WHAT’S BUGGING ME?
Amaryllis Annoyances, by Juel Duke
The amaryllis is a plant that most everyone has had in their home, even if only for one bloom season. They are popular gifts and dramatic decorations for the winter holidays. Most people know that the bulbs can be kept and encouraged to bloom again. The bulbs can even be planted outside in most areas of Vance and Warren County, NC. Frankly, I’ve never been that brave, though I do keep them outside in the summer.
I have, over the years, kept bulbs from year to year with success though I don’t work at having them bloom for the holidays. The bulb I bought a few years ago didn’t bloom last year despite having bloomed the previous two years.
That’s what bugs me about growing them. I just can’t seem to get it right.
That bulb has been kept cool and dry and soon it will be potted up. Last Fall, I was gifted a large bulb by a friend and that bulb has also been kept cool and dry for several months. The friend has a simple way of dealing with his bulbs that results in a stupendous display. He has two large pots of very large bulbs. The pots go in the crawl space of his house just before the last frost and stay there with no watering until time to bring them out in the spring, around April 1. A 14” pot is nearly filled with enormous bulbs. The largest is about 7 inches in diameter, resulting in at least 30 blooms in each of the two pots. I took this photo on May 12th as the first blooms were opening. Since the plants are in full sun, watering is nearly daily for the first couple of weeks, rain dependent. Afterwards, it’s as needed. They have never been repotted! I am hoping that, under my care, the gift bulb can live up to its potential. I plan to try the “under the house method” this fall as Im still not brave enough to put them in the ground. For more information, check out this excellent article written by NCSU’s Charlotte Glen:http://go.ncsu.edu/readext?150382
That bulb has been kept cool and dry and soon it will be potted up. Last Fall, I was gifted a large bulb by a friend and that bulb has also been kept cool and dry for several months. The friend has a simple way of dealing with his bulbs that results in a stupendous display. He has two large pots of very large bulbs. The pots go in the crawl space of his house just before the last frost and stay there with no watering until time to bring them out in the spring, around April 1. A 14” pot is nearly filled with enormous bulbs. The largest is about 7 inches in diameter, resulting in at least 30 blooms in each of the two pots. I took this photo on May 12th as the first blooms were opening. Since the plants are in full sun, watering is nearly daily for the first couple of weeks, rain dependent. Afterwards, it’s as needed. They have never been repotted! I am hoping that, under my care, the gift bulb can live up to its potential. I plan to try the “under the house method” this fall as Im still not brave enough to put them in the ground. For more information, check out this excellent article written by NCSU’s Charlotte Glen:http://go.ncsu.edu/readext?150382
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