first amaryllis to bloom,

[gngrhill]

I have never been able to convince my amaryllis to bloom for Christmas, but bloom it did in April
Two more in bud and three that look like only leaves growing. No sign of buds.

[estación seca]

Really beautiful!

They normally bloom in spring, but are manipulated to bloom at any time of the year. An old member of the Florida Amaryllis Society gave this method years ago:

12 weeks before you want flowers, take the plant out of the pot with root ball intact, and lay it on its side, in very bright shade. Do not water it and do not let it get rain for 6 weeks.

6 weeks later, put it back into the pot and resume watering. You should have flowers in 6 weeks.

More things to remember with these: They do not like to be cramped in the pot, contrary to what all the tags on all the bulbs say. They like plenty of root run. All Amaryllids have thick, fleshy white roots, and the more of these you have, the better the plant grows. A deep pot is much better than a shallow pot, to ensure a good root system. A standard 1-gallon plastic US nursery pot is about the smallest one could use and expect good growth. A 3-gallon pot for one bulb would be even better.

The bulb should be planted high, so the soil level is well below the equator of the bulb. Too-high soil seems to put too much pressure on the bulb, and this inhibits flower development. Serious Hippeastrum growers set them on top of very sandy soil mixes, with just the basal plate in the soil. With this treatment they grow, offset and bloom like crazy.

[Leafmite]

That one is beautiful!

[gngrhill]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Really beautiful!

They normally bloom in spring, but are manipulated to bloom at any time of the year. An old member of the Florida Amaryllis Society gave this method years ago:

12 weeks before you want flowers, take the plant out of the pot with root ball intact, and lay it on its side, in very bright shade. Do not water it and do not let it get rain for 6 weeks.

6 weeks later, put it back into the pot and resume watering. You should have flowers in 6 weeks.

More things to remember with these: They do not like to be cramped in the pot, contrary to what all the tags on all the bulbs say. They like plenty of root run. All Amaryllids have thick, fleshy white roots, and the more of these you have, the better the plant grows. A deep pot is much better than a shallow pot, to ensure a good root system. A standard 1-gallon plastic US nursery pot is about the smallest one could use and expect good growth. A 3-gallon pot for one bulb would be even better.

The bulb should be planted high, so the soil level is well below the equator of the bulb. Too-high soil seems to put too much pressure on the bulb, and this inhibits flower development. Serious Hippeastrum growers set them on top of very sandy soil mixes, with just the basal plate in the soil. With this treatment they grow, offset and bloom like crazy.

Thanks for all that great info.