Just wanted to test how far along this noid amaryllis will grow, have forced bloomed it last Nov2011-Jan 2012 in a water gel bead and hydroton rock media. Although it started the force blooming a bit slower, it did make a good show. Now am trying to see how the leaf formation grows. So far it seems to be acclimated well with its media, has shown a good leaf growth and I can clearly see healthy roots digging into the mixed media. I will keep this amaryllis growing indoors for now on a west facing window:

The new leaf growth:


The roots as seen thru the water gel beads:

Just updating the photo of this amaryllis I have growing in hydroton rocks and water gel beads. So far the plant is doing well, thick roots are very visible now and it does not seem to mind growing in this media. Pretty much set it and forget it set-up...no need for any watering and it is just doing its active root growth. I have not applied any fertilizer yet. Still under observation to find out how far along it will grow.

Aren't you going to have to water it at some point?

As long as the water gel beads are plump there is enough moisture there I hope

So I noticed the roots are forming on the side of the vase facing indoors, so I turned the vase around towards the window itself. Was trying to observe if it will be bad for the roots as it gets warmed up through the glass by the sun.

From what I see, it does not seem to bother the plant or the roots. A root turned greener, and some other roots seem to be digging in towards the mixture..so it is either seeking more moisture or maybe trying to cool down..



I noticed too that the leaves are not growing too long & limpy. So it must just be taking in enough moisture for its needs


I am liking this method compared to my other amaryllis outdoors so far..the ones outdoors are growing well, however something keeps on making a happy meal of its leaves

So keeping more notes and observations, to see how further along this bulb indoors will continue to grow.

The bulb that you have growing in the water gel looks very happy. This might be a good method to curb the diseases that cause bulb rot, since the bulb itself is not covered in wet soil.. Are you seeing any fungus gnats around the containor? If you aren't, this might be a real breakthrough in the elimination of that problem. I guess if there is a concern that the roots are heating up too much, just tape a piece of paper around the jar. Are the slugs eating the leaves on your outside Amaryllis? With no rain this spring, the slugs haven't been much of a problem for me.

Hi Barbara, so far have not seen the fungus gnats hovering around it, which is a good thing..I hate those bugs. Taping a piece of paper is a good idea to cover from heat ! Thanks!

I think some snails are having a feast on my outdoor Amaryllis..so I moved the pots to another table. I just had to bring them to some shelter when the winds picked up a few days ago. We are having some late winter-like rains, so the slugs and snails are being opportunistic again Lucikly there will be a 2-day break....much needed, my succulents are too wet already.

2 weeks ago I covered with aluminum foil the root area portion of the glass container where my amaryllis is . And glad to see that it has a good effect on the roots! I guess it liked being a bit cooled down

This is a photo I took on 18Apr2012

That's very interesting, seeing the new root hairs developing. It could be a combination of being cooler and also putting the root in total darkness.

Yeah, compared to my other amaryllis potted outdoors, I moved them all to one bigger but shallow enough container so it is not too deep a pot, the roots of those outdoors are just growing as strands, round and round the pot. But then again, they are under much stress, with those opportunistic snails, high/low temps, occasional winds, much more sunlight...I did not see root hairs growing from their root strands, unlike this one growing indoors.

I am liking the outcome so far of this experiment...

Just posting May photo update of my Amaryllis:
whole plant-leaves quite long, firm and very green:


Root area: the root hairs have grown longer and adapting really well to the wet media



Bulb neck area: I have noticed that the neck area looks very live, fresh and green. Compared to my amaryllis outdoors, although there are leaves, the neck area looked very brown and dry.



As the days go warmer, and the media starts to dry up, although there are water gel beads, I have added some water inside the container just to keep the roots in a wet zone. I know the media is still damp in the middle since there are gel beads in the middle too. But the plant does not seem to mind. I just make sure the water does not reach the bottom part of the bulb.

So I am waiting to see if the bulb will follow the usual summer drying up of leaves or have I successfully made a happy amaryllis plant growing indoors by our west facing windows year round:biggrin:

My indoor grown noid amaryllis finished off its leaves summer leaves a couple of weeks ago, so I decided to keep it in the same container but moved it more indoors. I was just hoping to see the bulb rest, but I did see the roots very robust and green..so a nice suprise today, saw a new growth coming about!
Photo taken today, 28 Aug2012

Just a photo update taken today 06Sep2012. Still actively growing, not a bloom but leaves..will see how it goes further. I tried to add some water, and I realized the bulb itself has grown as well. The water used to dribble in easily.

Very interesting.Are you using water soluble fertilizer?

So far I have not used any fertilizer yet.

This is a very interesting experiment! I hope you'll keep updating this thread.

Just taking an updated photo for this November, taken today 19Nov2012. Very active root growth, very green leaves, growing happily in a soil-less media indoors, still hoping for a flower bud

Just some updated photos. No flowerscapes in sight, just foliage gotten quite long and roots actively growing through its medium. Still being kept indoors like any other houseplant. I do hope it will try to make a bloom sometime.

Photos taken today 31Jan2013

Tarev, it's pretty cool to see the roots growing, your plant looks healthy enough.

Thanks Margaret..now I am thinking how to trigger it to make some flowers..