them look like that, I've cut back on the watering and will just let grow as they need to so I can enjoy them next year.

I've been lucky enough to have several very knowledgeable gardeners share their bulb and growing experiences with me, both the good and bad... and that has helped me considerably! I've also been gardening for the better part of my life, and making my own mistakes to learn from! But each time I begin growing a new plant type, I run into new problems... so there's always a lot to learn.

Something I learned recently has made me shy away from adding any organic fertilizers to my container grown plants... most organic fertilizers are not broken down enough to be readily available to the plant, and they need to be first passed through the digestive systems of all the micro organisms and worms and other tiny critters that inhabit garden soil... since most potting mixes don't have this critter population, a lot of the fertilizer is unusable. That's why I use a chemical approach for my potted plants, and I add micro nutrients, which plants need and isn't present in many prepared fertilizers.

Hippeastrums actually benefit from being treated more like succulents... they prefer to dry out more than most people allow in between waterings, and they hate sitting in constantly soggy soils.

I try to share the things I've learned, and the things that work for me... I know that gardening has many facets, and not everything will work for every climate or every gardener... but perhaps something that I've been through can save someone the same headache I experienced!