Maria,(((hugs girl))), I just brought them back out this week. I couldn't stand them being in bags in the dark! lol I have no problems with my plants blooming each year. Once we get out of our rainy season, I will start holding off on regular watering for a bit. Let them dry out and then give them a nice drink. They stay green all year, but letting them go dry and reviving them seems to help them to bloom. I usually do this around end of Oct. begining of Nov. for Christmas blooms.

So I'm wondering if in my laziness I'm actually doing the right thing lol.

I have every intention of getting everything taken care of in a timely manner in the Fall, but... eh.

I usually end up leaving my potted amaryllis outside until some time in November (unless we get a freeze or snow), so I really cut back on the watering and the temps are much cooler, and the daylight is getting shorter.

Then I bring them in in November and start to water and fertilize again in early December. So really I think I'm doing what needs to be done and not cutting off the leaves, but letting them wither on their own outside (or not - some never lose any green leaves at all).

The thing that caught me attention was blooming power. Mine always bloom once or twice a year, BUT, only one scape per bulb and with four flowers on a scape.

When I read about you guys having multiple scapes with more than four flowers, well, I'd like that too. Now the question is does anyone get that kind of blooming out of the big Dutch hybrids or are you talking about the species bulbs?

In their natural environment some species have a natural and required dormancy as I said in a previous thread, but not all species have this requirement as I understand from growers of these species in Brasil which is their natural environment and who I place total confidence in since they are growing the actual species in significant numbers (if it is a natural environment then we are by definition talking about species Hippeastrum, not hybrids......none of us are actually growing Amaryllis of course.....not that we are talking about in this thread......why did this incorrect genus name ever get tagged onto Hippeastrum in the first place?? That is something I would like to know and why do commercial growers insist on naming them incorrectly......Shouldn't they educate the public rather than perpetuate a horrible misnaming of an entire genus??....just curious). I have maybe 6 variants of H. striatum that I have grown from seed.....even the same species has dramatically different requirements for dormancy and this is likely related to where they originate in Brasil.

Jackie, the species are never going to have the same flower power as the hybrids.....this is of course one of the things that the hybridizers strive for.

Maria, could you get some nice pics of the new Hadeco "Teacup" Amaryllis we have been hearing about on some other threads.....I totally despise the name as I said in a different forum as it implies these tiny species/hybrids did not exist before (they did), but I would like to see these little beauties.....these might even be some hybrids I would love to grow in my windowsill to make my wife happy.....she finds most of my plants to be a total waste of time, effort and money :o) Dan

Cindeea...Have you noticed if your amaryllises go through a stage where they stop or have no new growth or leaves? I was just wondering if amaryllises in the warmer areas kinda go through a "semi-dormant" stage. I mean not totally losing all of their leaves. My Papilio does this. At the heat of the summer, it would stop any new growth, lose older lower leaves but still maintain the upper leaves for a couple of weeks. Then when it cools up a bit, it would start growth and gave me a summer bloom this year. I also remember that last winter some varieties of the amaryllises inside the garage just refused to go totally dormant (losing all leaves) until it was really cold. Our winter here is not that cold with some days in the 50s.

Jackie...I do the same way as you. Leave them out there until the first frost is forcasted. The only difference is that I bring them in the unheated garage to let them go dormant for a few months. The temp. in the garage is not a constant 45-50F though. Someimes it would be in the high 50s, sometimes high 30s. Early spring they would start new growth which is a sign for me to bring them outside or inside the house. Most if not all of them bloomed. In my post "Inside the Garage" several months ago, I posted this pic...

{{gwi:391578}}

Most of these amaryllises were put to dormancy. But, if I remember right, they produced only 1 scape at a time with the exception of Prelude and baby Star. Then after a few weeks or months later produced another scape. None of them performed like the newly purchased bulbs we get that put up 2-3 scapes at the same time.

Note: Bulb companies always say "guaranteed to give out at least 2 scapes". And they usually do. How do they do this? Could it be the way they put their bulbs into dormancy? Right and constant temperature at 42-45F? Right length of storage of at least 8 weeks? Could this be one of the reason why Mr. CB recommends putting your bulbs to dormancy?

Note: Bulb companies always say "guaranteed to give out at least 2 scapes". And they usually do. How do they do this? Could it be the way they put their bulbs into dormancy? Right and constant temperature at 42-45F? Right length of storage of at least 8 weeks? Could this be one of the reason why Mr. CB recommends putting your bulbs to dormancy?

Maria exactly! That's what I'd like to know. Or is it that they are highly fertilized? This summer I asked a nursery owner how they got such blooms in their hanging baskets and also in the hydrangeas and other shrubs and perennials in pots. They fertilize WAY more than I would have ever thought.

Age of the bulb must play a role, to some extent, in the number of scapes produced... along with dormancy at the correct temperature and length of time. Proof of this is in the fact that I have never put Minerva into dormancy, and yet, as each year passes, she produces more and more scapes. I believe them to have had the same number of flowers on each scape, though. The size of the bulb advances, as does leaf production, as the years pass. At this point in her life, she is quite massive, as far as window sill grown plants go! My husband calls her a "tropical giant", even though she only wears a size 8" pot!

I'm sure I've had simple good fortune so far, as I have never gone out of my way to create the perfect growing environment for my bulbs. They've survived several moves from home to home, and aside from losing a few leaves or gaining a few more, have not shown any adverse reactions.

If I had thought that I'd become so interested in growing and breeding these bulbs, I'd have kept exact written records from the beginning.

Nice group photo, by the way, Maria!

Thanks Jodic! Yes, age and variety is the most important factors to consider with scape count. But how is it, that the bulbs that we just bought and planted and most of them are not that big, would surely produce at least 2 scapes.

Jackie...you are right about the fertilizer too. A well fed bulb with the right food will produce more scapes. The temperature that the amaryllis is exposed during the growing period also plays an important role in scape production. Veronica Read in her book, if I understood her right, mentioned about amaryllises grown in too warm weather would grow leaves at the expense of scapes. There has to be that balance between the high and low temp. Commercial growers I'm pretty sure make sure they provide the right feeding, light and temp. during growing season. Then they put them to rest to make sure that those scapes inside the bulb would develop/grow. That way, when the bulbs reach us, they are already prepared well and would be 'guaranteed' to bloom with at least 2 scapes even if it was just a small bulb.

Unfortunately, us home growers most of the time cannot provide these perfect conditions both during the growing period and dormancy. A very possible reason why we only get one scape at a time later on.

I have emailed somebody in Holland about this and has asked him to join us. If he does, we will be getting another view about this topic.

That's wonderful Maria! Thanks for starting the topic and for trying to get us more information.

Cindee, I put my bulb in the fridge at about the same time you did. I thought it should stay there for 8 weeks. Don't you think taking it out too soon would have a different result? I checked my bulb the other day I saw that the inner-most leaf has grown up about half an inch! Is that normal? I'm anxiously waiting for the scape to show up.
Maria, when replanting the bulb, what should I do with all the roots? They seem to have dried up!

Xuan

Let's not forget genetics! Genetics plays the most important role in scape production and number, not to mention flower size, shape and color. The large companies that breed the bulbs for eventual retail sales have worked hard to breed bulbs that will produce more than one scape of flowers because that is what appeals to the public. The better the flower and the more scapes that grow and bloom, the more bulbs they will sell!

Temperature exposure, aparently, takes a close second in important roles played in scape production. So, add tailored genetics and proper handling, and you get bulbs that produce multiple scapes, which appeals to the public!

All this, of course, relates to the newly purchased bulb that appears on the store shelves before Christmas, and is planted and grown for the first time by its new owner. I think what we are striving for is repeating this same scenario of multiple scapes blooming year after year after year. The logical way to do this would seem to be to mimic what the growers are doing to prepare the bulbs for purchase and subsequent bloom. And that means we need to provide a growth cycle followed by a dormancy period with cool temperatures just as long as the growers' period would be, providing we want blooms at Christmas. We would adjust that schedule to meet our own time frame requirements, of course, but is changing the bulb's schedule one of the reasons we don't get the amount of scapes we hope for?

I think that there are too many variables to say that there is a "best" or "right" way to proceed with regards to ALL bulbs. Some of us live in tropical climates, some of us are forced to deal with changing seasons that include ice and snow. Some of us prefer to grow our bulbs out in the garden, some of us can't. Some of us don't have the proper facilities to store our bulbs for a dormant period, some of us have the perfect place to do so. There are variables in soil, fertilizers, light amount, water, containers, gardens. And then there are the differences in the bulbs, themselves, with regards to type. There are Species, Hybrids, Cybisters, etc... and those are only a few of the many variables we have within our little community of Amaryllis/Hippeastrum addicts.

So, keeping all this in mind, how do we determine what is the best way to keep our bulbs healthy, happy and blooming at their top capacity?

I think that my bulbs get a pseudo cold period just by their placement on the window sill. In winter, the glass pane gets rather cold, and the area surrounding the window is cooler than the rest of the room. Sure, they get warmth from from sun shining in and the heat in the room, but for the most part, they're sitting on a window sill very close to the cold window pane. Even though the area remains cooler, as the days lengthen and the sun warms the window more and more, I think they are triggered into blooming.

Thoughts? Comments?

Haxuan...Nice to see that you are staying with us. The cold storage of at least 8 weeks at around 45F is required if you want your bulb to bloom a few weeks after you plant it out. Mr. CB recommends that you do not cut old roots in the other post "Repot and then Store". I used to cut them. Now I know...

Anyway, here is what Mr. Paul Romjin of Royal Colors (Holland)told me when I asked him before on why Dutch bulbs are only available starting at the end of October and not earlier.

"We start shipping at the end of October, because of the preparation (cold-storage) period that is needed to bloom within 5-6 after planting, ends at the end of October. This cold storage takes 8 weeks of 13 deg Celsius and we start with this directly after harvesting the the dutch amaryllis bulbs at mid-end August. If we start shipping late Sept. the preparation period is not finished and the bulbs will not bloom within 5-6 weeks after planting, but (much) later."

"At our company we have special cooling rooms to store the bulbs. In there is it always at the right temperature and humidity."

Eight weeks eh? I really don't need mine to bloom for Christmas. I find I've got lots to do in the months before Christmas with Thanksgiving and everything. It's after Christmas in the cold winter months of January, February and March that I really need blooms. By March I'm going stir crazy and I'm outside searching for shoots lol.

So if I do the outside in the garage cold period maybe I'll get the blooms when I want them.

((Haxuan)) lol, I suppose it will have no real effect since I didn't leave them out long enough. I just thought it was such a waste to have my bulbs hiding in a dark bag when they could be out and appreciated and growing green. I guess I am being silly!! Anyway, I did get a nice gift this week. One of my Florida gardening buddies has a neighbor that has been growing some heirloom red and red and white bulbs for many many years. His growing area is small and every year he culls out some older and some newer bulbs and trashes them. Tony knows my love for amaryllis so he offered to help the old guy dig them up! I have 6 surprises of all sizes and bulbs with bulbettes hanging on to them. I planted the larger ones up in the garden and 3 of the smaller in a large planter. OH!!! I Love surprises!!

Ok, so we have established that 8 weeks of dormancy in 13 degrees Celcius is required for blooms to happen 5 to 6 weeks following that dormancy period.

It also makes sense that the bulbs are harvested in August so that by the time they are brought out of cold storage, planted, and have their 5 to 6 weeks of growth, they are blooming for Christmas.

Like Jackie, I don't need Christmas flowers. But it is nice to see them bloom in January or February, just as the cabin fever of being trapped indoors by the cold of winter sets in! By March, I've gone through my flower/seed catalogs and horticulture magazines so many times that the pages are falling out!

Here's a good question for the growers, Maria... what is the proper humidity for the bulbs while in cold storage? How can we emulate that humidity without special equipment?

I like surprises, too, Cindee! I got 2 extra little bulbs labeled "Red & Whites" when I bought my Papillio bulb. I'll be surprised by the flower colors just like you will when your little guys bloom!

I'd say that when the shoots begin peeking out of the bulb, Haxuan, it might be time to pull it out of storage and pot it up! The bulb is telling you it wants to grow! I believe that cool, dark storage is the only way to retard growth, besides withholding water, and if the bulb still is trying to send out shoots, it might be time for it to grow again. I'm not entirely certain about this, but it makes sense.

I must say... that so far, I've learned a great deal about dormancy by reading and responding to this thread... it was a good idea, Maria! What I need to do now, is to check out potential storage areas for proper temperature. It's too late this year to put any of my bulbs to bed, but next year I should have no problems with giving some of my bulbs a dormant period. I just have to figure out exactly when I want blooms, and count backwards, adding 5 to 6 weeks to 8 weeks of dormancy which will give me the number of weeks I'll need between bedtime and bloom time!

All I need to know yet is the proper humidity to store the bulbs at, and how to achieve that without special equipment.

I would say that copying what the growers do from harvest to bloom time, using a few test bulbs that maybe haven't been giving multiple scapes, should tell us whether or not going through the whole dormancy cycle works in helping the bulbs set more scapes. I wish I had enough bulbs to use a few as test subjects. Anyone care to experiment and let the rest of us know the results?

I do not need to force any of my amaryllises to get blooms for Christmas either. Unless, I need a certain variety to flower for pollination. My newly ordered bulbs this season will of course have to be planted first and they will be my flowers for winter. I am NOT ordering so much this season...knock on wood! I am planning to plant them 2 weeks apart so I will have flowers till early spring and the ones in the garage will be ready to bloom.

Jodic...I will need to ask about that recommended humidity level and how necessary it is. Mr.CB did not mention anything about humidity but instead soil moisture. Mr.Romjin is talking about unpotted and bareroot bulbs. Could the humidity be a necessity for the bareroot bulbs so as their roots won't get too dry?

Give me a few days before I can post their responses. I am limiting my emails to them for I know they are very busy persons. But then, I am still very very thankful to them for giving some of their time to us even by just answering my emails. This just shows that they are not like those bulb companies that want us to kill our plants so that we would buy again. They would like us to learn. In fact this is what Mr.CB said when he agreed to join us here in the forum...

"Education is the key to all successful bulb growing".

Thanks a lot, my amaryllis friends. This is the very first time I have tried to force bloom so I'm very eager to see the results. Now I need to wait another month before taking the bulb out of the fridge! Will definitely post a pix when I see scapes.

Xuan

"Store cool and dry in a dark place. Not lower than 42F."

This was from Maria's other post and from Mr. CB. Since he said dry I think no humidity.

There is one thing I'm still not sure about... should the bulbs be taken out of their pots? Or should they be left potted? I suppose either would work, depending on where the storage will be... for example, if stored in a garage or basement, they would most likely be left potted... if stored in a refrigerator, un-potted would be the only way to go, unless you have a really big refrigerator, or only a few bulbs!

What has me confused is how to treat the bulbs before refrigerating them... obviously, you'd have to begin withholding water to the bulb while it was still potted, allowing for the leaves to die back... then you'd probably un-pot them, remove the soil, clean them up, dust them with cinnamon or another fungicide, and then?? Should they be placed in paper bags with a moisture absorbing material, such as sawdust or wood shavings or?? Would an onion or citrus bag be better? What's the proper procedure for fridge storage??

On to garage/basement storage... if you're leaving them in the pots, you've obviously withheld water to some extent, allowing for the die-back of the leaves... and if this is the case, how do you keep them moist during storage? What will happen if they dry out while being stored?

Since I've never attempted dormancy of any kind, I'm not sure what the actual step-by-step process is... from getting the plant to lose it's green leaves to actually placing the potted or un-potted bulbs into storage...

This whole thing is confusing to me! I totally understand the breeding and growing process... I understand why we would use a dormant period... I get how long and where they should be dormant... I am stuck on how!

Growers have special rooms where they store the harvested, cleaned and dusted/dipped bulbs... if I recall, they dry out the bulbs for a few days before storing? Did I read that here in the forum somewhere??

(sigh) Still so many questions!

Mr. CB is right on the money when he says, "Education is the key to all successful bulb growing." My tag line for dog breeding is very similar... I always say, "Knowledge is the key to success." This holds true for anything, not just breeding or growing!

Can anyone enlighten me as to proper step-by-step methods for bulb storage... from green leafy growth to actually placing the bulbs in their storage? I think there are probably a few others here who could benefit from this information, as well as me...

Can anyone enlighten me as to proper step-by-step methods for bulb storage.

Jodic I hope you get your step by step, but I've got to throw one thing in - the simpler the better I've found.

Two years ago I really had some beautiful dahlias that I wanted to save the tubers. I went to the dahlia forum and got really specific instructions with photos. This is no disrespect to the dahlia pros who use their procedure for 1000s of bulbs, but all of the ones that I dug, washed in bleach solution, cut apart with one tuber/one stem for eyes and wrapped in saran wrap did NOT make it.

The ones I got tired and lazy and simply threw, dirt and all, into a bucket in the unattached, unheated garage (and we hit temps of -20 last winter) came through and grew and bloomed.

Just something to keep in mind. Sometimes the KISS method really works!

I just don't want to do anything wrong, Jackie... I'd like to be armed with the right answers before I go and try something I've never done before. I don't want anyone to go out of their way to provide photos of the steps... just mention what it is they do before they throw their bulbs into the garage or fridge.

That's one reason I've never bought Dahlias... because you have to dig them every fall and store them. I've never planted Cannas in my garden, either! Or Glads! Every plant I've ever brought in and tried to overwinter died! My gardening philosophy quickly became: if it can't survive the northern winters with just some mulch, I don't want it in my garden! And I felt that way partly because I wasn't sure how to go about the whole dig and store process, and never had anyone I could ask! I know I'm missing out on a lot of beauty because of my ignorance, and I'd like to correct that.

I was initially thrilled to find out that I could grow my Hippis as houseplants! But now that I'm beginning to collect them, and have future plans to breed some... I'd like to know everything I possibly can about their culture.

I think I've got most of it down pat... it's just the part about what to do right before they go into storage that I need a little help with. I'm thinking I'm probably not the only one here who could use a bit of advice... I keep seeing the same questions asked. I thought if someone knew from experience what the proper procedures are, it would really benefit a lot of bulbs! Especially since part of the end result is to see if a proper dormancy will help the bulbs produce more than one scape!

What does KISS stand for, Jackie? I'm thinking it must be something humorous, but I've never heard that before! :-)

Jodik I am interested in hearing everything Maria can find out for us to, and I hope you didn't think I was criticizing you in any way! Just wanted to let you know that the dahlia thing worked with the easier method. Here's the Wikipedia definition of the KISS method (and in no way am I calling anyone here, you, me or anyone stupid, it's just a phrase lol.

The term KISS is an acronym of the phrase "Keep It Simple, Stupid", and the KISS principle states that design simplicity should be a key goal and unnecessary complexity avoided. It serves as a useful and frequent verbal exhortation (or even dedicated policy) in software development, animation, engineering, and in strategic planning (especially military operations). Other versions of the phrase include "Keep It Simple & Stupid" (most recently used in west-European literature), "Keep It Sweet & Simple," "Keep It Short & Simple," "Keep it Simple, Sweetheart," and "Keep it Simple, Sherlock," and the obvious scatological variation.

The principle roughly corresponds to Occam's razor, and to Albert Einstein's maxim that "everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler."[1]

Oh, no, Jackie! I understood what you meant! I got the context of your post! It's cool! :-)

I'm with you on "keep it simple"... which is one of the reasons I never dove into gardening with any tuber or plant that required fall digging! That is not simple gardening in my book!

However... now that I'm getting older, have more patience, and more time... I'm wanting to learn more about the dormancy processes of a few of those things I've rejected in the past. I'd at least like to say that I tried it!

"Keep It Simple, Stupid" kind of reminds me, in a twisted way, of the saying, "Measure Twice, Cut Once" as used in carpentry... Even armed with this tidbit of important information, my husband can still totally mess up a simple wood project! It's funny because he's college educated, specializing in the plastics industry, and can do wonders with electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, plumbing, mechanical, and is a technological genius! He reads binary code, I kid you not! But he seems to take the long road when it comes to simple project planning, and anything wooden is guaranteed to turn out crooked! LOL! I don't know why one thing reminded me of the other, but it did make me laugh as I thought about it!

Anyway... I found a simple explanation of how to put Hippi bulbs to rest at the University of Minnesota Extension website. Very well-written in a very simple way. I'm gonna try it next chance I get.

I found a simple explanation of how to put Hippi bulbs to rest at the University of Minnesota Extension website. Very well-written in a very simple way.

OOOO. Share it with us!
: )

I copied and pasted it for another post here in the forum, but I'd be happy to post it here, as well... It's fairly short and to the point, considering it contains quite a bit of information for the novice grower... Here is is:

"The amaryllis is a tender bulb that will bloom without special treatment when first purchased. It should be potted up in light, rich soil in a pot that is only 12 inches larger in diameter than the bulb. The upper half of the bulb should be exposed above the soil. After watering thoroughly, allow the soil to become quite dry. Water more frequently after the flower stalk appears, but never water when the soil is already moist. Put the plant in a warm, sunny spot until the flower buds show color, then move it out of direct sunlight.

After blooming, cut off the flowers to prevent seed formation. The foliage should be handled as if it were a sun loving houseplant. Place it in the brightest possible location indoors until it is warm enough to sink the pot in soil outdoors where it will receive dappled sunlight at first. Gradually move it to a brighter location where eventually it has full sun for at least five or six hours daily. Fertilize with a balanced houseplant food at regular intervals to build up the nutrients needed for blooming the following year.

Amaryllis should be brought indoors before the first frost in the fall. Traditionally, the bulb is then given a resting period by placing it in a dark location, withholding all water and allowing the leaves to dry. The bulb may be forced into bloom again after resting eight weeks, or even less, should new growth appear spontaneously. If necessary, repot in a slightly larger container. If the pot is still large enough, remove the upper 2 inches of soil and topdress with fresh potting soil. This completes the cycle, which may be repeated annually for many years of lovely blossoms.

Amaryllis also can be kept growing actively year-round without the traditional rest and subsequent forcing. When handled this way, however, the bulbs probably will not bloom until spring. They still require annual repotting or topdressing along with adequate light and fertilizer to ensure repeated bloom.

Often small plantlets will develop beside a well-grown amaryllis. These may be separated gently from the large bulb and repotted, or they may be left attached and allowed to grow to full size along with the original bulb. You could end up with a large pot containing several amaryllis, all blooming at once . . . a spectacular sight!

With a little care and effort, you can have a steady supply of bulb flowers from late January to April. Forcing bulbs into flowering can be a great pleasure and challenge for anyone who is interested in flowering plants."

The above quoted information was taken directly from the University of Minnesota Extension website. I think it's written in fairly simple terms, easy to understand for those who are new Amaryllis Addicts and aren't sure what to do with their new bulb once it has initially flowered for Christmas!

I don't move them inside and let them dry out. I live in California, and have them planted out. By the time they should be dried out, they get a lot of water here, so they keep green, and even greener than ever. So I just simply unearth them, cut the leaves off, wash and clean them, let them dry a little, and in the refrigerator in a mesh bag. I put the mesh bagged bulbs in bigger paper boxes, so they wouldn't touch the walls of the refrigerator. I had no problems with my bulbs and flowers. I do not pay much attention to them. They are fine and when I take them out, they bloom shortly. One thing though: I check them in about ever two weeks to see if any shows the tip(s) of the bud(s). If yes, then I plant them as soon as possible. It was a foolproof method for me so far. I might try drying them out on a shelf this Fall if I can find a shelf somewhere in the garage... That is a real challenge!

That's the type of information I was hoping to find... thanks, soultan! The bulbs go in mesh bags, then inside another box to keep the bulbs from touching the fridge walls... I wouldn't have thought of keeping them away from the walls, but it makes sense... it's a good barrier against possible cold spots in the fridge and possible rot from any condensation, etc...

What setting do you keep the fridge at, if it has an adjustable setting? Low, like 1 or 2 or 3? Or higher?

Since the info I posted came from the University of Minnesota, I'm assuming it's kind of aimed at people in the northern states. Finding a cool place, garage or basement, for 8 weeks in CA or FL might not be possible! I don't know!

It is a fridge that has the freezer outside, attached on the top, so NOT inside of the fridge... Just to prevent potential freeze-down. I just bought a cheap thermometer and keep the setting at the point that gives me about 47-50F. And don't touch it ever... This fridge is a dedicated bulb fridge, so no one can touch it anyway besides me.

I think I mentioned it before, but I just so happen to have a small dorm sized fridge I could dedicate to bulbs. No one uses it anyway. It's not pretty, just an older model small thing. But it does have two small crisper drawers and a couple of shelves. And I could easily hang a sign on it saying: "Keep Out! Bulb Storage Only!"

The thing I need to do, in fact, I could do it today... is check it for constant temperature. I have a couple of those little cheapy hanging thermometers made for refrigerators. I'll take one out with me when I go to the kennel and hang it in the fridge. As I said before, it's supposed to house penicillin and any other medical thing that needs to stay cold, but it's empty right now. No one uses it.

I was lucky. One large refridgerator came with the new house. I simply didn't let it go and use it for my bulbs. Better than a wine cooler that actually froze my bulbs down.

I would think that one of those beverage or wine coolers would be perfect for bulbs, but not if they can't be regulated to a certain temperature! I'm going to pull the thermometer tomorrow when I go out to the kennel and see if that little dorm fridge is good for bulbs! I took it out there today and set it on the center shelf. Then, I forgot to check before I came in! Oh well... tomorrow's another day...

Soultan, I asked the question but could not quite understand the answer Maria gave me. Would you please advise whether I should cut off the roots when replanting the bulb after its rest in the fridge? I don't know whether these roots are any good since they are so dry to the touch.
Thanks for your reply.

Xuan

Never cut off meaty roots, but remove all the completely dry roots that break anyway anyway. Those dry roots will not be beneficial to the plants, and they just rot under the bulb (personal experience), so leave all the meaty (softer) roots, and remove the completely dry and hard ones. Did it help?

Thank you, Soultan. That sounds "easier" for me. Three more weeks to go before I take the bulb out. Haven't seen the "bud" so far, though.

Xuan

The producer can guarantee 2 or even 3 scapes for his bulbs - simply counting the number of fleshy leaf bases, representing the number of leaves the bulb had produced in the previous season. You will see that a good bulb has generally 8 leaf bases. It is not so much a matter of bulb size. In fact the size of a bulb which can produce scapes is very different depending on the cultivar.

Generally the "dormancy period" is misunderstood as a procedure which involves traumatic actions on the poor plant (cutting the leaves and damaging roots when the bulbs are lifted and kept DRY.) But in my eyes the dormancy is simply a period of sufficiently low temperatures (below 20°C, perfectly 13°C) which is obligatory to accomplish the final sacpe elongation within the bulb.
You can force a bulb let's say on Christmas, on your best windowsill, with central heating below, which keeps the substrate up to perfect 24°C - and then, if you water and fertilize well, then the it will have procuced a nice bush of leaves and the bulb will have fully recovered in May of the new year. IF you are so clever, THEN, to put it outdoors where the temperatures are far cooler than indoors, then you will observe that the plant seemingly does stop all activity. In fact, it goes into dormancy, while it is fully green, but it will continue to consume water - certainly not the dayily quantity as it did indoors. But, after 8 weeks... then you will suddenly observe that scapes appear.

Cutting off the leaves in order to initiate a reposal period has nothing to do with the principle of dormancy, but it is necessary IF the bulb has to be "stored" that means stored CROWDED in a DARK place (where leaves would not be helpful for the bulb)
If you do no take your bulb out of its pot then that far better for the roots because they will not dry out so much. But, under professional conditions, bulbs are not grown in pots but in fields and they have to be lifted.
In fact, traumatic actions on knight star lilies are a tribute to professional bulb production, and they have nothing to do with dormancy itself.

These considerations are already applied for commercial cut flower production. The best, guiant and mighty scapes are produced by nontramatized bulbs which are kept in substrate (2-4 mm baked clay bullets) and watered by an automated system which keeps the temperature of the water on above 20°C for the growth period and, in fall, 8 weeks on 13°C - and within this time span the scapes are initiated and they appear on the un-lifted bulbs (which will be only defoliated, for plant hygienical reasons)
Several cioonditions were tested in an older study which was performed in Germany, and gebnerously publidhed onthe web, and it reveals, that "keeping DRY" is not esssential (!sic!)

I wish I understood German... that looked like an interesting study to read.

If I understand the above post, it is far better to leave the roots undisturbed, potted, and keep the leaves intact, while putting the bulb through a cool rest period. Growers have to unearth the bulbs because they are grown in fields, but if they were potted, they'd leave them that way. And they have to cut off the leaves because of how they're stored, in tight quarters in the dark.

And... dormancy is really no more than a period of lowered temperatures that help the scapes within the bulb form properly. Correct?

Am I correct to assume that the bulbs are not lifted and deleafed till they are ready to go on the market? I really believe that the growers plant the little bulblets, then keep them "evergreen" till they are ready to be sent to the market. At least that is what the growers' sites suggest that I have visited.

Veronica Read presented this table of what procedures are done to propagated seedlings and bulblets from twin scaling. They do go through like 2-3 times of lifting, hot water treatment, storing and replanting.

Interesting. I don't have the Veronica Read book. It is better if I don't have it. I need to work and research, and I would only read this book, so it would be a distraction. I might end up getting it ultimately though no matter how much I don't want to. :o)

When I began learning to bead, I bought a few instructional books... they were very helpful. I should probably think about getting a book or two about Hippiastrums and their culture. It appears that Veronica Read's book tops the list of good ones... I will have to look into it...

I highly recomend it. Its is very informative. There are not much choice of Hippeastrum books out there anyway.

That's one aspect of Hippiastrums I haven't looked into yet... books. When the weather turns colder and I can't work in the gardens, I will research books and other informational literature.

In the meantime, I'll keep Veronica Read's book on my list of things to get.

The same is true of the American Bulldog... only a few books exist about them, and some of those are not good ones...

Perhaps an idea would be to begin gathering information to write a book about the Hippis! Hmmm...

Indeed. That is one of my plans. Not to write a book, but instead, creating the largest possible picture book of varieties available, topping Starr Ockenga's book. I liked her book, but was disappointed not seeing full page pictures of the varieties. There are too few pictures in that book. So I thought I'd make a lot of pictures and create a book... So far, I fell short of that plan. I had only made very few pictures of my numerous varieties. Maybe that is why I am collecting now, to have the biggest collection for a picture book, then I will make back all my cost by releasing this book. :o) Good. I have justified my collecting and cost!

Do we really need a reason to grow these bulbs, beyond their beauty!? I'd like to say that I will be able to justify my time and costs, but the reality is that they are simply fascinating, and I'll grow and breed them regardless... it would be really nice, though, if one of us were to put together either a picture book or a book with cultural information, and got it published!!

Well said, Hans-Werner!

Thank you!

Ann

Back to the topic...

Sir Hans...Thanks for that info. You are right(as always). I have seen a pic of hippeastrums(for cut flower) with scapes and almost no leaves. I think it is in Ludwig's website. "defoliated for hygienical reasons"...How is this so?

During winter time, I do not have enough growing area inside that can give my amaryllises enough sunlight. I wish I did. I do not have a greenhouse or indoor grow lights. Again, I wish I did. As much as I want my amaryllises to continously grow all year long, I can not do so. Putting them to dormancy is a MUST for me.
This is my plan for this winter. Since the unheated garage is dark, I will have to let the leaves dry out and then cut them. Give them maybe a week or so to dry out a bit and then unpot, dip in fungicide, repot in fresh soil. Water a little bit and mulch to keep moisture in the roots. I have fed them well and given them as much right caring as I know this spring/summer. I think I will be getting a very good performance from them next spring.

I prefer my flowers with huge leaves. They are harder to handle when inside in pots and actively developing and blooming, but the flowers look much better with foliage. My Aphrodite with huge leaves just amazed me for instance. So I am happy if a bulb brings up leaves then scapes.
Merenque on the other hand had not even a tip of a leaf out and shot up four scapes with at least 6 blooms on each. The whole flower looked like a brown Christmas tree. WOW... Now that was an effect as well. But I just love large leaves... I am happy that my bulbs outside in the bed do so well and there is a leaf jugngle. I hope that the newly planted out bulbs will shoot up some new leaves as well and add to the effect. I know it is not as pretty as a flowering bed, but next year I will do what I have planned and described in another thread. I will plant blooming flowers in between the rows and the whole thing will look really pretty and happy. That is the main point, isn't it?

Bluebonsai...I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you in your earlier post. The thread was going so fast and everybody was talking about how to put their plants to dormancy. Here is a link to the Japanese super-minis. If you get to import some, please don't forget about your forum friends :-)

http://www009.upp.so-net.ne.jp/miyake-nursery/catalog/detail/hp/superminihby.htm

By the way, you mentioned about the reticulatums. I recently acquired some variegated reticulatum and a Mrs. Garfield which I read is a relative of the reticulatums. Do they require dormancy? Can you give me more info on their growing and resting requirements? Thanks!

In the forum of the huge flowers, we are getting into mini-mania.

Sort of like going from a Standard Poodle to a Teacup Poodle! The large ones are nice, but not everyone has room for them!

The Japanese Minis are kind of like Hippis for the apartment dweller! Small and compact, so you can have more than one without requiring a mansion! Hehe!

I am fond of small dogs. I always loved the teacup poodles. Now I am glad I got a small, but not teacup dog. I would constantly worry about a small dog not to crush him while asleep on the bed... :o) Toto can dig himself up well...
Now, I wouldn't say the same for the miniature amaryllis. It wouldn't dig itself up if there is a trouble... I hope they are easy to handle, just as the other kinds of amaryllis...