dig em' real nicely so you get as much roots as possible. I dont think it will kill them,it might slow them a bit though. i suggest planting them 3-5 feet apart since they are dwarf. could you post pics?

Sorry, I inadvertently typed another really long post. Is it important to you for them to bloom right in time for Christmas? If not, go ahead and pot them as soon as soon as you want. Bulbs can expand in size any time of year they have mature leaves; as I said in the other thread, the winter light is more direct, while the summer days are longer, and the benefit is roughly equal. Winter direct sun might be slightly better, if you have deciduous trees outside your window blocking summer light. If they start trying to grow flower stem while dormant, the stem is FULL of water and if roots haven't yet grown to get it, the stem will be shorter, and sometimes you see hippeastrums in stores blooming 2-3 inches above the bulb. I didn't say this in the other thread, but personally I don't like dormancy periods and they are unnecessary. I see them as missed opportunity for extra months of light and growth. It is harder to keep the bulbs the same size when you are forcing dormancy for a quarter to a third of the year. Sometimes it happens on its own if you rotate them out to "share" windowsill space with other plants, and it doesn't hurt them, but it causes them to lose some mass to re-grow their leaves. Whenever you plant the bulb, it will come out of dormancy, bloom, shrink a lot while it's producing that growth, and then get on its own cycle of blooming in late winter based on natural light (unless you force dormancy). It blooms whenever you increase daylight hours... which happens automatically in months after December 21, but can be triggered if you move it from inside to outside or from a dim window to a light one. As for storing hippeastrums... the only time I have ever lost a hippeastrum bulb completely is when I forced the dormancy of some smallish young bulbs that had come from seed (which were roughly the size of a tulip bulb - some larger some much smaller) and kept them in a cold garage, which was probably 40-45 degrees in winter. A couple of them rotted after they got warm again. So the idea of keeping them in a refrigerator makes me flinch. A large one can most likely survive about anything, but when I think of the right kind of "cool" that would keep them dormant, I would imagine something like 55 degrees in a dry place, not a refrigerator which is, what, 35-38 degrees? Plus if your refrigerator were to accidentally freeze (which some occasionally do, especially in fall) it would severely damage the bulb. You can store them dry in the dark. I don't like to get unplanted bulbs wet for any reason. I don't know if it speeds the growth process, but they grow fine without soaking. One they contact damp soil the roots grow into it quickly. As for fungicide... the way I see it, the best fungicide is full sun helping the plant produce energy to defend itself. I've never used any. Once I dipped bulbs in a mix of neem oil/water because they had scale insects.

NJT; the pods will split, and the seed will begin to fly away. Each seed is attached to a strand of fluff, which is why many complain that it reseeds too much (I don't think so!!!!). I guess it's a survival thing, the seed will fly around on a windy day and reseed wherever it lands. Once the seed pod splits, I gently wrap them in coffee filters, to dry (if needed) or simply to keep it compacted until I get to separate the seed. Multiple pods can be wrapped in one filter, thank God! Don't just drop them into a paper bag, because once you open the bag, they'll be seed flying around your house! Trust me, it ain't pretty ;) When I'm ready to remove the fluff, I unravel a pod, clasp two fingers the top end of the pod, holding the seed in place with my thumb (the part that was away from the stem), and yank out the fluff. I've found it's better to do this outside, with no wind blowing; I've had too much fluff floating around my living room! Then, just drop the seed, which should be mostly fluff free, into your baggie/container. I have received milkweed seed from other traders, that simply put the entire pod into a plastic baggie, fluff and all. Very disappointing!!!

Thank you all for your support it means the world to me. I've always been the type to beat myself up for not knowing how to do the things just right. It would not be so bad if dad's mind wasn't clear as a bell right now. His abuse of his medicine is a real concern for me. I got a call from him today saying he needs his antibiotic for his sinus, well he'll only take one or two and he says it cures his sinus. You and I know this isn't so and even if it does help it's short term, taking the antibiotics like that can cause harm but no one can get this through to my dad. I have had so many problems with doctors in my past that I don't trust them easily. It was me that saved my husband from a possible stroke, his blood pressure was high and I could tell when it was up but with the sleep apne he had to take showed how bad it was. They could not get it down all night so I marched into our dr.'s and told them about this and they looked back at his chart and seen that it was high everytime he went in for a check up. Now why don't they pay more attention to this? This is why I fear looking for yet another doctor. I have no luck with them. Only once did I have a wonderful doctor and within a year my insurance changed and he didn't take it :( He was the one that listen to me about my weight and took test finding that my thyroid was bad. I went through years with a sore throat and my throat closing up at night in my sleep, waking up unable to breath for 10 or so seconds but felt longer and didn't know if I'd get my breath. If it's wasn't for y'all I don't know if I'd be able to be strong for my dad. I never knew it could be so hard. I look at pictures of my grandparents, dads parents and talk to them and wishing they were here. They had a hard life and I can just image that they went through just what I am now. They took care of my great grandmother for 17 years then told my grandmothers brother it was time for him to care for his mother and give them a break. Great grandmother was called little granny and I never seen pictures of her but heard great stories about her, I found a picture of her the other day and I'm so happy to finally seen her, she past away a few years before I was born. Sorry for being long winded. Barbara