I came home to a surprise!

[bobbiwoz]

I save amaryllis bulbs from year to year, and sometimes they bloom and sometimes they don't. This year, I've only taken 4 out of the dormancy so far, and only 2 of them were sending up a flower shoot. I had given those as Christmas presents and the others (7 still in dormancy) don't look promising at all.

Well, I came home from WDW and checked out one of the ones I had out, and it's flower bud, not only emerged, but is 3 inches tall. I was only gone for 4 nights! So here's a late bloomer, I'm thrilled.

Bobbi

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Those are the best kinds of surprises!

I once had some mystery bulbs that I was fairly certain were long gone, but decided to give them a try anyway. I planted them and then really forgot about them. One day I was working in the garden and I suddenly noticed little sprouts coming up, and sure enough, I had some lovely tulips! It was a beautiful surprise.

 

[DebºoºS]

What a nice surprise to come home to.
Maybe it's like a watched pot that never boils.

Confused say "watched bulbs never sprout"

 

[kaylajr]

Very Nice

 

[amid chaos]

I've got a couple here I'd love to keep for next year....how do you put them into dormancy?

 

[bobbiwoz]

I've got a couple here I'd love to keep for next year....how do you put them into dormancy?

For most of the spring, summer, I have my bulbs outside in pots, under some bushes so they are protected from strong sun. In late October I bring them in, dry them out if they are very wet, check out the soil for worms, and then cut off their leaves, and put them in the basement. They usually go into the basement before November begins. Around 2 weeks before Christmas, I check for "life." Sometimes a new bud is coming up, this year there were 2 before Christmas and those I gave for Christmas presents. I begin bringing the rest up right after Christmas, whether or not new life is showing. I've had 2 more with flower buds, including my surprise, and about 4 more that are just showing nothing or leaves right now. I haven't brought them all up. I also have some "baby bulbs" that I don't expect anything except leaves from for a few years. I've not had these long enough to know if they will develop the way commercially grown ones do. They are offshoots of older bulbs that I have.

Now, I have a friend who doesn't have a basement, and she just lets hers dry out in the fall, and keeps it in her unheated patio, and she has a bud coming up now as well. Her's is in a huge container, mine are more or less in the size pot that an Amaryllis Kit comes with, so I don't know if size of pot matters at all!

Bobbi

PS. Deb (with the mouse ears) you are right! I always hold my breath when I go to look at the bulbs for the first time in December, if I look every day, nothing seems to happen, but when I forget about them and then say, I better hop to it, there they are!

 

[dianeschlicht]

I have done this for years, but last year, when we moved, I didn't want to keep all of the Amaryllis I had, so I just kept one. It didn't bloom last year, but I kept feeding it all summer, and I just took it out of dormancy a week ago, and I can practically watch it grow! There is already a bud stock coming up, and it's just a short ways behind the leaves. Now if I could just remember which color this one is!!

 

[bobbiwoz]

I have done this for years, but last year, when we moved, I didn't want to keep all of the Amaryllis I had, so I just kept one. It didn't bloom last year, but I kept feeding it all summer, and I just took it out of dormancy a week ago, and I can practically watch it grow! There is already a bud stock coming up, and it's just a short ways behind the leaves. Now if I could just remember which color this one is!!

It's a thrill isn't it, Diane?!!! I'm glad you have this one to watch! I've been lucky, 2 others since I've come home have flower buds growing.

Bobbi

 

[hlbtimes2]

This was our first year to grow them. I picked up 2 kits on clearance for $1.75 each. I let my two kids (ds almost 4 and dd7) plant them. My dd's started out growing quickly and my sons did nothing. Then, suddenly his took off. How it is very tall, but doesnt look like it will bloom. My dd's is growing slowly, but has a fat bud on it. They grow so quickly they are great for kids.

 

[bobbiwoz]

This was our first year to grow them. I picked up 2 kits on clearance for $1.75 each. I let my two kids (ds almost 4 and dd7) plant them. My dd's started out growing quickly and my sons did nothing. Then, suddenly his took off. How it is very tall, but doesnt look like it will bloom. My dd's is growing slowly, but has a fat bud on it. They grow so quickly they are great for kids.

I agree that they are great for kids, and I hope the other plant gets a bud stalk as well!

I was a middle school math teacher in Trenton, NJ. Every January I would bring in some amaryllis plants and each day/or week the students would measure and record heights and then they would do a line graph showing the plant's growth. It was amazing, to me and to them.

Bobbi