Plants will flower 1st year IF the seed gets 5 weeks at 40F other wise will flower the 2nd year. lightly cover the seed with soil. Soil temp for germination at night 50F & during the day 65F taking 14 to 21 days for germination. growing on temperature 55-65F.

Tho't I might jump in here though I am no long a mixer. Over the years having read all the articles about mixing soils and trying many of the recommendation, I have become lazy and it works for me. So here is what I do and have had wonderful results, better than the mixes and drainage recommendations I have tried in the past. I buy the big 3 cu foot bags of Stay Green at Lowes and use only that. The more expensive bag seems better to me but the plants don't seem to appreciate it any more. Inside, I try to never water enough to make water come out the bottom holes. The plants will stay watered for up to a month in the winter if the humidity is high and not too much sunshine on the plants. Outside, all summer they get watered, sometimes rain falls for 3-4 days and they are horribly saturated and no rotting. In the fall, I pull out the bulbs (1 gallon or bigger pots--I like tall) and usually find the soil hard to find for all the roots totally filling the pots, especially at the bottom. No rotting. If that packed with roots, they go in a large pot. If not, they stay in the same pot. Inside, I remain a coward and am very careful with the watering. Works for me. I do believe fresh soil helps the growth, but it doesn't seems as important for amaryllis as for other plants. Just add some long-acting fertilizer. I totally agree that the condition under which the plants are growing is extremely important so ones results don't necessarily translate to other places and circumstances. I have written this for the lazy ones among us who may feel guilty not mixing soils. I have also found that the water may make a big difference, alkaline and hard or soft water like rain water. If using a mix with peat moss watch out for acid conditions after some time passes. If using hard water and not putting out in the summer, it is necessary to change soil occasionally, or put plants out in the rain to wash out the mineral buildup. This is important. I have learned to like the summer rains. I think it helps to have good ground contact on plants outside in the summer. It draws out the extra moisture.

GreenGorilla, Just click on the link below. Ed Here is a link that might be useful: Mixing Nutrients

What company made the original color? Take a sample of the paint into a good paint store and match it to what's there and then look at darker shades of the same. If you feel you can't eyeball it, the paint store employees should be able to. It's possible the fan deck with that paint strip was not put together with degrees of saturation of the same color . This is something our resident expert, Funcolors, has mentioned numerous times here. If you can post a really good photo of the paint color, someone on the Home Decorating forum may be familiar with it. There is some amazing talent and knowledge over there.