Hi Maria, all pretty standard stuff we know from flowering our own bulbs for many years, but the one thing that I found very interesting was the fact that after about 8 years the bulbs are senior citizens and will begin to shut down bloom production. I guess I never appreciated that these were such short-lived bulbs before hearing that.....I wonder what makes some Amaryllids keep on growing strong for 50 or more years (Worsleya, Boophane, etc) while Hipps apparently are much shorter-lived little beauties......one could guess climate, etc. but of course, Worsleya and some Hipps come from the same location so this is not a likely answer.....what do you think? :o) Dan

Hi Bluebonsai. I know... In fact I really got disapointed with that '8 year' thing. If our newly purchased bulbs are like 2 1/2-3 years old, that would leave us around 5 years to enjoy it's flowers? But then he said, 'average bulb'and there are always exceptions to the rule. Could it be that this would only happen to hybrids and not the species?

I also read somewhere, about cutting/slicing of the basal plate of your bulbs to 1/2 inch (I hope I remember that right) as a way to 'renew' your bulbs. Those basal plates can get thick and tough with age to the point that new roots are having a hard time to come out of it. I wonder if this can prolong that 8 years. In fact, I have a stubborn Double Record that does not want to root or leaf out no matter what I do with it. It had this thick basal plate like 3/4". I sliced it back to 1/2", dipped in Captan, dried a few days and planted. It now has 4 leaves.

The 8 years is surprising. Especially looking at the fact that the garden amarylli just keep on flowering season after season even for 50 years... Maybe Mr. Barhoorn is trying to go safe explaining it to us, so if the bloom count declines, we wouldn't be so disappointed and just accepted it as natural? I wouldn't mind my bulbs flowering for me year after year after year... Will see. I am still at the beginning of the cycle. Check back at me in 10 years about my experiences if I am still growing amarylli and still sane.

I'm thinking it has something to do with genetics... Just as breeders are trying to breed for flower size, shape, color and those things, longevity is being sacrificed.

For example... it's getting more difficult to find true Hardy Garden Mums. Many of the Mum breeders are not concerned with breeding for hardiness, but are more concerned with getting mums of certain flower shape, size and color to make them more salable to the public.

I would assume it's rather difficult to breed Hippis for longevity due to the fact that it takes so long from seed to flower... it would take breeders forever to find out which bulbs were the longest lasting, so they could use those for parent bulbs... but then, they take the chance of losing other qualities... Plus, just like everything else, sad to say, it's more profitable to breed for aesthetics than for things like longevity... if we all had our bulbs forever, they'd never sell us another one of a particular type... we'd already/still have them!

If you think about it, though, 8 years is a long time... by the time our parent bulbs get too old to bloom, we'll already have babies from them... and offsets which are genetically the same as the parent. So, it's not so bad a thing...

Some breeds of dogs don't even live to be 8 any more... and the really sad thing about that is... technically, they SHOULD live to be about 20-26 years old... providing they're fed and properly cared for from conception, through infancy and into adulthood. And that means eliminating commercially produced dog food, providing the proper amounts of exercise, medical attention and tests, etc... Think about that... our animals could live twice as long as they do, and it all comes down to proper breeding and environment!

Soultan...Lol...You're so funny! In the long run, it could be the mature bulblets still attached to mommy that are blooming and not the mother bulb anymore. In 10 years, you'll have 200 or more varieties to puchase and will still be playing with Toto in your gardenful of amaryllis. By that time too, a lot of sick people would be looking forward to your blooming amaryllises.

8 years! I thought my bulbs would last forever! Thats very disappointing to hear.

I think there are a lot of variables to consider before we pronounce our bulbs over-the-hill at age 8! Genetics play an important role... meaning some of our bulbs may live longer than others because of their ancestry. Environment is a big part of how long they last... if we give them optimum care, that could help to extend their lives.

And then there's Maria's basal plate trim that seems to have helped her large older bulb to sprout again. That interests me... I'd like to learn a little more about that.

Plus, we could begin to take notes on which of our bulbs give us more years of good bloom without changing our routines, and then use those bulbs' babies/offsets as our parent plants in breeding. In other words, breed with longevity as a characteristic that's desired.

I plan on using a program called COMPUPED to keep records of breeding. If I am diligent in my data input and gather as much history as I can on each variety and bulb I have, I will be able to use the program to propose a breeding, and it will compute accurate information about what percentage of which ancestors the proposed breeding will be drawing its genetic characteristics from. At that point, I can decide if making the cross is worth the effort.

8 years is quite a long time if you think about it... we should have babies from our bulbs by then, which are genetically the same as the parent... and who's to say that 8 years is set in stone, anyway? Years 3 or 5 to 8 might be peak years, but I'd bet our bulbs will last longer than that!

Maria,

Right now I have about 300 varieties to buy. I hope that after 10 years, I would only have 10-20+ new that I still don't have... But it is a nice thought to have Toto around in 10 years. I just have to find out how to reprogram him, so the extreme noise could be eliminated... He is such a good boy, but likes to bark his lungs out when visitors come to the house... It is impossible to have a conversation or greeting in the first minute. He wants to say hello first... I still have to find a way to regulate him without hurting him. Maybe the most humane thing would be a bark collar. That hurts him, but only a little and I wouldn't have to personally do anything to him. Nice words do not work in this situation.

I wouldn't take this 8 years "rule" so seriously. Let's not panic about it.

Soultan - There are two types of electronic collars we have used... Tri-Tronics and Ino-Tek... both with good success. They both have numerous settings, so you can set them for a little or a lot, depending on what works in your situation for your dog.

I had an Olde Bulldogge named Blanche several years ago, and she was a barker, too. Plus, she had a mind of her own and wouldn't come when called. We used an electronic collar on her, and it helped with both of her bad habits.

It's not inhumane, and if you couple a collar with consistent commands, and praise when the dog does the right thing, you will have a well-mannered companion that you can be proud of. Good luck with whatever you decide for Toto!

I'm not going to sweat this 8 year thing... I think that may be just an average number of years of peak bloom production. And I think there are a lot of other variables that come into the picture. Not to worry!

People are amazed how well behaving and well trained Toto is. The only thing that annoys me is this barking for visitors. He is just too excited and wants to express it, and it is not a good thing, so I will have to take care of it. It is almost impossible to correct with training. I was a police dog trainer in Hungary, so I know how to handle dogs and how to train them. This one needs some electronic help though.

Yes, I forgot that you mentioned your training experience! I think all dogs should have some basic obedience training. I can't tolerate dogs with poor manners, like jumping on people or not listening when given a command. It's fairly easy to train a dog in simple obedience... most anyone can do it if they take a little time with their dog, and are consistent in their commands and praise... but you already know that. :-) Most dogs are more than willing to do whatever pleases their people!

It seems that a lot of the smaller breeds tend to bark more than the larger ones, although, the Ridgebacks here bark quite a bit more than most larger breeds I've had experience with. I'm so used to Bulldogs and how quiet they are, for the most part. Most will give a warning growl before doing anything protective, but they are known for being rather quiet, and not big barkers.

We've only had a couple of dogs that required electronic collar use, but it worked out very well. Some dogs are very stubborn, and a little extra help is needed to teach them. Blanche, the Olde Bulldogge, was one of those stubborn dogs. She was not stupid, just very stubborn. It took a while, but she eventually became a very well-mannered house dog.

I just need to be able to say hi when someone enters the house. :o)

Yes, that would be nice... Toto should let you talk first! LOL! :-)

He came with me to PetSMart, and was very happy and excited that we were out and purchased something. Poor soul, he did not know what I bought. My heart almost broke. He was so happy to be with me there. Now, he is a good boy. He is not barking anymore.

Very good... he will learn fast... all he wants is to make you happy! I know how hard it is to discipline our little friends, but it's for the best... when you are happy with him, he will be that much more happy!! :-)

I had had some evidence for aging.
This was a marked feature in "Appleblossom" - and it meant that the growth of the central "mother" bulb of a cluster became somewhat weaker and, thus, the surrounding offsets finally surpassed it in size.
I have also some observatioon, right now, that the bulbs of species (!) amaryllis H.papilio becomes weaker when they age! Again, the surrounding offsets are far more vigorous now.

Contrary to that, the mother bulb of a very vigorous cultivar, "Cantate" (very similar to "Hercules") did not behave this way, it became bigger every year, and it remained, clearly, the biggest bulb in the whole cluster which it had built up during NINE years.

Elsewhere I read that "slow" bulbs can be rejuvenated by a hot water treatment.

In summary - I do not care so much for the 8 y thing *g* - IF you perform a good ummh husbandry on yopur bulbous plants then you will be rewarded by a rich yield of offsets, and the moment will inevitably come where you will have to divide that community

Hans-Werner
[Huns Vairnair]
*ggg*

I can't wait to have my first community that blooms at the same time. I plan to keep communities together until the offsets bloom. And then I would remove the bloomers. I have not had any yet, and it is quite hard to keep them together when you are digging them up from outside. But I will try.

Having more than one bulb in a pot, like a group of 3, looks very nice... especially when in bloom together! And even nicer is a pot full of offsets surrounding the mother bulb or bulbs!

I don't have enough bulbs yet that I could plant a grouping, and since I can't plant them outside in the garden to multiply naturally... I'll have to wait to have my potted grouping.

The only bulb I have that has produced an offset is my 7 year old Minerva... and it was very pot-bound before producing that baby... it seems that everyone else's bulbs multiply rather quickly... why aren't mine? I know most of my Hippis are very young, but I would think that my Minerva would have lots more babies by now... any clue why she only has one offspring at such an age?

Soultan...You need a Supreme Garden.

Jodic...Most of the time, offset production depends on the variety and not just the age.

The offset production depends on? I wish I knew. Does any one realy Know.

Ahhhhh...Finally ARIF shows up! Hello there! How are you and your amaryllises (specially your 'mongrels')doing in Pakistan? You have been VERY quiet for a long time.

I read on this forum a theory. According to it, bulbs that are well kept usually don't concentrate on offset producing. As soon as they feel their existence is threatened, they start to shoot out babies like crazy. So maybe your Minerva is well kept, so it does not care about producing you a lot of babies to replace itself.

Well... I have tried to give her the best care I can... so, if that theory is true, then that's why she only has one baby... plus, as Maria said, the variety has a lot to do with it. Perhaps her particular variety doesn't multiply fast. Either way, I was curious as to why most pictures posted have tons of babies around the mother bulbs, and mine have none, or just the one.

Daughter bulb formation does mainly depend on....
Genetics!
And, excellent husbandry.
Red Lion and Appleblossom are good offset producers, and nothing to say about the species amaryllis Hippeastrum papilio!
In some, but not all cases it occurs that if the heart and the central vegetation point of the "mother" bulb, respectively, is destroyed - for example by the maggot of a big narcissus bulb fly - then the "decapitated" bulb starts to form many offsets. This can be explained by the loss of the former apical dominance which is a principal phenomenon in many plants.

How and when does the narcissus maggot get inside the bulb? I know the fly would lay her egg, but at what stage of bulb growth does it happen? Can it be prevented?

These bulbs were given to me when I first moved into this house 4 to 5 years ago. The bulbs were good sized bulbs when they were given to me, at least 2/3 year old bulbs.
They are still growing strong.
{{gwi:429698}}

This photo was taken last summer.

Beautiful, Dizzy! Are those Minerva's? They're very healthy looking!

Nice and healthy clump Dizzy. Hippeastrums must LOVE that part of Australia. They do get dormant or receive a cool period there. How many months is this cool weather?

Maria. They do OK here in Melbourne but they actually prefer it a bit warmer. Hippy bulbs up in Queensland grow much faster.
It starts to cool down here the last month of Autumn (Fall) which is around May and doesn't warm up till now. So at least 5 to 6 months. We are into the second month of spring now but it was only 15 degrees Celsius today.

Jodik, i don't know what they are but I don't think they are. I've post a thread asking that question and was told no. Whatever they are I'm still very happy with them. I hope they do just as well this year.

Wow, 5-6 months of cool period and look at them after waking up. They look like they have been 'rejuvinated' and are so eager to grow.

Last year was my first time to put my collection to rest inside the garage (potted). If I am not mistaken, the cool period was like 4-5 months and I was getting scared that it would affect them. Apparently, it did not. They woke up, bloomed nicely and grew vigorously this year. One thing is common between Dizzy's Hippies and mine. The Hippis are not unpotted or stored bareroot. Keeping the roots from drying out in this cool period must be really beneficial for them.

It makes a lot of sense that they would do grow better if they could keep their roots. I've noticed that my newly purchased bulbs can take a long time to grow roots and would hate to dig them up and let the roots die.
This clump was one that kept it's leaves over winter but have just recently shed them and are now growing new ones. I don't see any scapes forming yet but I think it's still a bit early for this clump.

I don't think it't Minerva either. It looks very similar, but it looks more like a Cocktail to me for instance. The two might not have anything in common, but it looks like that variety.