I've inherited some amaryllis

16 years ago

They've got leaves - long ones. The pot they were in broke and they've been sitting out on a bed of mulch for months. Now they are on my front porch as I'm finally in a place to do some planting.

I'm not exactly sure what to do with them though. The books say sun/part sun and how to prepare the bed. The problem is that I'm not exactly sure how to approach it. And how do I 'store' them if it takes me a bit to plant them?

Can anyone share their amaryllis experiences in central Florida? I've never grown these outside before - just forced at the holidays.

Thanks! :-)

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Comments (6)

olyagrove
16 years ago
Hello, Strawberrygirlie

Amaryllis are beautiful and fun to grow (with the only negative I know of- lubber hoppers like to eat their leaves..ick)

I bet there will be as many suggestions as there are growers on how to grow them. I like to have them in partial sun - have lots of mine under the oak canopy, but with strong morning sun.
The plants will appreciate some manure/compost added to soil before planting. And when planting, one should plant so that the "neck" of the bulb sticks out.

They seem to overwinter here well, and in the following years, come with more spikes.

Here is a few of mine, to motivate you to plant them soon (as to storage, I think you can keep them in dry peat moss for a while, and prevent any water on them so they do not rot)

Olya
strawberrygirlie
Original Author
16 years ago
ooooooh Olya those are gorgeous!!! I don't know what kind/color mine are but if they're half as pretty as yours I'll be happy! :-)

The biggest hurtle is figuring out *where* to plant them and if I should just plant them alone or make a bed.
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Here are some quick responses to your specific questions. I always like to point out that we do have an FAQ that answers most questions, but can be overwhelming!! Re: dormancy - they don't have to be cold, but dry and cooler, so bring it in in Sept when it starts to cool down, and stop watering it. Let the leaves yellow and dry out, then cut them down (or grow as evergreen per Donna...but you asked about dormancy, so I'm telling you what my pal in NH does). You can cut the neck straight across where the leaves came out just to keep in clean. Dust it with cinnamon (a good antifungal) and set the pot in the coolest part of your apt out of sunlight. Wait 6-8 weeks and bring the pot out. Give it a good watering and set it in a sunny window and it should bloom again for you. Keep in mind this summer you should be giving it a good all purpose fertilizer on a regular basis. Several here us 1/2 strength MiracleGro or similar. I wouldn't do any packing to insulate it as you suggest, as it needs to "breathe" and you don't want rot or fungus! My bulbs in the greenhouse never get cooler than 45F. The bulbs on the heated enclosed porch never go below 40F. The bulbs in the ground get covered with leaves and they do fine with the occasional freeze we get here. I am so glad you love the blooms! Makes it easy to understand why many of us are so passionate about our bulbs! (and we cringe when we hear some of the horror stories posted!) Kristi
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tomkaren
16 years ago
I agree Olya your Amarylis are beautiful and must say I'm envious. Seems like most of mine are the pink and white Apple Blossom or the Red Lion varities.

Mine are planted in almost full sun and in a bed but not too close as they do send off more bulbs and can become crowded, but that does take a few years.
an_ill-mannered_ache
16 years ago
there's a lot of variation in amaryllis... i have some that keep broad, glossy leaves all year, others that go dormant or mostly dormant in the hot season... some in full, hot, unirrigated sun... others in partial shade. one thing you can say about them is that they're tough, reliable, undemanding plants. some of mine reliably get fertilized and watered, but others don't at all. and it's really hard for me to say that the ones that are neglected do much worse than the ones that are babied.

i almost always start mine from bulbs, in pots through the first bloom, mostly b/c i like to move them to a visible spot when they bloom. then they go into the ground for the next season.

keep the bulbs dry -- builders sand or peat. shaded.
cindeea
16 years ago
Olya-your collection is beautiful. Strawberry, I have been collecting, growing and cross breeding amaryllis for a few years now. I recommend you visit our Amaryllis forum here on garden web. You will find a wealth of info on them. They can be a very addictive plant to collect. I have mine is mostly full sun, a potting mix of MG soil, perlite and coco coir. There are a number of different ways to go, try experimenting. One thing people are most guilty of is over-watering them. Check out the amaryllis forum-you will be reading for days! Good luck and let us know how they grow!
strawberrygirlie
Original Author
16 years ago
Very cool... thank you all so much. :-)

I'll make sure to post pictures when they're in and when they bloom. I'm a bit of a camera addict when it comes to gardens anyway. :-D

I've inherited some amaryllis

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olyagrove

strawberrygirlie
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I've inherited some amaryllis

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olyagrove

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tomkaren

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