I was given one for Christmas which came packaged with an attractive
glass jar and a handful of pebbles, with instructions to place the bulk
on the pebbles and fill the jar with water up to half the depth of the
bulb. This I did and the plant flourished, producing lovely flowers,
followed by leaves.

Later on I bought a bundle of "outdoor hippeastrum". I was not ready to
plant them (and not convinced that frost was no longer a danger, but one
of the bulbs was already sprouting so I placed it in shallow water in a
pot. A couple of weeks later the roots looked mushy and rotten,
although there were a couple of new roots sprouting. The sprout has
continued to make its way towards a healthy flower, so I have planted
the bulb and hope for the best.

So is potting the bulbs in water NOT a good idea? I will probably
re-purpose the glass jar and pot the bulb in the usual way next year anyway.

These flowering bulbs are all a good size but I have several that I have
collected over the past few years which are varying in size from large
marble to large hen's egg. When can I expect these to flower?

The ones that I am planting outside - should they be dug up when the
foliage dies down and kept indoors until this time next year?
--
Jenny M Benson
Wrexham, UK

On 26/04/2023 20:27, Jenny M Benson wrote:
> I was given one for Christmas which came packaged with an attractive
> glass jar and a handful of pebbles, with instructions to place the bulk
> on the pebbles and fill the jar with water up to half the depth of the
> bulb. This I did and the plant flourished, producing lovely flowers,
> followed by leaves.

Sounds like a good way for the suppliers to ensure bulbs don't last!
Amaryllis need good drainage. Or were the instructions to put water in
once and then not again until the plants had flowered and produced leaves?

> Later on I bought a bundle of "outdoor hippeastrum". I was not ready to
> plant them (and not convinced that frost was no longer a danger, but one
> of the bulbs was already sprouting so I placed it in shallow water in a
> pot. A couple of weeks later the roots looked mushy and rotten,
> although there were a couple of new roots sprouting. The sprout has
> continued to make its way towards a healthy flower, so I have planted
> the bulb and hope for the best.

Do you mean this sort of thing?
<https://www.gardeningexpress.co.uk/garden-amaryllis-red-tiger-hippeastrum-pack-of-three>.
I don't believe a word of it. I'd only trust Amaryllis belladonna
outside, and then only against a south or west-facing wall, and
preferably somewhat on the dry side.

> So is potting the bulbs in water NOT a good idea? I will probably
> re-purpose the glass jar and pot the bulb in the usual way next year anyway.

That is sensible.

> These flowering bulbs are all a good size but I have several that I have
> collected over the past few years which are varying in size from large
> marble to large hen's egg. When can I expect these to flower?

In quite a few years. It depends on the variety, but I wouldn't expect
anything smaller than tennis-ball size to flower.

> The ones that I am planting outside - should they be dug up when the
> foliage dies down and kept indoors until this time next year?

Yes, unless they are Amaryllis belladonna.

--

Jeff

On Wed, 26 Apr 2023 20:27:40 +0100, Jenny M Benson
<NemoNews@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:

>I was given one for Christmas which came packaged with an attractive
>glass jar and a handful of pebbles, with instructions to place the bulk
>on the pebbles and fill the jar with water up to half the depth of the
>bulb. This I did and the plant flourished, producing lovely flowers,
>followed by leaves.
>
>Later on I bought a bundle of "outdoor hippeastrum". I was not ready to
>plant them (and not convinced that frost was no longer a danger, but one
>of the bulbs was already sprouting so I placed it in shallow water in a
>pot. A couple of weeks later the roots looked mushy and rotten,
>although there were a couple of new roots sprouting. The sprout has
>continued to make its way towards a healthy flower, so I have planted
>the bulb and hope for the best.
>
>So is potting the bulbs in water NOT a good idea? I will probably
>re-purpose the glass jar and pot the bulb in the usual way next year anyway.
>
>These flowering bulbs are all a good size but I have several that I have
>collected over the past few years which are varying in size from large
>marble to large hen's egg. When can I expect these to flower?
>
>The ones that I am planting outside - should they be dug up when the
>foliage dies down and kept indoors until this time next year?

I have a couple of Hippeastrums, and I would *never*, *ever*, let them
stand in water. I grow them in a good quality ericaceous compost with
about 25% grit added for drainage. I don't think the compost has to be
ericaceous, but it's what I have here so it's what I use. It's not
peat-free.

I have the pots standing in plant saucers, but on a smaller plant
saucer upturned within the larger saucer, so that the base of the pot
stays clear of any water that drains from the pot. Pebbles would
probably also be OK, as long as the base of the pot stays clear of the
water that drains.

I water them maybe once a week, or perhaps three times every
fortnight, and give them the occasional feed with tomato fertiliser
(Tomorite). The largest bulb (H. Apple Blossom) is about the size of a
large grapefruit or swede, and has a flower stalk with several huge
flowers. I expect a second flower stalk will appear soon. It has lots
of offsets, two of which are also flowering.

When it has finished flowering, I will cut off the dead heads (but not
the flower stems until they shrivel back) and will probably pot it on
into a slightly larger pot, but I believe they like to be tightly
potted, so not too big a pot. Then I will feed and water it until the
Autumn, when I will stop watering and the leaves will eventually die
back and go yellow, and will be cut off. The pot with its bulb will
then be stored in the dark in the back of the cold garage for four or
five months, before starting to water it again and bringing it back to
life, probably in late February.

Can't help with your 'outdoor Hippeastrums' though.

--
Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
from the West, but open to the North and East.

Many thanks, Chris and Jeff. I will take your advice on board.

--
Jenny M Benson
Wrexham, UK