Odd culture, I know.

We bloomed several amaryllis last winter in a sunny, really sunny window, they were great. We watered them until may at which point our house sitter watered them all summer and the got lots of light. We came back at the beginning of November and now there is no sign of of the bloom stalk but they have several long healthy leaves.

What do we do now? We would like to use their pots for new amaryllis and we would like to bloom them again. They have never been exposed to freezing temperatures and we are into freezing temperature weather, can they be saved?

Thank you so much, I'm over from the daylily forum and would appreciate any help you might give us.

Charley

At this point, take them out of the sun, stop watering them until the leaves start to turn yellow, cut off the foliage, knock the dirt off of the bulbs (you are trying to dry out the bulb a bit) and put the bare bulb in a well ventilated space, someplace dark and dry, that stays around 50 degrees for at least 8 weeks. Repot them, water, put back on the windowsill and see if they bloom again. You are forcing the bulb to go through "winter" then "spring" again. The buds formed at the basal plate this summer, the trick is to tell the bulb that its spring again, and the buds will appear when the bulb breaks dormancy again. This doesn't always work the first year. Commercially grown bulbs have been specially forced to bloom the first year in your home. The bulb may be so depleted afterwards, that it can take an extra year or so for the bulb to build up its reserves so it can make the new buds. You can also treat these bulbs as houseplants, keep them growing all winter on your windowsills. Sometimes they will put up bloom scapes in the late spring on their own. Your choice is to try to force them into an artificial dormancy or let them cycle on their own. The expert on forcing indoors is Margaret, mcash70 she lives in zone 3a. She's been very successful in reblooming bulbs. Send her a private message for more specific directions and tips.

Thanks, we will give it a try. As you can tell we are total newbes to these glorious flowers.

Charley

Well then, welcome to the world of Amaryllis fanatics!

I have noticed so many "day lily people" seem to graduate to being "amaryllis people" and vice versa. The nice thing about day lilies is fact that they are not high maintenance where as the Amaryllis bulbs take a good deal of organization and loving care. I have about 70 amaryllis bulbs, and of that 70 almost all of them are different varieties... most of which are new this season. My husband found my White Flower Farm catalog, spotted the entry on page 5 labeled "30 wonders of the Amaryllis world" which is exactly what it says, 30 different varieties from their inventory! I can't tell you how I felt when that HUGE box arrived on my doorstep. I thought I had lost my mind late one night and ordered this item that I had been salivating over! I could actually see us on our own special edition of Divorce court! He pretended to be angry for a while but very soon put me out of my misery and told me about my wonderful surprise! They really were all mine!

Now I knew what I had to do! WWCD (my motto for amaryllis knowledge) What Would Charlie Do) I headed for my trusty computer and googled: YouTube - Amaryllis Man! each entry gives you great directions for handling each phase of Amaryllis care: I took notes as I watched each video and made entries on a flow chart! Each bulb has its own chart with the overall goal of flowering at end of year blooming down to repeat blooming in late spring or early summer!

If you google - eBay: Amaryllis Man you will also find a treasure chest of amaryllis "stuff": bulbs, seeds and plants of varying stages of maturity. I recommend using their shop for as many items as you can to support a small local type nursery. He and his wife run this nursery and will help with your questions whenever he can. The YouTube series is broken up in different phases of the life of these wonderful plants and I consider his directions are easy to follow. also he is The Source for individual questions!

I love Amaryllis Man!

cwhitt said:I love Amaryllis Man!

Carol, Mrs Amaryllis Man, doesn't seem to mind that we all love Charlie!