i had about 50 seeds i started back a the first of this year , as they grew i moved each to a 3inch pot. had them on my porch where i watered them as they needed it . have leaves about 3 to 5 inches . about a month ago some looked as if they were starting to die. i keep all together and continued to water . we are expecting lows this weekend in the low 30s so i started moving them inside. the dead ones i removed from their soil just to look at them. the roots are whitesh and strong , the bulb is hard but the leaves are either gone or dead. the bulbs are about the size of a large kernel corn .. my question can these be put up and saved for replanting next year , your thoughts.

@cuzzx





Yes, from personal exp you should, if you wish. Amaryllis tend to have a dormant period around winter, which is usually why the leaves die back.
Last year i was gifted some about that size, and i put them in containers ..... They continuously have been "dying" and coming back so i think you would be alright whichever way you choose. Hope i helped

thy are just got dormant, keep then in a light with some minimum watering,after winter they will be back,

I would keep them in their pot, with occasional watering. in a cool spot. When they send up new leaves, move them to a sunny spot and resume watering.

hello cw, how have you been, i'm doing thats just all. trying to get things ready for winter. low 30s starting saturday night for a few days then back to the mid 40s for a while.
thanks to you and all on my bulbs .
been following on facebook CW.

cuzzx said:hello cw, how have you been, i'm doing thats just all. trying to get things ready for winter. low 30s starting saturday night for a few days then back to the mid 40s for a while.
thanks to you and all on my bulbs .
been following on facebook CW.

sorry off topic
we have no ending summer, still over 90 F , at least till next weekend, winter is not coming

@cuzzx Hi Harold. We had a freeze here last night - all my amaryllis are still outside in pots - I think they did survive though - I guess I will find out!!!

some of mine went through a storm this past week and was soaked , then the next day i moved them inside. went to look at them today and they are looking real bad , soil is still very wet.

cuzzx said:some of mine went through a storm this past week and was soaked , then the next day i moved them inside. went to look at them today and they are looking real bad , soil is still very wet.

It is really depending on the soil. I got some of mine rotten even in summer at 100 F heat with a minimum watering due clay soil. I found that soil have to be very fluffy, it can be made either from coconuts or contain a lot of broken pumice stones or similar in order to be sure that no excess water is left in the pot. I had last winter huge problem with over-watering under no stop rains, all pots staid outside and survived, due to the coconuts soil (plate on the bottom of the pot should be removed as well).

I've just been reading threads here and there and wanted to pass along something I was told last week.

I was at one of my favorite local nurseries and got to talking about amaryllis with the son of the owner (I think). He told me that his mother has been growing amaryllis for years and always keeps them outside, even if the weather freezes or even snows. I kept asking, 'Really?' And he kept saying, 'Really!'

Granted, I live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas which is 8a. But our weather is totally unpredictable. Was in the 20s a few or so weeks ago. This week has been delightful with highs around 70F and lows in the mid 50s. Dry. Supposed to rain in a few days and then get cold again.

So I wouldn't worry too much about freezes, @cuzzx especially because you live in Al zone 8b.
(But I could be wrong.)

tx_flower_child said:I've just been reading threads here and there and wanted to pass along something I was told last week.

I was at one of my favorite local nurseries and got to talking about amaryllis with the son of the owner (I think). He told me that his mother has been growing amaryllis for years and always keeps them outside, even if the weather freezes or even snows. I kept asking, 'Really?' And he kept saying, 'Really!'

Granted, I live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas which is 8a. But our weather is totally unpredictable. Was in the 20s a few or so weeks ago. This week has been delightful with highs around 70F and lows in the mid 50s. Dry. Supposed to rain in a few days and then get cold again.

So I wouldn't worry too much about freezes, @cuzzx especially because you live in Al zone 8b.
(But I could be wrong.)

it can be done, but it is depending if grown get enough skow before air get bellow freezing. Snow act as blanket, that kept grown under it above freezing, even if temperature outside is below freezing.

In my zone the rain and winter freezes would cause them to rot. Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) hardy zones from 9-11 sometimes 8 in sheltered areas not to much water in winters where freezes will cause rot. I have left some on patio in pots in my zone 6 pots covered and sheltered in dry soil they did well for a couple of years until a really odd ball winter, really cold icy winter came along and they had froze causing bulb rot.

I do have Naked Lady Amaryllis Belladona cold hardy from zones 7-11. I'm in zone 6 . They are in a sheltered area with fast draining light soil. They have naturalized in the garden and flowered on cue for the past 20 years. Happily they are deer and gopher proof.

Holidays it's fun to force amaryllis bulbs inside. Some of the bulbs were disappointing this year. I will stay with better bulb sites next year did not like any of the waxed bulbs very odd, short and stubby and didn't open all the way and the other bulbs were purchased on sale were all disappointing.

Some of the Amaryllis will survive fine in zone 8 if they have some frost protection, like a blanket or piled up leaves. I suspect the thing that has the greater influence is the soil. If it stays too wet, that is a recipe for rot. Also microclimates make a difference. A spot near a wall that radiates heat at night might be enough to keep the bulb from freezing. It's a matter of trail and error. Considering the high initial cost of bulbs, most people would prefer not to leave matters to trial and error. That's why I (zone 9A) plant in big pots and throw blankets over the pots on the few nights that we go below freezing.

I agree that with Amaryllis (and really most plants) there's lot of trial and error as well as microclimates. I kept my Amaryllis bulbs in pots outside all summer in pretty deep shade. But we had a really hot summer. They're inside now altho we're actually having very pleasant winter so far. As far as the woman I mentioned, I doubt if cost came into play because she owns a nursery.

A few of you might remember my experiences last year with the grocery store kit I called my non-white Little Debbie. The label said white but bloom was red. And the brand was 'debi lilly' which I irreverently referred to as Little Debbie in honor of the little snack some of us ate when we were kids.

Ok. So now I have an update. I saw the same box kit labeled White at the same grocery store and it was on sale. I couldn't resist and bought it. First, the box said that Debi Lilly is a woman owned business. (thumbs up from me) Next was a bigger surprise. I had waited a few or more days before I took it out of the box. It was actually planted and just waiting for water. When I lifted the pot I saw some small roots starting to poke out. I didn't remove the bulb (tempted to) but as I was feeling around it seems to be a really big bulb. Maybe the company has changed. Last year it came with the plastic pot and a hockey puck disk of coir. Time will tell but I have a good feeling. Cross fingers. I may owe Debi Lilly an apology.

@tx_flower_child
@bumplbea

mine left outside all year around, no freezing in winter, but sometimes we have hail, that might stay few hours on the ground (about ones in 20-30 years). My balcony is facing north, so in local hot summer (temperatures around 100 F) bulbs are in the shade.
The main problem is winter, we sometimes have (like this week) a very powerful storm, that bring a lot of rain (this storm had almost 7 inches in some areas) that might result in overwatering of the bulbs and rotting. I removed the plates during winter, this helps, but must nutrients are washing out from the ground.

Good news about my Debi Lilly. If it blooms white as promised, then I really will owe them an apology.

This picture was taken on Dec. 27th, just a few days after I purchased it.



And when I was turning it a little today, I noticed this:

(hoping it's a new scape)

and this, which is probably a new leaf:



I thought about adding a little coco-fiber (because I have too much) or perlite because I thought too much of the bulb was above the soil line. Doesn't seem like I should. But would y'all recommend that I get something in the pot (ahem) now to stake it?

Edited to add: Before anyone tells me that the leaves should be darker I want ro say that they are. I noticed that in the first picture the leaves looked on the lighter side (not good). It's merely my 'smartphone' camera, where I moved the plant to pose it, and my bad eyesight.

This one is right behind yours, TFC, picture was taken today. . . .

I also noticed that a small bulb next to it rotted. I dont think it was this though. Could have been a Belladonna

You look for a tiny notch in the new growing tip of the scape. Also, if you have leaves already, the scapes are normally to the outside. TFC that definitely looks like another scape. The bulb is at a good height out of the soil. Since the pot looks to be quite light, I don't know how much stability you will actually gain by staking it, but the earlier you get a stake in, the better. You want to keep the Bulb from shifting and moving around too much. Some bulbs will bloom without even putting out roots. They are the ones at danger of being top-heavy and going over. Stakes are the only thing really keeping them upright.

Some more new blooms..pinks and super tall scape...





Waiting on 6 more amaryllis to bloom and the 3 hyacinths are slowly starting to open thru leafs...pokey pokey ... need more light and a warmer spot maybe break out the heating pad...now I am complaining the hyacinths are taking forever to bloom as are some amaryllis. Planted in oct. Of course once the hyacinths bloom then they will be put out side because the scent is over powering.

Would you believe There are some more amaryllis bulbs ordered about three weeks ago. They are in snail mail...I hope they arrive without the snails please...

bumplbea said:Some more new blooms..pinks and super tall scape...





Waiting on 6 more amaryllis to bloom and the 3 hyacinths are slowly starting to open thru leafs...pokey pokey ... need more light and a warmer spot maybe break out the heating pad...now I am complaining the hyacinths are taking forever to bloom as are some amaryllis. Planted in oct. Of course once the hyacinths bloom then they will be put out side because the scent is over powering.

Would you believe There are some more amaryllis bulbs ordered about three weeks ago. They are in snail mail...I hope they arrive without the snails please...

I see a lot of them are wax one, I hate them