So THAT'S what CHAD means. I should have been a blond. I've been cocking my head to the side for weeks wondering what that meant. I so have CHAD!!! Anyhoo, hardware store hippis are great. True, they can be a little dodgey at times and some of them are rotted and moldy but WOW.

When you find a bargain it's sure worth it. Okay, so WHAT kind of hippi is this? Red Lion, Minerva or what? I must know!!!! Please tell me! You must be the bulb whisperer. I can't believe it's blooming for a third time. I hope at least one of mine performs like that. Sheesh!

Okay. Gotta go feed the 11mo old. He thinks he needs to eat. What a baby ;-)

Having a bulb bloom more than once or twice, even more than three times a year isn't uncommon. Some of my bulbs will bloom only once a year while others seem to like to bloom twice a year. I do have two bulbs that despite what I do, they bloom roughly every 2 months-- that comes to 5-6 times a year. One is jewel and the other is dancing queen. Jewel's blooms get progressively smaller, smaller scapes and fewer blooms per scape until it seems to go through a feasting stage and then it starts all over again with a huge flush of blooms. Dancing queen on the other hand doesn't seem to give rats behind how many times it blooms. The scape are always roughly a foot to a foot and a half in height and the blooms always number 4/scape and the bloom sizes never decrease with successive blooms. The original bulb i had of dancing queen had a severe gouge in its side and in one year it was gone and she increased in size, despite multiple blooms.

The point is-- each bulb has its own clock by which it runs-- don't we all!-- and once you know what that clock is, grow the plant by that schedule. Another member on here-- Jodik-- is a good case example as she never puts her's through dormancy and her oldest bulb (Minerva!-- you're welcome Jodik!) will bloom rather consistently for her but on its own schedule.

Also, some bulb will decrease in size during bloom and will work hard after blooming to regain its size-- while others seem to have a knack to grow despite frequent blooming.

Keep doing what you're doing with your bulb and realize that there are no rules, only good, educated guesses out there on how to raise these insanely addictive plants. It is a good thing we don't smoke these things or the government would put a stop to CHAD. Instead, I would like to thank all those effected by CHAD for being the one remaining hope our economy has left. LOL And to answer you question about drying these bulbs-- yes, it is often used to get blooms when you want them. I prefer to let these bulbs bloom on their own, however.

CHAD-- the next economic stimulus package.

Ryan

Forcing a dormancy on a Hippeastrum bulb is mainly something you'd do to have blooms at a certain time of year. If your bulb is getting plenty of sunlight, fertilizer, and the right amount of moisture, then I wouldn't worry about taking it out of its pot. If you're treating it rather like a houseplant, and that seems to be what you're doing, and it's giving you lots of blooms... be happy! It will rest when it needs to naturally.

The little offsets are its babies, and you can either leave them with the mother bulb, or wait until they have their own root systems and separate them into their own pots.

The reason people un-pot their bulbs and store them is simply to force a dormancy so they can have flowers at Christmas or a particular time during the year. I would leave your bulb as is and enjoy its generosity!

And by the way... I'm a blonde! ;-)

Hi everyone! Sorry about not recognizing that you all responded. I really appreciate when people on GardenWeb spend their good time answering my novice questions. But for the first time I just forgot the question that I had posted! Anyway, thanks to all who responded.

Larcher, all I can say about what bulb I have is it was labeled "pink". The hardware guys aren't into a lot of verbosity it seems. It is sort of pink on top and white on the bottom, with green deep in the throat. It's very tall, the stalk with blooms is 25 inches tall. I've seen in various places a couple of different names for flowers that look like like mine. So I don't have a name. Sorry! Have fun with your baby, they aren't small for long!

Sounds like it might be the variety Apple Blossom, you are lucky to have a repeat bloomer like that! My aphrodite bloomed like that before a bulb fly attack. They're being nursed back to health, can't wait to have them start blooming again.
Welcome aseed, visit and post more often!
I was a blonde growing up, then tried to stay that way as a young man, now I just want hair on the top of my head!!!!

Sounds like Apple Blossom to me. I agree with Chaz....as per usual :-) Did you acquire any more bulbs this season? I really hope you did since you had such good luck blooming the one you have. Red Lion is a very common variety but it is quite pretty and easy to find. I recommend adding one of those :-)

I third the motion... it's most likely Apple Blossom! Minerva is another common variety, sold everywhere, that I'd recommend adding to your collection! A beautiful red and white, and a very strong grower!

I will also second the motion that Larissa spend as much time as possible enjoying her little ones... they grow up so fast! Seems like only yesterday my kids were young... today, I'm Gramma to 3!

As far as a rest... I just let my bulbs rest as they choose, though all of mine are grown indoors as houseplants.

I enjoy them! I also enjoy watching them trot up to Grandma's. lol

I "rested" mine for 8 weeks (I think). Maybe it was 12. I don't remember the specifics. lol Just grow it as a houseplant until August. Then let it rest if you want Christmas blooms for sure. Good luck

Probably all the grandmas and grandpas sometimes wish they could rest the babes as easily as their plants! Lol! I did get some bulbs by trading on GardenWeb, but I think I need to throw them all away as they have the red fungus stuff. One was "Voodoo", but it was the only named one. I have them far away from the maybe Appleblossom bulb. I thought they were just damaged by the cold they experienced being sent here so late in the year, but the new leaves on most have the red spots. They have some for eight dollars at WalMart, but I am really crowded here with everything inside for the winter, and I'm afraid to get another. We had a high today of -5 degrees! But we'll see. I put some fungicide that I had on them, but from reading about this fungus I think it is a kind that isn't going to work. I guess I lucked out with the first one being all healthy for me.

If it's just a fungal infection, you can take care of that using an anti-fungal powder, such as Captan. I also keep Schultz's 3 in 1 spray around, and use it for insect control and fungal problems. I would give an anti-fungal a chance to work before throwing out any bulbs!

But that's me... I can't stand to get rid of any plants until it's more than obvious that I can't save them! I recently lost one of my miniature Cymbidiums... and I almost don't want to throw out the pot, hoping that somehow the roots have survived. I think it's a lost cause, but I have trouble letting go... :-)