amaryllis update

After my Amaryllis bulbs bloomed last winter, I tried pollinating the flowers to produce seeds. I was successful in producing seeds and getting those seeds to grow!

Once the seeds began growing in water, I put them in potting soil in recycled plant containers from Home Depot and Lowes. I decided to use potting soil instead of seed starting soil which worked for me. I think I had about a 90% germination rate for the seeds and a 90% germination rate for the seedlings.

As the seedlings grew, I moved them to recycled pots and plastic pots I had purchased for starting seeds inside. I’m going to leave the new plants in these pots for awhile. I read that it takes several years for the bulbs to grow large enough to produce flowers. I think the bulbs also like to be tight in the pots.

While I was growing new plants, I decided to try rejuvenating my old plants. Most of the plants I bought last winter. About 4 or 5 I had stored in the basement. Everything came back!

In September, I’ll bring the mature bulbs in, trim the leaves back, and store them in the basement. In late November, I’ll bring them up to a sunny window, probably in my office, and water them to start the process. I think I’ll leave the new bulbs in the office for the winter since they’re not ready for flowering yet.