It's a good day for new beginnings Jodi!!
:-)
Kristi

Dear Jodik,

What a wonderful friend and what an uplifting story. Yes there are angels among us and lots of times they come in the form of a friend. Happy growing and I'm very happy for your renewed spirit.

Warm Regards,
Fred

Jodik, glad to see you and your amaryllis again here!

Xuan

Thank you, Kristi, Fred, and Xuan! Nice to "meet" you, Fred... and nice to "see" you gals again, Kristi, and Xuan!

We'll all watch it grow and bloom together... I tend to document everything growing in photo form.

I hope your Thanksgivings were nice ones! :-)

Wonderful and touching story, thank you for sharing it Jodik. Wishing you and Minerva 2 all the best.

What a wonderful reminder of the kindness that people have for each other. Thanks so much for sharing and its good to hear from you again. -J

Hi Jodik,
I am new to this forum, and in fact, I will start a new thread after leaving this response to your thread.

I myself can truly understand what it's like to have health problems. I had injured myself at work back in 2004. Since then, I have had 2 knee surgeries on my right knee to repair all the damage that was done from that work accident. Since 2006 thankfully my knee has only given me little grief. In 2009 I had my 1st back surgery, followed by my second in 2010 and on December 17th I will have major surgery on my back.

I know my plants played a major part in my recovery. If anything they have helped me keep my sanity. Granted I never really was a big amaryllis grower but over the years I have grown them here and there. I really only gave up on them when I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get them to rebloom but ever since I started burying them pot and all every summer, I have not had a problem with getting them to rebloom.

Thanks to you and all the others on this forum, I decided that this year, I wanted something to grow that would provide me with nice flowers over the winter. I do grow many, MANY, tropicals. I live in zone 6 so everything has to come in over the winter. My main passion is growing tropical fruits, citrus(because I love there fragrant flowers and I enjoy watching the fruits grow.), plumeria....I could go on and on!

Ad for my amaryllis, I have 2 Red Lion bulbs that I have had for about 4 years now. I did take them outdoors this past summer, but I never got them in the ground so the bulbs are too small to bloom this year:( I have bought 6 more to add to my collection. 1 Red Pearl, 1 Show master, Aphrodite, and 2 Apple Blossom. I just hope that Apple Blossom, and Aphrodite were not mislabled bulbs. I got them from WalMart and I have heard from people here that it happens a lot. The Red Pearl and Show Master I bought from bins at a local reputable nursery. IF those bloom and they are not what they are supposed to be, I will be able to get my money back.

IT was really nice to get to know you a little here and I wish you the besy with your new Minera!

Andrew

I also got the NBF in my collection this last year! I have treated them & cleaned them up but lost many of them. I don't know what I have left since cleaning & treating them. I just put them in the ground, I was so disheartened over losing so many but will see how many I have left this season!

Thank you all so very much! And thank you for sharing your story, Andrew... I can certainly relate!

There are several ways to grow and bloom Hippeastrums, and I have chosen to treat mine as houseplants, allowing them to revert to their natural bloom schedule once the initial forced bloom is complete. Most bloom naturally from early spring to sometime during summer, usually within the early part.

Some folks force a dormancy period and opt to schedule blooms during the holidays, and some of us let nature take over. Some growers are lucky and can plant them directly in their gardens without any danger of cold weather.

There are as many ways to grow and bloom Hippeastrum bulbs as there are medium types to plant them in, feeding schedules to maintain, etc. We each choose what works best for our own growing environments and needs.

After many years of trial and error, I've chosen to use a more inorganic, bonsai-like, larger particulate as a medium, feed with a continual buffet-like nutritional regimen, and allow the bulbs to rest and grow as they see fit. I've had very good results... up until the bug incident.

Andrew, of the many, many persons my husband and I know with back, neck, or general spinal issues and accompanying chronic pain and/or mobility issues, there's only one person we know who has gone through surgery and come out the better for it. Both myself and my husband have varying issues with varying levels of chronic pain and mobility... his beginning with an industrial accident that left him unable to walk for a year, and mine from the more recent auto accident. He was also a passenger in the auto accident, and was injured further.

We just have all the luck. If I made a list of the many things that have befallen us as a family, you wouldn't believe me. You'd think I was kidding. Instead of allowing it all to keep us down, we opt to joke about it, as if we had our very own personal black cloud of bad luck that rains on us every chance it gets! It's not really funny, but laughing about it all keeps us sane! :-)

I wish you the very best with regard to your upcoming procedure, and hope you truly come out much better for it. Living in constant pain with back issues is no kind of life... you're so very lucky to have the ability to get the proper procedure done! You're lucky to have gotten your knee repaired, as well.

Without the insurance or the means to seek out the finest in specialists, we're stuck doing the best we can... masking chronic pain and living life one day at a time. Plants have helped me immensely... nurturing them, I think, keeps me moving, and keeps my mind on something I enjoy very much. My husband, on the other hand, has been forced to abandon his career as a college educated industrial engineer, and we get by because he's very skilled in electronics, technology, and the world of computers and that sort of thing. We also help caretake a large farm/estate, so setting our own schedules where we can rest as needed is a big help.

It seems we have rather similar stories, and it seems that plants have played a positive role in helping us recover. I haven't tried growing citrus yet, though I have limited indoor space to devote to plants. If everything tender I have in pots can't fit into one window alcove, I can't keep it.

My collection consists of mainly bulbs, though I do keep a couple of small orchids, a Chalice Vine, an Epi Cactus, a Pregnant Onion, 2 young Plumerias, and a few assorted houseplants of small size. One is a Ponytail Palm, and another is a small pot of Ledebouria.

I keep saying I want to take my bulbs outside for summer... I know it would do them a world of good... but that includes an awful lot of trips up and down stairs, which I'm simply not up to. I bring one Red Lion out, plus the two Plumies. The Red Lion has grown by leaps and bounds, so I know that summering them outside would be the best idea. Perhaps next spring I'll make it a point to carry one pot down with me every trip I make outside... if I can remember! Did I mention a head injury and memory loss were other gifts of our accident? :-)

We grow several acres of old garden roses and mixed perennial borders, here... so I do have the outside space to keep bulbs. The only question is whether they'd survive the dogs, the goats, the barn cats, and other critters... some human... that might want to "help" me care for them!

Please keep us informed as to the results of your surgery... it's something we have an interest in, not to mention I'm hoping it turns out well, allowing you a better life, less any pain!

Time for my daily chores... thank you, everyone... you've been most kind! :-)