My own amaryllis cross

[catjac1975]

this was my view a few days ago

Beautiful-and what a great growing window. Is is a greenhouse ? Sunroom?

 

[flowerbug]

oh, don't i wish... that's my view out my patio doors from this room from where i perch most of the day on this futon. it's not a big house. that's the only space i have for growing plants and it's full which is why i have to send some away. i need that space back.

[edit] this was my view in mid-January:

 

[Nyboy]

Cat you waited 7 years for a flower ? I have trouble waiting 7 days for seeds to sprout.

 

[catjac1975]

Cat you waited 7 years for a flower ? I have trouble waiting 7 days for seeds to sprout.

I wish it was 7 years. 7 years for the first. Some are just now blooming. Lost count-better that way. They are not a lot of work. After the initial crossing, planting seed, potting seeds...waiting. I have them in big pots, grown all together. Put outside in summer, bring inside for winter. Let dry out, water, fertilize, wait some more. I like a challenge. I never quit. I just keep researching until I get it right. I must say-not much info on amaryllis asa far as what the pros do to get them to grow faster. They keep their secrets. I think I read that a lot are grown in Holland.

 

[catjac1975]

Just an average cross but how nice that 4 are blooming at once. Cold rainy and windy today. I am usually planting our under protection right now. This color is good for the soul one such a day.

 

[baymule]

Beautiful. What did you mean when you said the bulb would be cut up? Tissue cloning?

 

[catjac1975]

Beautiful. What did you mean when you said the bulb would be cut up? Tissue cloning?

Yes. I just read to cut it into quarters and for each piece to have part of the central growth. If I were trying to sell it I might consider it. But it is just for my pleasure. I think it would take a while for the cut bulbs to come into bloom. I have been looking for good info for years.I have seen it referred to as sliced up. The pros are very stingy with their knowledge. Unlike daylily hybridizers. I cannot find a professional club or anything. Though I did just find a bog company that is all over the company. They had the most info I have every found.

 

[flowerbug]

I wish it was 7 years. 7 years for the first. Some are just now blooming. Lost count-better that way. They are not a lot of work. After the initial crossing, planting seed, potting seeds...waiting. I have them in big pots, grown all together. Put outside in summer, bring inside for winter. Let dry out, water, fertilize, wait some more. I like a challenge. I never quit. I just keep researching until I get it right. I must say-not much info on amaryllis asa far as what the pros do to get them to grow faster. They keep their secrets. I think I read that a lot are grown in Holland.

i'm pretty sure they do a lot of cloning via cell samples and using hormones and special growing mediums to get things going. that way they can take a single plant and turn it into thousands. they have huge complexes of greenhouses, very high tech, they sell a lot of produce too.

i think for use mere mortals you can take many bulb plants, quarter them and let them dry a little to form a callous and they will survive and grow out. the cut part has to have some amount of the base as that is where the roots come from. i've rarely gone that far, but when i was back in my tulip craze i had many hundreds of bulbs that had spots of disease on them that i would cut out and they'd often survive my surgery ok, when replanted.

i've never tried rooting hormone on pieces without the base chunk to see if that worked.

note that now i don't think this was all very necessary. what i really needed to do instead was get more worms in those gardens and improve the soil. the worms are the cleanup crew. very effective at helping deal with fungal diseases. tulip fire is no fun.

 

[Nyboy]

Anyone watch tulip fever on Netflix ? People would spend life saving on 1 tulip bulb.

 

[baymule]

Not sure this is 2nd this xmas. First was a mini white I sent bulb to @baymule

Two of the bulbs you sent me are coming up! Waiting on the third!