Jilly, "soilless medium " is commercially packaged potting mix. These are usually peat based and include such amendments as perlite and vermiculite. My soilless medium of choice is bark based, with peat and perlite added. It's called "soilless " because this type of mix does not contain the sand, silt or clay which are components of (outdoor) soil. Soilless media, as a rule, maintain their porous structure for a long period of time. Porosity is the most important characteristic of a successful potting mix. 'Dead' refers, I presume, to the fact that these mixes are not teeming with the microorganisms found in an outdoor soil.....essential for a healthy soil system IN THE GROUND but wholly unnecessary in a potting medium. We don't need microorganisms in a potting mix to convert nitrogen. Period! Your soluble fertilizer of choice is ready to go. Stick with a fertilizer that you are comfortable with or already have. It should be one formulated for container plants....and does not matter what kind (usually) . The link provided by bugbite is for field grown marigolds. That has nothing to do with container culture.....nothing. You can use an 'all purpose ' fertilizer....same kind as for your other plants. The comparison between in-ground and container growing just does not work, for many reasons. For your ease of mind....the need for a high Potassium (middle number) number is largely a figment of the fertilizer companies. Just avoid too much nitrogen, which will promote an excess of vegetative growth at the sacrifice of flower production. Ken...I apologize to you for my earlier comment. I was wrong. For some reason, I focused in on the slow release comments (I like SRFs) and not the rest of your excellent advice. Conservative but regular applications of a soluble product is my usual routine, too. I hope you'll forgive me. This post was edited by rhizo_1 on Mon, Jun 24, 13 at 6:18

Frank, I had this similar situation with a few of my high blooming NOIDs. I left the blooms on for a few weeks and then once they began to brown, I removed the blooms. What was below seemed to be a crinkled mess of a crown and I assumed it was because of not enough light to the crown (what was under the blooms). I groomed the plant, removed some of the outer leaves and put it back up under my light. It took less than 48 hours for the leaves in the center to relax. I don't think it harms the plant to be without that direct light for those few weeks. If your concern is great, you can always thin out the blooms so more light reaches the crown. I don't think it's necessary though. I also wanted to add what great photography on that second image in the bloom. My daughter saw it over my shoulder and said, "Look Mommy, a fairy bed!" Dora

I definitely think that the three most common varieties are common due to certain overall genetic traits... such as strength, blooming ability, ease of growing for amateurs, etc... They also represent the most common colors... red & white, red, and pink. When a bulb gets very mature and its basal plate gets very thick, this can have a tendency to inhibit proper or full root growth, from what I gather. In order to rejuvenate an old bulb, part of the basal plate's thickness is sliced off, making a thinner layer for roots to grow from. I've never attempted this, myself, but then I haven't noticed any decline in my oldest bulb, so I don't think there's a need to worry about it quite yet. I tend to avoid all bulb surgeries if at all possible. The only time I cut into a bulb, at all, is to remove any rotting parts in order to save the bulb. And this wouldn't be so necessary so often within the general world of Hippeastrums if the bulbs were grown in a medium that doesn't create a consistently wet environment, perfect for the onslaught of fungal issues. More plants are killed by improper watering than by any other one problem... that's a fact. Once we learn what each of our plants requires, keeping them healthy is so much easier. Hippeastrums almost thrive on neglect... almost! They do require care, of course, but I think a lot of people tend to baby them, which includes too much water, or they simply don't have the time to devote, or the passion for growing these bulbs... and this can include things like a scheduled watering for every plant, whether it needs it or not. And we all know that this won't result in really happy plants. I feed with MiracleGro All Purpose liquid plant food... its NPK is 12-4-8, which is a decent average for most plants. I'd like to use Foliage Pro, but I'm not buying any until I use up the bottle of MiracleGro... it's a simple question of economics. I can't afford to buy more fertilizer until what I have is gone. I've got several bulbs that have never bloomed. One is an Amputo, a white trumpet shaped variety, that has never flowered. It grows leaves every spring and rests every winter, but it has yet to give blooms. I think it will eventually, and I'm not giving up on it just yet. If my conditions included massive perpetual winds, I'd grow indoors, for sure... even if it meant installing a light fixture to supplement the window's offered sunlight. I do grow exclusively indoors... although it's more fear of NBF, and lack of a protected area outdoors that keeps my bulbs indoors. There are too many critters, and too many people around to safely leave my potted bulbs outdoors. They'd either get ruined, over watered, or be attacked by NBF... and I have better control over everything indoors. Because different bulbs are different, I think some will respond better to your culture methods than others. You just have to find the combination of care that works for you and your particular...

What year do you plan to have your wedding? The reason I ask, peonies and roses take some time to establish to bloom--sometimes several years, and would be considered a permanent planting. I would also caution you, that what bloomed in April one year, might bloom in June the next. Hopefully, someone who has personal knowledge of the Morristown area will be able to help you. Perhaps contact your local garden nurseries, garden clubs, or local master gardeners (try your local County extension for master garderner information). Congratulations and good luck to you!