Whew...that is slightly better news than I was expecting. But careful watering, would you recommend the accidental of overwatering or underwatering? I'm heading back to my university for a few weeks, and I have the option of either loading it up with water before I leave or leaving it as it is (I watered thuroughly when first planted yesterday) and let it dry out a bit. Also, would you recommend fertilizing or not quite yet? Thanks so much!

Hang in there Michele-- lots of reasons why the bulbs could be so latent in their growth and we've all had problem bulbs-- but do make sure you're using well-draining soil. Treat them like a succulent and make sure the bulb itself isn't too deep in the soil and does not stay wet. I personally set my bulbs atop the medium (I use a mixture of hydroton, bark, charcoal, and some organics). The bulbs eventually send their roots into the medium and anchor and this way they stay dry but their roots are protected. Keep us updated and good luck. Ryan

Part of the root problem stems from soil that is too compacted, breaks down too fast in the pot, and holds too much moisture at the root ball for too long a time. If you begin with a very gritty, porous, free-draining mix, you will eliminate this problem... I swear! You may have to water a little more often, but the trade off is certainly worth it! Several times over the past few months, I posted a link to an article over on the Container Gardening Forum... it discussed the importance of using a medium in containers that doesn't decompose, doesn't hold moisture for too long, and allows for the exchange of oxygen and gases to the root system. The medium should have larger particles than your average potting soil. This is the recipe I use... we call it Al's Mix: Small batch: 3 gallons pine bark fines 1/2 gallon peat 1/2 gallon perlite 4 tbsp lime (or gypsum in some cases) 1/4 cup CRF micro-nutrient powder (or other source of the minors) Once mixed, it looks rather a bonsai medium. It's very gritty and the particles are rather large. It will last a long time as most of the ingredients are inorganic... although, it would be prudent to change the medium every few years. It's also important to feed frequently as inorganic material does not contain nutrients. I feed my bulbs every other time I water with a dilute liquid fertilizer. Now that we're heading into Bulb Season, it's important that we start out right. This means abandoning the soil or disks of cocopeat that come with Hippeastrum bulb kits, and using a medium that will allow for maximum growth and health of the root systems that feed our bulbs. Healthy roots mean happy plants! By using a more inorganic medium, we can also eliminate a lot of the rot associated with growing bulbs. If the medium is properly aerated and doesn't hold moisture at the center of the pot for too long, there is much less chance that the roots will rot. Personally, I plant my bulbs with about half sticking up above the soil... using the porous medium that I do allows me to plant them this way without the worry of rot.

Um... The bulbs were stuck into a base that had spikes that went into the bottom of the bulbs, but not into the root disc area. They held up the bulbs in some rocks. Like a cleat disc basically. Thanks for the info, I kinda figured they could be rooted again since I see bare bulbs sold all the time at stores. Is there anything special I can do to help them out? I've read to soak the bulbs in warm water but that was for ones already rooted.