Nice flowers and photos Dan. I grow a plant that has similar flowers, which I thought was a striatum cross, except it produces bulbils which I don't think striatum produces.
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Is it tiny?

Hi Houstonpat, Yep, striatum produces the exact same bulbils as the one you have. In fact you sent me one of yours 2 years ago that was flowering size and it has yet to flower, although it has probably tripled in size and produced a huge number of offsets. I have no clue why is not flowering, but something must not be quite right. I toss the bulbils in a separate pot and at some point in time they grow. In fact, I know you said yours was an F1 at the time, but I just do not know about that.....I have maybe 4 variants of H. striatum with 3 more on the way and the difference in the bulbs is tremendous.....some after 2 years are well under 1 inch across and others are blooming at easily 2 inches in the same potting mix, same water schedule, same fertilizer, etc. etc. I asked the expert and he told me that the variation is tremendous in this species from the various regions of Brasil.

Soultan, yes these are small flowers and bulbs. I have atleast 20 bulbs in a 10 inch diameter pot....8 of them are easily the same flowering size and there are huge numbers of offsets that I have made no attempt at all to separate and give more room to grow as I do not want to disturb the pot and I have more than I need anyway so I'm not concerned with propagation.

Glad this species Hipp. got atleast some interest :o) Dan

I think it's very interesting! And it looks cute with the pack of gum to show size! LOL!

I gather, then, that all species are smaller?

Well, cybister (what you buy as 'Chico') and papilio are decent size bulbs, but I think that in general most species bulbs are smaller and most species tougher to grow than their hybridized cousins with some exceptions, like straitum, blossfeldiae, papilio, cybister, vittatum, etc. that are likely almost as easy I think :o) Dan

Good to know. After I learn more about, and master growing some of the more common varieties, I'd like to try my hand at a couple of the more unusual ones. Some are very interesting.

I agree that some of the rare ones are insanely beautiful and also incredibly difficult to locate!! I had a guy sending me one from Argentina in trade for some of mine and some Worsleya seed but his package never made it to me and my package also failed to make it through so I think the Argentines were responsible for them not making it!! I do have one coming from Peru in the near future as just a no-ID species so I hope it turns out to be an interesting one :o) Dan

Yes, it seems that Customs agencies in many countries have a problem with the shipment of certain "live" items. I understand it's for our protection, but after inspection, why can't the packages continue on their merry way?

Good to hear from you Dan. Yeah the small bulb I sent you remains shy to bloom. Though it did bloom again last spring with slightly larger flowers (see below). The bulbs you sent me have been doing quite well and may flower next spring. We have had an exceedingly rainy year here in houston, causing the loss of a few bulbs do to rot. We are well over 50" for the year, but more importantly the number of days of rain have averaged 15 each month.
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Hi Pat, I think I am going to pot mine up as they are really crammed in the pot now that they are in. I have been tempted to force dormancy, but that might be a tad foolish!!

Our problem is red blotch for whatever reason.....every year some of mine end up with it. It seems like if the heat and humidity are not a problem in places like Houston that it should not be a problem here, but it seems all of my Amaryllids can be susceptible to it so I need to be very diligent. The bulb you gave me has never been outside so it has never had to worry about this fortunately. I'll keep my fingers crossed for a bloom next spring :o) Dan

Too bad that there is no good place to get these species in a reasonable price. I understand that they are harder to keep and propagate, but 30-40 dollars for a may-not-blooming bulb is not my desire, because it disappointing. If a bulb were 10 and wouldn't bloom, I'd just tend it and wait, but 30-40 plus shipping for no bloom is not an option for me. I am not cheap, I guess, I am just spoiled with all the hybrids that are cheap, easy to get and make flower.
I am extremely intigued by this tiny one... I would like to get one. I recently saw some pictures of pink miniatures from Japan. I wish I could get my hand on some.

The more I research this addiction called Amaryllis, the more I realize how huge the family really is! And the more it makes me want to have one of each member of the family!

I know I should just concentrate on the hybrids I have, plus my little Papilio, and dive instead into the research I need to do for breeding and the like. But every time someone posts another picture, I want to get one like it! LOL!

Perhaps, houstonpat, we should call you "seattlepat"! 50" of rain, averaging half a month of cloudy, wet weather? That's depressing! Nice flower photo, though...

Red Blotch... is that a soil borne virus? And do I understand that certain conditions of hot and humid tend to cause it to become active?

Pink miniatures from Japan? Oh my!

I'm doing the collecting already. You don't want to get into that. It is sick.

Hi Soultan, I think that H. striatum is fairly common to be honest as it is one of the most widespread species so you can likely locate one without too much trouble. I actually only own perhaps 3-4 hybrids...the one Pat sent me, one my wife got from a child in school and a couple from a friend in Australia. Here is a pic of the one from Australia. I posted this once before and it likely a hybrid with vittatum as one parent:
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Since room is limited for me I would rather have a go at the species. I've seen a company in Japan that has some awesome things, but they never answer my e-mails for whatever reason.

Red blotch is a fungus that can be controlled with something like Captan. It can cause the flower stalks and buds to become deformed if it gets out of control but if you isolate the plant that hs it and spray it routinely it is not anything to get totally flustered over. What is strange is that if you simply grow your Hipps in a window indoors they do great and never have this problem.....so what I really need is more windows :o) Dan

What about gro-lights, Dan? Do you think amaryllis' would do well under plant lights? If they would, that might be an option for you. If you have the space, that is...

I have a couple of plant lights that I plan to set up this winter. I'll use them mostly for seedling growth of perennial and annual seeds I'll start for the spring garden outdoors, and for my one little African Violet.

I have two 400W MH grow lights going 16 hrs. per day all winter with heat mats under one them to maintain warmth (3 of the 2 ft. by 4 ft size). One of the grow lights is for my Amorphophallus, winter growing Boophane, Helicodiceros, etc. and the other has a few hundred bulbs of Hipp under it.....dozens each in 10-12 inch pots that I have grown from seed. Yes, Hipps do absolutely fine under lights. I start all my seed for the species I can get under standard fluorescent tubes and then once they are large enough to go into pots I transplant all the seedling together into one large pot....not actually the best idea to be honest, but it saves time, space and pots!! The windows go to the Amorph. titanum, Dracontium, Worsleya, etc. As I said, too many plants and most are not Hipps of course :o) Dan

You've got a nice collection of the more unusual plant types, I gather. Add to those all your seedlings, and I can see how you'd be out of room. Window space at a premium! It's nice to have heat mats, though. They're very helpful in starting plants or rooting cuttings.

My plant collection consists of the more commonly known. I even have a large pot of Mother-In-Law's Tongue. Some, like my philodendron, pothos and dracaena all reside in the same pot. My brightest window contains all my Amaryllis bulbs. I can see I'll be needing to find other places for my common plants as I collect more bulbs!

I will buy one of these, if I find it readily available. So far, I am still hooked and I had no huge trauma that opted me to discontinue or simply dismantle my collection. It can happen. Sometimes you revaluate your life and decide to take new directions.

I must be hooked good... I'm planning to erect 2 shelving units with gro-lights to compensate for lack of proper window light. I don't want my addiction to get out of hand, mind you, but I am willing to put a bit of effort forth to keep a small army of bulbs! And I hope I stay in that general direction with regards to my life... :-)

I am telling you, it is hard. But who knows? Maybe you are not as OCD as I am. It is like when little kids collect cards. Until you have all that is available, you are collecting. And that is what I am doing... Will I ever grow up?

I manage to not be OCD about these because I can not stay married to any plants it seems for more than a few years before I get bored with them and move on to the next challenge. I can not tell you how many plants I have bloomed once or twice and then gotten rid of because seeing the same bloom every year gets boring....a completely different sort of clinical disorder I'm sure :o) Dan

I have 129 varieties at this moment. A few more, of course, since some of the bulbs I bought turned out to be mutts, so I don't count them as varieties. And of course, I have more than one bulbs of some of them, so I suspect I have more than 200 bulbs... If I plant them one by one, one after another, I wouldn't see the same flower. Always something different. And now that a new retail season starts, I can buy up some new varieties, and it will be like this every year... So unless they stop producing new varieties and the old ones are all reproduced and there is nothing new in the market, I couldn't stop. It just gets easier and cheaper by time that I wouldn't have that much new things to buy. Once I bought a variety, I am not interested in buying another bulb of it, unless the original has died. And I love the anticipation of how well I maintained my bulbs, so what kind of scape count, flower quality and quantity they surprise me in the coming season. I'd also like to experience the forced bulbs blooming outside during the summer as well.

I don't have the "need" to buy all the varieties... but I do have the "want" to buy the most unusual and the prettiest. As I said, I got my first bulb only because of the name. It was so very beautiful when it bloomed that I thought I'd like to have a few more bulbs in other colors. They're fairly easy to care for, which also makes them attractive plants to me.

Take the African Violet, for instance... I only have one. Since it's not my favorite plant, I don't feel the need or want to get any other varieties. And that's a good thing, because I just found out that there are over 15,000 registered named varieties, and probably hundreds more that are not named or registered! Can you imagine the window and gro-light space I'd have to have? Even if I only collected the ones I thought were the nicest I'd have to have the right facilities, and imagine the time that would eat up just caring for part of that amount! No thanks!

And I also don't get bored with my plants. I've had the same houseplants for years, or at least decendants of the originals taken as cuttings. I've got a Sansevaria that is about 13 years old or more. Not only is it a very common, boring plant, but it has been with me for what seems like forever. I never tire of seeing new growth on my plants. That's what keeps me interested. That, and the fact that it is my care that helps them to keep growing and thriving.

Hi Soultan, Remember, they are all "mutts" unless they are species ;o) It's just that some of them got named by people that have their own particular idea of what is "beautiful"......just a thought in the morning not meant to be anything other than that :o) I suppose the reason I would rather have a few less and get some offsets is I can trade if I so desire. The one I got from Pat reproduces like a weed to be honest, although you can wait a year for the small bulbils to decide to grow on their own.....if you had anything to trade I could send you some, but it souunds like you do not.

A second thought.....all of my 3-4 hybrids bloom outside during the summer.....this is trivial if you live in zone 6 like I do and do not feel like carrying pots around in the winter months to water so you can see Christmas or Easter blooms.....mine stay dormant all winter and then in May they go outside an bloom in May or June. You must be from a much warmer climate!!

Hey Jodik, I guess I am pampered because I used to import bulbs/corms/tubers/plants by the thousands until a year ago when I got tired of the selling thing....it made it so I could get most any exotic plant I wanted to try for a very cheap price and so I became spoiled and got bored easily......as I said, I have many character flaws. I agree it is awesome to have some plants aroud for decades and I have of course....I have the common houseplants as well and I love them because they can survive on benign neglect :o) Dan

OK, so I repotted my pot full of these and I had maybe 40-50 offsets that I separated. I repotted a bunch but kept 12 of them out for a trade. If anyone wants one of the plants that Pat posted a pic of please e-mail me or post here and I can trade 12 SMALL offsets for something that you have. As I said, these take patience to get them to start growing again, but if you want a dozen offsets then please feel free to offer what you have in trade. Please read the SMALL part....these are SMALL, but the largest bulbs I have are at most 2 inches in diameter and are way beyond flowering size according to Pat!!! If I do not hear something by tomorrow morning then I will repot them myself :o) Dan

I wish I had something to trade, Dan, but right now, I have nothing except some perennials in 4 inch pots. This is one of the reasons I'm expanding my amaryllis bulb collection. I'd like to be able to trade for the more unusual or colorful varieties. I'd also like to try my hand at breeding them.

I guess if you had access to almost any plant you wanted, a person could very well get bored with the whole thing. I think that's why I tend to jump more slowly into new things; so I can do the research necessary and know what I'm doing, instead of jumping into a hobby or thing too quickly and ending up with a big mess that I cannot care for properly. I bet you had fun while in the midst of all those bulbs and corms and such, though! I'd be like a kid in a candy store!

It is true that they are mutts. When they started, they were mutts. But since they can be reproduced with exact genetic picture, they are not considered mutts anymore, but hybrids.
I don't think that we should label non-species plants or animals as mutts... It just happens. Humans dig their hands deep into the genetic pool and fish out whatever is most suitable for their needs and help nature to adjust sometimes... I don't necessarily think that the amaryllis hybrids are ugly.
In this account, the species are all mutts as well, since they were created by mixing and matching some readily available genetic materials. So they are mutts in the first place as well. This is called evolution... It seems like th is question is deeper than hybridizing.
I hope you are not taking it as an offense against you. I simply think that the hybrids do not worth less than species. It is a shame that there are too few species available for purchase, but hybridizing made it possible for everyday people to keep plants in our close proximity, so we wouldn't withdraw from nature that much.

Yep, Importing is a lot of fun and you can experiment with massive numbers of plants from many genera. This summer was Worskeya for me......4,000 seed and 15 bulbs....I kept the bulbs of course :o) I will simply pot up the other dozen offsets as I realize trades can be awfully tough!!

Soultan, Of course, I am not offended in any way. Actually I was just poking a bit of fun at the concept you offered that named hybrids are more special than the "mutts".....if you had been the hybridizer you might just as well have chosen a different plant to name and then the one you have in your collection with a particular epithet would be the mutt instead since you had chosen to name a different one.

By the way, I surely do not think that species are better in any way than hybrids, it is just that I tend to think too many hybrids come into market simply because the companies need to keep the commercial market satisfied....most of these drop off the map very quickly because they did not have that much merit to begin with....or perhaps I am completely wrong...happens all the time!!! I also would agree completely that many species can be pretty similar....

I also have no problem with the concept of genetic manipulation....I do it in my lab all the time....chimeras, mutations, transgenics....but this is with mamallian cells and C.elegans as model systems and not plants. It is truly fascinating to try and understand how a simple point mutation can lead to a devastating disease and what would be really awesome is if someone started mutating the gene encoding for the plastid (I think I am remembering this correctly from elementary botany, but maybe not) which could then be perhaps used to make variegates on demand :o) Dan

I think you really have to be a plant lover in every sense of the word to appreciate species as well as hybrids. Hybrids are created and genetically manipulated to feed the wants of an ignorant public. By ignorant, I mean "not having knowledge of". Hybrids that reach that public must be colorful, have ease of care, bigger and better blooms, etc... Hybridizers and growers are simply filling a need. Species tend to be smaller, more plain, and generally not that attractive to the average buyer.

I, personally, find species no less attractive than hybrids. I like them all! But then, I'm not the "average buyer".

I have a better than average understanding of basic genetics. My knowledge is more in the area of canine genetics, but DNA is DNA. I find it highly interesting how Mother Nature works! It is amazing that one little difference in the strand can cause so huge of a difference in the product, be it plant or animal. And I find it incredibly awesome that as much as we try to manipulate Mother Nature, in the end She always gets Her way! Meaning, of course, that we can try to bend it to our will, but we can never truly control it. At least, this is true in canine genetics. Some things have to be sacrificed to gain others, but if we keep our eyes on the big picture, we will succeed.

The technical jargon of genetics is not my thing. But after 25 years of breeding dogs, I definitely have a good understanding of why we do what we do.

I saw a picture of Maria's Worsleya, and that is one beautiful and unusual plant! Someday, I hope to have one!

Hey, if you want Worsleya seed I can let you know where to get them....just e-mail me....they will be available around Dec. or so from the guys in Australia on a different forum which I can not mention here for whatever reason. Also, tons of info on how to grow them if you are not totally familiar with what to do with them....they are not Hipps. despite the common name!!

Here is a pic of my two largest ones I imported this year....they came with no leaves and no roots so I have been working hard to get them to push both again this summer:
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It is nice to have good connections :o) Dan

Lol Jodic! That Worsleya is not mine...I wish it was. It belongs to someone in Brazil. Bluebonsai himself posted that a few months ago.

Bluebonsai...Does Worsleya need different culture from Hippeastrums? How about germinating it's seeds? If it is not too different, I would like to give it a try. I have no greenhouse. Will it survive inside the house during winter time?

OK, Now I am in the loop....did not look at the pic that was being discussed!!! Yes, Ronaldo owns that and he is the one that sent me all the seed earlier in the year.....I'm supposed to be getting another 300 in a few days, but most of those are spoken for.

As you can see, my Worsleya are in pure pumice and only the elongated bulb plate is below "soil" level as is normal for these. I've been told by the experts that next spring when we get back to the growing season that I should repot and add 25% orchid bark so I will do that. They are evergreen by the way....a Worsleya without leaves is dead, not dormant, unless of course they were imported like mine without leaves. The seed vary greatly in germination success I have been told by people that got them from me....from 90% to less than 50%...some well under 50%....why the difference I do not know, but some specimens produce seed that is better at germinating than others. Germination is easy.....put them just barely under the pumice (like a Hipp seed) and keep very humid and warm (dare I say hot) and they germinate in anywhere from 2 weeks to a month. Getting seed to continue to grow is not trivial though and many fail from damp-off in a big way. If you want to read a lot you should check out the other forum.....I am not allowed to post the name here, but e-mail me and I am happy to provide it....I have no GH either....wish I did.....3 kids and one going to college next year....not much chance I am afraid :o) Dan

Oh, I'm sorry, Maria... it was in your gallery, so I just assumed... and judging by your other plants, there was no reason to suspect that it was not yours! Well then, I must give credit where it is due! Ronaldo has a very cool plant, there!

I don't think I'm quite ready to have a Worsleya, especially if I must start with seed! And after reading that the germination rate is sketchy, and damp off is a problem... I would love to have one, but I fear my lack of knowledge would surely seal its fate! I should wait until I am more comfortable with the amount of information I have. I am still learning about the Amaryllis and its habits.

The 2 in the picture above are quite something! They look like they were plucked from a bed of anemones at the bottom of the ocean, or are some alien type of palm tree! Those are the strangest bulbs I've ever seen! How do you check them for moisture since they are in pumice? I've never grown anything in pumice, so I have no idea what its attributes are. Nice plants, Dan!

The reason most people start from seed is that a blooming size bulb like those above will cost you $300+ if you can find one for sale.....very rarely will you find a blooming size bulb for sale. Smaller bulbs easily sell for over $100 and even a year old bulb will often fetch $50 or more....not the type of investment you want to make unless you feel somewhat confident!! You would probably have to trade Ronaldo your car (assuming it is a nice one) for a bulb like the one he has :o)

Pumice is volcanic rock that is very porous and therefore creates a perfect air/water balance. I use it for my Boophane, Cyphostemma and in my Amorphophallus titanum mix. I have to buy it from CA, but it is worth it if it helps my exotics grow better :o) Dan

bluebonsai,

I did not mean that my named varieties are more special than mutts. I think I just wanted to say that I count them as bulbs, but don't count them as varieties... If I started to collect every mix that is available out there, I'd end up with millions of bulb, there are so many mutations. So when a "variety" is not true to name and is not another "named variety," so the bulb is not "true to name" and not even another hybrid, I just simply let it be and let it bloom. I keep it, tend to it the same way I care for all the other bulbs... As a collector, I am interested in the species and the "named mutts."

Another crazy thing that I just heard. We are building a house in the Mullholland Scenic Corridor in Los Angeles. It means that a bunch of bored housewives decided that they take action in their own hand and will save the integrity of the area and save the original fauna and flora... We are not allowed to plant anything else in our lot than native species, so my amaryllis bulb is already illegal. Now, we have two 60+ years old, huge Queen Palms. They are right next to the house, so when we extended the living room, we chipped off from it, so we could keep the palms in the corner. They are majectic and wonderful. Now that we want to build a second story on the house, we had to submit plans to the Mullholland Scenic Comission... We just had the preliminary hearing today an hour ago... They were mostly pleased and they (of course) want a few things changed. But what really upset us is that the assistent said that the Comission might REQUIRE us to cut out the 60+ years old palms because they are not native to the area... Can you imagine? The two trees were there before the Mulholland Scenic Comission was created, and they want us to destroy these two beautiful trees... If they are vehement on it, they we might fight and sue the Comission... There is no law about killing all the non native species all over the country... Do they want me to get rid of my dog too? Dogs are not native to the area? Houses are not native to the area. People are not native to the area... Sometimes burocracy just goes too far... We moved in the first story of the house in March. We could still not start the second story because they want to force us to do things their way, even though there is no law for it... We are complying almost every thing they can think of, but this is really over the limit... We will fight for these trees.

Hi Soultan, I think I knew what you meant, but was just having some fun!!

The thing with the house is just idiotic....I hate these stupid homeowners associations and such.....the next thing you know they will make it illegal to clear brush and then it will enhance the forest fire problem. To make you cut down a 60 year old palm to fit into some nouveau concept of what is correct for a designated area is just wrong in this day and age when we are losing too much forest anyway....I would have thought the idea of global warming and needing more trees, not less, would have sunk into the screwballs there by now, but you seem to have proven this to be incorrect. Best of luck fighting that one, but of course they have the final carrot to hang over your head....a building permit :o) Dan

They cannot block us receiving the building permit. They can just make it harder to get it. If we fight over the trees, it can take an additional year, so we could not start buildint the second phase this October. We would have to do it next October or November, by the time we already wanted to move to the next property. So they are really just a pain in the butt.
Fortunately, they have no legal ground of regulating us. If they want us to cut the trees, we simply file a lawsuit agains them. There is no law that requires non-native plants to be cleared from city areas. We are in the city, right above Universal Studios, which is full of palms, and they have just planted (I can easily say) hundreds of them at the gates of the Studio... The only difference is that the studio is on the other side of the freeway, so they are not in the jurisdiction of the Comission, so they can do whatever they want... These people make our life bitter because they got a city ordinance right to regulate new developments... At the end of the day, they lose if it goes to court.

Soultan - Since your trees were there before the commission was formed, aren't they subject to the "Grandfather" clause? As far as I know, California still falls under Federal jurisdiction, and we have this little thing called the Constitution of The United States... of course you will win in court. What a complete waste of time and energy to harass you about trees, for god's sake. Bunch of empty-headed, bored, completely ignorant wastes of space!

We, as breeders and owners of Bull Breeds, are constantly fighting authorities and coalitions and other ignorant groups of people who have not one iota of correct information between them, and have decided that all Bull Breeds are dangerous dogs that have no place in today's world. The truth is... man is the most dangerous animal, and it is the poor dogs and the owners that care about them that will suffer.

Ignorance and free time are a volatile combination...

jodik,

What a great thing that we have this forum and I voiced my problem. We have not thought of the Grandfather clause... 10 years are enough for reaching grandfather clause... Thank you for thinking for us. I will go and make sure that we include it in the application and in the letter that every one of the neighbors in our 100 feet radius will sign for keeping the trees.

I would check with my attorney, but I believe that since you fall under the grandfather clause, what they are doing is outright harassment, and if they try to tie up your permit, you can sue them for harassment. You should ask your attorney, of course... and if you don't have one, you should think about retaining one.

They have no lawful base requiring us to chop off trees. These trees do not danger the public, they are on not public property and they do not have to be removed because of the design of the house. Of course we fight!

Aren't we suppose to "Save the trees!"?

Bluebonsai...You mentioned about using Captan for Red Blotch. How much of it do you mix with water? Do you spray the leaves/bulbs/soil or soak/dip the bulb in the mixture?

I have been unlucky with the species with the exception of Papilio. I lost my other specie H. Puniceum which was growing nicely and just suddenly went downhill. I together with Captan and Funginox did not get to save it.
In a recent email from Mr. Barnhoorn, he said that any regular fungicide with copper and zinc will be very helpful to the amaryllises. He just don't know which brand of fungicides here in US has this. Do you know of any? I am so BAD with Chemistry. I barely passed it in HS.

I will start another thread hopefully soon of pics of some amaryllis deseases, their ID, causes and action to be taken. I still am in the process of organizing this. All the infos are courtesy of our dear friend in South Africa...Mr. Charles Barnhoorn.

I use Captan simply because a quick search on what appeared to be a reputable web site indicated that Captan (which I have around the house anyway for my aroids) and some others were good for this. I use the reccomended dosage....3/4 TBSP per gallon. I do my best to stay away from Hipps that have a dormancy....boring.....so I do not unpot to spray.....I simply soak the bulb, leaves and soil with a drench and hope for the best. A bigger concern than the Hipps is that I noticed it on some of my large Scadoxus plants which I would hate to lose from something as silly as this. What is interesting is that I find the easiest way to prevent this is grow the plants inside away from the 90% humidity that causes fungus to flourish.....I have a few pots full inside year round that never have issues at all....grow like weeds, offset like crazy....odd that the outside world is so dangerous for them!!

I assume that the copper and zinc are not free metals that you mention above, but are part of a larger organic molecule?? Captan may have one of these metals coordinated in its structure for all I know. An example of this that is always in the news is thimerosal....this is in all vaccines (or used to be) and some people feel there is a link to autism from the thimerosal in the vaccines.....this compound has a mercury moiety and in the lab acts as an oxidizer of cysteines in proteins.

I look forward to your posts on the various diseases :o) Dan

I am waiting for the diseases too. I hate them, but I'd like to be educated on them well.

"Odd that the outside world is so dangerous to them". SO TRUE!!! Since I brought out the amaryllis collection last spring, it has been a constant spraying of insecticide/miticide and fungicide for me for almost every two weeks. Exposed to uncontrollable elements, I needed to triple my effort in keeping them healthy. But then we are only humans and as I said in another post, we can only do so much for our beloved plants. The thing is we tried our best and have not been irresponsible. Mother Nature WILL always have her way. Most of the amaryllises flourished beautifully...some got sick. Just like us, some are strong and some are weak. It was survival of the fittest for them out there. This is where I based my decision to "cull" or dispose of varieties that do not do well in my growing conditions. It is a very HARD but necessary action to take. They (amaryllises) have taught me well.

Please allow me some time to do that post of deseases. Something very tragic happened this morning. My second daughter had a car accident on her way to school. The car was a total wreck but my daughter is alright. A MIRACLE!!! Looking at what happened or what was left of car, you would not believe that the driver survived and only had a few bruises in her forhead and legs. She even insisted in being brought to school to attend her Physics class which she has a quiz to take. I'll be in and out of the forum.

I'm so sorry to hear about the accident, Maria, but SO glad to hear that everyone is alright! I shall include a special "thank you" in my prayers...

We're eager to read about the diseases and such that afflict the amaryllis, but we can wait. There's no rush. Your family is much more important!

Survival of the fittest... this is Nature's way of culling out its weak, genetically inferior, old and sick members. I believe that when we change the natural selection by breeding, it is our responsibility to act as Nature would; we must cull. In essence, we are playing God by intervening in the breeding process. We should feel impelled to do it right.

Acting with responsibility is the only way to arrive at a genetically strong place within our chosen breed or species.

It's not fun to cull, but it has to be done. No breeder likes to do it, but a good breeder realizes the necessity, and carries out the action humanely. He or she knows they are doing what is right.

A very wise breeder once said, "The only thing a decent breeder carries to his grave is his reputation." A breeder's reputation is based on the genetic line he leaves the world with. Half of a living thing is genetic, and the other half is environmental. Without a strong and proper genetic base, all a good environment does is hide some of the flaws. But they are still there, and they will always show themselves when least expected.

Maria,

Glad that your daughter is fine. Accidents are never fun. Hopefully everything will turn out right. Good luck to you all out there.

"Odd that the outside world is so dangerous to them."and I would like to add "and to us". This car accident has really made me realize how fragile life is. I could have lost my daughter.

Jodic...Thank you for your concern and prayers. I really appreciate that.

Soultan...Thanks!
Thanks! :-)

Hearing about the near miss, Maria, kind of hits close to home for me... a couple of years ago, we were in a bad accident... I spent 3 days in the hospital and went through numerous tests for a head injury. I remember the impact, but not much after that. For quite a while afterward, I had small seizures that manifested themselves as "lost moments" where I would just stop and stare and not remember doing so. Other than some back and hip pain, I'm a lot better now. We were very lucky, though... it could have been much worse.

Life is very fragile. I think that's why I always take time out to say "thanks" for what I have and what I experience every day, and for my friends and family... I was raised in a Catholic family, and although I am non-practicing, I still feel I have a good spiritual base. Regardless of what religion, I think it helps to have that "something" to believe in. Faith is important.

I'm just glad your family is ok... I've only been with the forum a short time, but I feel like you guys are my "gardening friends"... and I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you any more than to my own family. :-)

Maria,

The good thing is that everything is fine. Try to concentrate on the positive aspects of this, instead of the negative. Don't let this drive your life from now on. Accidents happen. All we can do is to try to be wise and avoid them. Sometimes it's luck. Don't let this force you to live in fear or in constant worrying... You are worth more than that.