Karen, I have grown hippie seeds not amaryllis. Two different plants. One from Africa and one from South America. They do look similar but amaryllis seeds are round and hippie seeds are flat. I do believe they both can be grown this way; I soak seeds in warm water with root tone mixed in. 24 hrs. them put in a container like they sell roasted chicken in. Black plastic bottom with clear plastic dome top. Makes the perfect green house to sprout the seeds in. Any good fine potting mix will do. Keep moist but not wet and with the lid almost closed. Place the seeds on the soil not covered. The hi moist conditions will help them sprout. In a week or so, it will look like grass growing, them years before you see or get anything. Remember, anything can come from a seed. One that has never been around before. So I guess it is worth the fun of trying. Funny, I just described the same method I use to grow clivia seeds on off topic on the Sans forum. Stush Also almost all the seed sprout if fresh.

Jody, Hux is an adult male... Larry just got him yesterday. Within the breed(s) we work with, there is very little worthy of bringing into the bloodline(s) we have. When we do run across a dog that is considered worthy, we jump at the chance to add it to the program. Hux is a very nice dog... sweet temperament, nice body style... time will tell whether he's the right genetic match for the females we have, but we won't know unless we study the pedigree, crunch the data, and make the breeding. I don't have any photos taken yet, but I will try to get some tomorrow... he's a handsome dark brindle boy with a bit of white here and there... I think your ideas are good ones with regards to bathing and keeping plants separated, at least until you know they're not infected with anything... I spray and sink-bathe almost everything that comes into the apartment, with the exception of bulbs... however, I think I'm going to start. Your story of losing orchids made me rethink my processing! I just lost my large lipstick plant, and I'm not sure why... I saw no pests on it, and no signs of disease... growing it has been touch and go, more so during the winter months... and I never did get it to bloom for me... I also lost an english ivy, but that I brought indoors this past fall... it was part of a container garden, and it was fairly cold out when I finally got around to transplanting it... I didn't have much hope that it would transition, and it didn't. But now, my other english ivy and my spider plant are not doing so well... and the only things I can of that might be issues are the temperature indoors that fluctuates a lot, and the fact I have been neglecting other plants in favor of my bulbs... usually by this time every winter, my plants are looking a little worse for wear, but spring will perk them right up! The sun will get stronger, the windows can be opened for fresh breezes, and the constant warmth promotes new growth... spring is usually re-potting time, leaching time, and top-dressing time, all of which can help perk up flagging houseplants! I am getting bulb-mite-phobia, myself! I have sprayed everything, and am hoping it helps kill whatever might be hanging around! I know Vesuvius is infested... and I'm sure there are more bulbs with mild infestations... with any luck, the spray schedule they are on will take care of any mites and save my bulbs! Cindee, I know exactly what you mean... that's how I look at my own garden photos... it's like looking at my garden and plants from a whole new view! Pretty wild, isn't it?!

Concluding from several fertilizer solution formulas for ornamentals and greens as well, documented for the optimized usage in hydroponic cultivation I can nearly exclude that there is any rational argument for the hight phosphorous content in these - as it seems to me - typical american bloom boosters. For elucidation I have first averaged the concentrations of 10 formulas which were so remarkably similar - they did not substantially differ from each other, despite of being designed for Chrysanthemums, tomatoes, cucumbers, paprika, cymbidiums and so on... And then I calculated the resulting ratio of N:P:K - more exactly meaning the ratios of m(N) : m(P2O5) : m(K) (!) (Kalium = Potassium; see below) cations:___________mmol/L___mg/L____________mmol/L___mg/L Kalium K+__________6.0______235___eq K2O____3.0______283 Calcium Ca++_______3.0______120 Magnesium Mg++_____0.75_____18 Ammonium NH4+_____0.5 ______9_____eq N______0.5______7 anions: Nitrat NO3-________10.5_____651___eq N______10.5_____147 pr.PhosphatH2PO4-__1.5______145___eq P2O5___0.75_____107 Sulfat SO4--________1.0______96 From this recalculated recipe I obtain a ratio gropup for m(N) : m(P2O5) : m(K) as (7+147) : 107 : 283 eq 1.44 : 1.00 : 2.64 or coarsely 1.5 : 1 : 2.5 or a multiple from that for example 4.5 : 3 : 7.5 For my part - I use one 6 : 3 : 6 since many years - at 1000 pm with every watering, and I feel myself confirmed by its similarity to the calculated ratio above. I mention these aspects because Phosphorous is a possibly very dangerous macronutrient when overdosed. It will at least immobilize essential micronutrients in the substrate thus making them inaccessible for the plant. A miraculous bloom-o-gene booster-feeding formula of 15:30:15 eq 4 : 8 : 4 is in my eyes simply grotesque *ggg* A further confirmation of my "Miracle-Maxi-P" offending point of view *ggg* is that the modern solid German fertilizers of the brand "Hakaphos" are ALL composed on a basis of a rather low phosphorous content at least as compared to Potassium (Kalium). Compo-Naehrsalzehref> Hans-Werner

Someone gave me a few plants years ago and I stuck them in a bed on the north side of my house and they've multiplied and done great. I don't know what variety but suspect they may be those hardy landscape kind (red with a thin red stripe). I don't do anything to them nor do I "let them dry out".......I water the other stuff in that bed regularly as needed. I have planted other varieties there, some of the larger fancier varieties and haven't had so much success.