Amaryllis-stien the monster

canesisters · Apr 20, 2016

Someone gave me an amaryllis bulb "kit" for Christmas that was a pot, the bulb, a little bag of moss & a 'puck' of growing medium that grew impressively when I added water.
It sat for a month or so before I got around to planting it.
This is what I've got so far....

Still no hint of a bloom yet....
This thing is HUGE!!! That's TWO regular file cabinets that it's spanning so far.
The weight of the leaves kept kinking them and causing them to crack so I added the cup (bottom cut out) as a support.
I've never grown one of these before. I've never even seen an actual one before - just pictures.

Is it SUPPOSED to look like this??? According to the pictures I've seen of them, and judging by the leaves ... the flower stalk should be about 3-4' tall!!!
(this can't be right....)

Smart Red · Apr 20, 2016

It looks a lot like mine (minus the cup). Mine flowered last year and doesn't seem to be sending up a flower spike this year. Yours should have a flower spike by the time the leaves are as big as yours are, from my experience.

Nyboy · Apr 20, 2016

You might have waited to long to plant and lost this years flower. The flower stalk grows before leaves appear

canesisters · Apr 20, 2016

So... what do I do with it now???
How do I get it to bloom next year?

Larisa · Apr 20, 2016

Now amaryllis will not bloom. He raises up the leaves. This means that it has a favorable period for the cultivation of bulbs. It is best to transplant in the garden until the autumn. Earth must be very nutritious. This will give him the chance to build a good bulb. If not, then it can grow in a pot. But it is necessary to feed fertilizer for flower bulbs according to the instructions. In autumn it is better to shift it to the coolness. The leaves should turn yellow. He needed sleep. At this time he has no leaves approximately 3 months. If everything is correct, then in the winter it should show a flower arrow. If he grew up in a pot in the summer, it should be transplanted into a new breeding ground. We can not put deep. The bulb should peek out of the ground. When the arrow will appear - just can not be watered. It is necessary to wait until she little grows up.
For amaryllis needs a pot.
1. The height of the pot must be greater than the diameter of the bulb considering that when landing on the bottom of the pot to be laid drainage.
2. The diameter of the pot is chosen with regard to the bulbs after planting around was no more than 3-4 cm. (1,18 - 1,57 inch).
3. With the right landing amaryllis bulb should protrude above the ground exactly in half.
Given that Hippeastrum roots are very sensitive to lack of oxygen and the heavy, dense soil mixtures die, and the volume of the pot compared to the size of the bulb is not large, the earthen mixture should be as light as possible, but also very nutritious! Feeding fertilizers begin only from the time of flowering!

so lucky · Apr 20, 2016

Or, it might be a space alien from a distant planet, waiting for you to turn your back on it, so it can suck all the life-giving coffee from your cup. or not.....

canesisters · Apr 20, 2016

Nyboy · Apr 21, 2016

After flowering I give away, I do same with orchids.

baymule · Apr 21, 2016

Ya'll are gonna hate me.......
Amaryllis are a no brainer for me. I have Amaryllis and have hauled them around from place to place for 45 years. This last move was hard on them, I dug them up and they withered away in a bucket for several months until I finally dug a pit, dumped them in and covered with some real sorry dirt. They promptly oriented themselves and bloomed. (last spring) They are in a bad spot. They have been run over multiple times by tractor and diesel truck. I really ought to move them and give them some better dirt. Oh, I never dig them up, never "store" them, never feed or pamper them....just plant and forget them. Again they reward me this spring with showy blooms. I just had to run out there and take pictures.

Then I read all this mumbo-jumbo on how hard they are to grow, how fickle they are to get to bloom, they bloom once then give them away.... :lol: