Hey girlfriend! You can cut them up any time of the year. Actually, Brazil and South African grown bulbs are already harvested at this time. Lift and dry bulbs for 7-14 days at 77-86F. Then store 6-8 weeks at 55F (more or less). This cold storage is needed for the bulb to bloom in 5-6 weeks of planting. That is if the amaryllis is mature enough, healthy and has at least 8 leaves. That's the rule I follow anyway. Insufficient cold storage will just give you leaves instead of a scape or the scape will not come out till later. Do it girl!

Thanks Maria, Girlfriend! Going to try a couple. We have some empty veggie bins in the fridge in the garage for them to chill out. Hope you all are doing great over here. I am getting ready for a big plant swap here in a couple of weeks and am so excited about it.

Ciao~ for now

Maria, I was going to ask the same question about how to put an "all green" amaryllis to rest. Just want to re-confirm my understanding of the above:
I can just lift the bulb&leave out of the pot, cut off the leaves and let dry for 1 to 2 weeks. Then place the bulb in the fridge to chill out for 6-8 weeks. After that take the bulb out, plant it in fresh soil, and water normally for scapes. Right? (The last time I didn't ask whether to cut off the leaves!)
My amaryllis is very healthy. It's now producing its 10th leave.
Thank you for you answer, Maria.

Xuan

That is what I did. I cut the leaves off, washed the bulb with the babies and roots intact, let them dry for 1-2-3 days, then put them in mesh bags and placed them in the fridge. Make sure that you dont let water go between the cut off opening at the top of the bulb. It is better if your bulb is dry inside-out when you put it in the fridge. Maybe it is not a rule, but I made sure I am careful this way. And I am just planting them out now (I put them to sleep in September), and they are bringing up scapes.

Yes, drying out is a rule. That's what Veronica Read's book says anyway. It would help the bulb from rotting in the fridge I guess.

Wonderful! I will follow the instructions closely and hope that I will have beautiful blooms at the right time for our New Year, which is in early February 2008.
Thank you all so much.

Xuan

OK I have 4 I cleaned up today that will be drying out and then going into cold storage. Thanks everyone for your tips.

By the way, it would help if you can dip the whole bulb in some kind of fungicide and or insecticide/miticide before you dry it. If you do not have any, dusting it with sulfur powder may help too. I read sometime here in the forum about dipping the bulb in clorox mixture (1 part clorox to 10 parts water) works fine. This would just be like a precautionary measure that no pests or desease would overwinter with your bulb. Commercial growers do the hot water treatment before they store the bulbs.

Gee Maria, glad I caught this post before I tucked them away. Actually, I have never, knocking my head against my antique mahogany desk-knock on wood, get it? Never have a fungal prob with any of my amaryllis. Perhaps having them under the pool cage is a very good thing.

I have fungicidal soap, 7 dust, clorox. My guess is a mild clorox dip is my best option?

Whenever I give my orchids their summer bath and trim, I fill a bucket with insecticidal soap-very weak and trim all fugly roots and dunk the plants, wash their leaves and give them new medium. Makes them happy happy. I learned that pet shampoo with Pyrethrins is good for house plants and I got rid of some ants in my pants, no, no I meant ants in my plants by spraying a very mild solution with water on the leaves and the potting mix of all my patio plants. I did nothing today cause I got my 2nd spinal injections today and I feel like a mule kicked me. I will feel so much better tomorrow so I will take care of my bulbs. Plus, Dennis is going to pressure wash all the surfaces on the lanai and in the pool cage plus do all the windows around the house. So I hope I feel better so I can help him. More like help my babies and get all my amaryllis and orchids out of his way before he starts. lol

Hope you fell better soon Cindeea. Go ahead with the mild clorox dip. I remember now that Lora does this. Have a good weekend and don't work too hard!

I understand what you're going through, Cindeea, as my husband has had numerous things tried on his back and neck, including sets of injections... which seemed to help the most. Unfortunately, he will be a chronic pain patient for the rest of his life.

A couple of things that helped him are a complete diet change, a regimen of vitamins and a drug called Lyrica, which helps rebuild new nerve pathways, thus lessening some pain. He completely detoxified his body by eating a diet consisting of protein shakes from Optimum Nutrition Company, taking vitamins such as purified fish oil, B complex, echinacea, and most important, Glucosamine Chondroitin CSA... and he also does light exercises to strengthen back strap and stomach muscles, which help hold up the spine.

Nothing is a cure... nothing helps 100%... but all put together, it lessens his need for massive narcotic doses. You'd be surprised at how good a person can feel without a system full of preservatives and other chemicals that the human body was not meant to ingest!

Anyway... hope you feel better!

Thanks for your thoughts ans well wishes Maria and Jodik. Sorry to hear about your DH Jo. I am feeling awesomely better after a few days now.

Hey guys, do you think wrapping the bulbs in newspaper or paper bag is a better way to go than plastic for storage? I would think the plastic may lead to rot or mold. Soultan, mesh bags sound great, only I don't have any.

I bought about a hundred for 10-12 dollars from the web. (Actually 200 of them.) I've conducted an excessive research and ordered them from the producer. I like them. The bulbs can breathe through them and it is easy to identify them without disturbing them. I just unfold them and take a look at the plant stick next to the bulb... I specifically searched for mesh bags. I liked how www.amaryllis.com sends out the bulbs in mesh bags. They are finer quality from the ones I bought, but they are not going for showcase, so I don't mind their roughness.

Just a thought, and it would depend on how many bulbs you need bags for... but... I save the mesh bags from onions. They come in handy for all sorts of things. I have one or two hanging outside by my bird feeders, filled with nesting materials such as dryer lint and horse mane hair. The little birds can pick what they need right through the mesh...

Since I don't normally dig and store my bulbs, I don't need many.