Barb, try mixing a bit of vermiculite into Al's Mix for added help in retaining water... I can't tell you how flattering it is to find one of my threads used as a link for informational purposes! I certainly hope someone is able to draw some good conclusions and useful information from it! My medium of choice is, of course, mainly inorganic... it's comprised of pine bark particles, turface or granite chips, perlite, a bit of vermiculite, and occasionally a handful of quality bagged potting mix. I water from the top, leaching occasionally to remove any salt and mineral build-up, and the majority of my bulbs remain indoors all year long, with an eastern exposure and supplemental lighting. Since I grow indoors, my bulbs are exposed to heat from the furnace in winter and cool air from the AC unit in summer... in other words, the temperature is rather consistent all year long. The only thing that really changes is the sun coming in the east facing window... in spring, the days lengthen... and in winter, they shorten. One very important thing to remember is that a container environment is VERY different from a garden environment... In the garden, there is a constantly working and self-balancing palate of worms, insects, nematodes, micro-organisms, bacterias and fungi... they are constantly breaking down the soil components, helping to keep it aerated, and digesting any organic materials which makes it available to the plants for food. That's one of the reasons organic fertilizers work so well in the garden... they have help! All this decomp and action keeps a balance of "good and bad". In a container, we don't have those things... so it's important that the decomp be very slow, that the medium provides for excellent aeration and drainage, and that we carefully water and feed a fertilizer that is readily available to our plants for use. I'm lazy indoors, and quite busy working outside for as much of the year as I possibly can... so I might re-pot my bulbs once every 3 years, or sooner or later depending on how they're growing. For fertilizer, I use a regular store bought liquid for houseplants and I supplement with a micro-nutrient. Right now, I'm using Miracle-Gro liquid. It's better to keep a plant on a constant feeding schedule with a low dose of food than to risk burning the plant with higher doses less often... and so, I use a diluted mix of liquid food and water about every other time I water. I use the food at about half-strength or less. When choosing a decent medium for your bulbs, it's important to think about where you'll be growing them, what the climate and environment is like, and how much time you'll be able to devote to growing. Proper watering is going to play a key role in growing anything in a container. More plants are killed by over-watering than any other one thing! Bulbs are very forgiving, and it's actually better to err on the dry side with Hippeastrums... if you're not sure you can feel moisture when checking the soil, it's better to wait until you're certain they're dry than to overdo the moisture... while the soil surface my feel dry, the actual area around the root ball may be plenty moist. And since Hippeastrum bulbs are prone to rotting in a poor environment, it would be better to make certain the bulb needs a drink. My pot of choice is an unglazed clay one... the material is porous and allows for "breathing"... the porosity also allows excess salts and minerals to exit, collecting around the outside of the pot. It can be wiped away and the plant leached with plenty of clear water. I will use plastic pots if I have no other choice, but I try to re-pot into clay as soon as I am able. I find that plastic holds too much moisture for too long in my particular environment. I think I've answered all the questions asked in the original post... but if I missed anything, please ask again! I'd be happy to share my growing methods, and perhaps something I share will be usable information for someone! We all have to take into consideration our climate, the environment we can provide for our bulbs, and what materials will be available to us. Hippeastrum bulbs are very resilient, but the better we care for them, the more rewarding they will be! Happy Gardening!

Chionochlola rubra, according to B&T Seeds, is one of many seeds which require 'smoking' in order to stimulate germination. 'Smoking' amounts to soaking/priming the seeds with a combination of chemicals which stimulate the production of a butenolide compound produced by certain plants when heated. For more information on the various methods used to overcome seed dormancy, check the Growing from Seed Forum.

About three years - it was old step-uncle's 65? year-old farmhouse until his death, and I'd spent some time here with him, about 5 years ago, after his wife died. The buyer of the farm, a sod farmer, asked whether I might like to rent the house. It's the most recent of 22 locations in my 80 years, and at about 17 years, I'd spent longer in the former 2 Br townhouse than any but the one were I was born. It was of a similar size to this, except smaller, but newer, basement. This is a 2 Br. bungalow aboutf 25' x 40', with 10' addition later, with smallish kitchen up a few steps from back door, turn the other way to go to the mostly full basement, mainly unfinished except for a small room in the far corner. Oil tank and furnace, freezer, washer, utility tub and dryer all down there, plus clothes press and jam cupboad, wood for wood stove. The water pump's down there, too - but the well is too close to the barnyard, so water bad for both e Coli and coliforms when the executors tested it ... and the water (especially hot) smells ... so I bring water in gallon jugs from taps in the city for cooking and drinking. Dining room beyond kitchen, left into small hall with doors to med. sized bedrooms either side, straight ahead to bathroom, old style tub, closed in, no shower. Pull-down stair in hall into unfinished attic, I'm thinking of adding stringers, studs for storage space, but can stand in only about 4' wide space - about 40' long ... includes hole for stair. Living room beyond D R, family room added later beyond living room, no basement under it, furnace doesn't serve it - woodstove is its sole heat source. Seldom-used front door (no sidewalk approaches it) just to the right of entrance from L R. One-car garage near house, 2-car plus extra space larger than enough for third car in drive-shed near it. Another storage shed and two barns plus shed a short distance away, I can use parts of them. Also an old silo - but it has open top, not used for years, so a couple of feet of swamp in the bottom. Substantial garden down near the barn - water pump there to provide water. As I live about 20 miles from city, 8 miles from village, I figure that I can probably live here as long as I can drive (and I have my 80-year-old test on Friday). Or the landlord wants the place for his nearly-grown sons (he's doubtful) ... but I think that they may want a place somewhat more upscale than this: time'll tell. I hope that all of you are enjoying your places. ole joyful

Have my first bib that was handmade with tatting in 1938. My slip that I wore home from the hospital, first shoes, several items from my school years. One item that is still on display, back in the early fifties glass containers with powder were popular, have one that is amber colored with shape of deer in glass on top. Received this at Christmas at a church party. I can still remember the smell of the powder that came in this container.