My Love for an Amaryllis just keeps growing and growing

I have never received more enjoyment from a $6 purchase in all my days. We had Amaryllis bulbs in Tennessee and they were planted outside after danger of frost. They were ok to stay there over winter with a good coat of mulch but I wasn't sure about here at the farm, in Virginia. I dug and brought two of my Amaryllis Bulbs with me to Virginia and planted them because they were gifts when both Chad's Grandpas passed. I didn't know what would happen when I left them and we moved out of the country. To my surprise in 2016 when we returned and were living in the barn, they popped up from the ground in late Spring, right where I left them. I moved them to a concrete pot up next to the barn where we were staying, so the animals wouldn't eat them. The squirrels seem to dig up everything I put in the ground and take it for their very own. These were kinda special so I wanted to keep an eye on them. I eventually moved them to a flower bed at the build site.

This year at Christmas I decided to purchase a couple more Amaryllis Bulbs. I chose a red ones since it was Christmas and I already had white. They came with a kit that included a plastic pot, a soil disc and the bulb. It couldn't be any more easy.

This was 11/23/17. A couple of weeks after planting the bulbs.

12/3/2017 They grow really fast.

)

If you don't have or never have had an Amaryllis they are so easy to maintain and provide many days and likely years of enjoyment. They are the most rewarding bulb I have ever purchased. Amaryllis are mostly seen around Thanksgiving to be planted indoors to bloom during Christmas. When those blooms start popping, it is quite the show. My red Amaryllis both had 4 flowers on each stem.

I thought the red one we had at Christmas was a Stunner and then I found these Fairytale White Ones.
A M A Z I N G! I know, not everyone gets as excited as me over a flower bulb, but can you blame me. And better to have plants as a guilty pleasure than something else, right?

The White one produced 3 stems and 3 full blooms with 5 flowers each. She was spectacular.

While they are blooming you want to sit them out of direct light which will help the bloom last longer. Keep the soil damp while your Amaryllis is growing.

Once the flowers are gone you can cut back on the watering and let them dry out in between. I should have known this display was more than the stems could handle, and I should have staked this bloom. Here is my epic plant fall. It stood up right back up with a little help and I just left her against the cabinet until the blooms had wilted.

Once your Amaryllis blooms wilt you can cut that stem completely off. There is no need to waste additional energy when the blooms have completed their cycle. Here is the Fairytale White after I cut her 3 stems off. She is now producing beautiful leaves.

This year I noticed one of my red blooms had pollenated and was forming a seed pod. You can pollenate them manually by using a q-tip and transferring pollen from the sack to the stigma. If successful the stigma will begin to swell and it grows pretty fast from there.

I left it growing and I plan to try my hand at growing from seed.

Another method of propagating that will ensure the same color Amaryllis is by using a method called "cuttage." Cuttage involves cutting the bulb into several pieces and planting them in a mixture of peat moss and sand.
After germination occurs, increase the amount of light your plants receive. I have not tried this method before.
Each seed is checked for an embryo. You can rub your fingers over each seed and actually feel a small bump which is the embryo. Only keep those and discard the rest. I laid them out on a paper towel for a week and let them dry.

These seeds produce basically what looks like a blade of grass. I read it takes 4-5 years for the seeds to form a bulb big enough to bloom. That is fine with me though. I would love to watch this process. I have already put some in soil but only a week ago so nothing to report. The whole process has been fascinating to me and I still have the healthy bulbs if the seeds do not germinate.

Once you are ready to move your bulbs outside, you will need to find a location where the soil drains well. They will rot if they sit in water. The Amaryllis prefers full sun, so find a sunny location. Dig your holes so that an inch of the bulb sits above the soil surface, just like you do when you plant in a pot.

After planting make sure you give it a full soaking so the bulb settles. In the Fall I always mulch mine Heavy with leaves or pine needles. In the spring remove your mulch so that moisture is not held against the top inch of the bulb or it will rot during the Spring instead of growing. I hope you enjoyed these beautiful bulbs and if you have never tried growing one, please give it a try.

Flowers make me happy!
Kimberly

These point and clicks are my very own :)