HIPPEASTRUM (Amaryllis) CULTIVATION

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

AoA
Imported Hippeastrum bulbs are available in the market in Oct.-Nov. These are bulbs that have been forced to bloom for X-mas.
You can delay their blooming by keeping them chilled. They normally bloom in Dec. and if looked after well, then in spring of the year after.
Many a time they are mislabelled, so dot be disappointed if you do not get what you wanted.
Locally grown bulbs are sometime available with local Nurseries and are sold when in bloom.
Hippeastrum fans like me make an initial collection and make their own crosses.

My regime is as follows:

HIPPEASTRUM (AMARYLLIS)
CULTIVATION
NURSERY
HAVE THREE NURSERY BEDS. ONE FOR EACH SOWING YEAR.
SOW SEEDS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IN DEEP TRAYS.(KAIRI OR COARSE RIVER SAND =1, COCOPEAT=1,COMPOST=1/4 PARTS). KEEP IN SHADE, MOIST AND PROTECTED FROM RAIN.WHEN GROWTH IS 3 WEEKS OLD START FEEDING WITH POT NITRATE, N=50PPM GRADUALY INCREASING EVERY MONTH.
IN IST WEEK OF MARCH PLANT THEM IN NURSERY BEDS 4 INCHES APART, DISCARDING THE WEAKLINGS. ONLY THE STRONGEST FROM EACH TRAY ACCORDING TO NURSERY BED CAPACITY BE PLANTED.
ON SPRING OF 3RD YEAR THEY SHOULD BE BLOOMING. SELECT AND REPLANT. SOME MAY BLOOM AFTER TWO YEARS AND MAY BE LIFTED THEN.
LEAVE THOSE WHICH DID NOT BLOOM IN THE NURSERY BED FOR ANOTHER YEAR.
PLANTING
SANDY LOAM, LEAFY COMPOST FOR RAISED BEDS.
FOR POTS;
KAIRI, ¼ inch 2 parts; Bark, ¼ inch 2 parts; leaf compost 2 parts and cow manure 1 part.

LIFT BULBS TO BE RE PLANTED IN 1ST WEEK OF JANUARY.
CUT LEAVES AT NECK OF THE MATURE BULBS. BULB- LETS TO BE LEFT WITH MOTHER.
GROWTH
FEBRUARY TO OCTOBER
APPLY FERTILISER NPK 2-1-2, AT THE RATE OF 30-40 GM N / 100 SQ FEET. ( Feb. May, August, Oct.).
FOR POTS USE 500 PPM- N, FORTNIGHTLY.
FOR NEW BEDS 80 GM N / 100 SQ FEET.
WATER THOROUGHLY AND ONLY WHEN SURFACE DRIES UP TO 3 INCHES.
DORMANCY
DECEMBER TO FEBRUARY.
WITH HOLD WATER FROM FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER.
CUT LEAVES AT NECK ON LAST WEEK OF DECEMBER (MATURE BULBS ONLY). Spray bulbs with fungicide + Insecticide on cutting of leaves and every week thereafter.
PROTECT FROM WINTER RAINS BY COVERING WITH POLYTHENE (THE POTS AND THE BEDS SHOULD REMAIN DRY).
NO WATER UNTIL GROWTH STARTS.
FERTILISE AS THE GROWTH STARTS. USE NPK 2-1-2 (800 N PPM).
KEEP THEM AS WARM AS POSSIBLE FROM 1ST FEB. ONWARDS.
BLOOMING
MARCH TO APRIL.EARLY BLOOMS LAST LONGER.THEY LAST LONGER IF PROTECTED FROM SUN.

Best of luck

[UMAR KHAN]

Great tips Brigd sb.its very helpful article.Brigd sb i have left many of my singles in the open ground.when should i pull out & replant them.i have no problem with the rains.Secondly Brigd sb how can i increase the doubles in ground.when i plant them in pots they multiply but in ground they do not multiply even after 2 years.some time the singles even change their real colors.some of my white singles turned in to red stripped.i think its because of cross pollination.how can i stop it.

[khabbab]

Topic moved to Knowledge hub.

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Umar,
Bulbs in the ground do not change colour, whites do not become striped, it is because we lose the track and location gets mixed up.
The plants under stress produce bulb-lets, ones, happy only grow fat.
Again there are some varieties that produce more bulb-lets than others.
The best time to transplant them is when they are dorment, (last week of Jan.).

[UMAR KHAN]

Aoa Brigd sb,it means i should plant my doubles in pots to force them to produce bulb lets.sir gee what is ideal pot mix for Amaryllis & what size of pot is good.My singles are in ground.should i plant them in pots.

[haris.kabir]

Growing Amaryllis in Water !
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/video-am-glass.html

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Haris, the trade is not interested in your cultivation of Hippies. The forced bulbs they sell will bloom even if left on a shelf. They would rather want them to die after blooming.READ BETWEEN YHE LINES.

[Morina]

Actually my white hippeastrum make seeds what are ripened. So, just as you describe it I will sow them in this way! I am so curious to wait for new colours from these seeds!

kind regards
Morina

[aykhan]

Brig saheb all amaryllis which make seeds, will the seeds be true to the plant or can we expect something different?

[Muhammad Arif Khan]

Except for species all other Hippeastrums are result of extensive cross breeding so seeds from same seed pod will show surprising variation due to genetic throw back.

Posted by brigarif Lahore Pakistan (My Page) on
Mon, Jun 21, 10 at 3:10
After roaming around the country for thirty years in defence service I finally settled down in my own house on retirement and had enough time for my hobbies. My romance with AMARYLLIS started in June 1990. I acquired 4 bulbs locally and next year I requested a close relation of mine in USA to send me about a dozen of my selection. The person who brought them could not resist gifting some of them to her own relations but she managed to save five for me. That is when I decided to grow my own. My indiscriminate pollination produced some very good results. About 6 years ago some local seed merchants also started importing these bulbs. To my utter disappointment I seldom got what I paid for.
Three years ago Cindee and Lora sent me two bulb lets and many seeds. The bulb let a pink bloomed this year and seedlings are doing fine. About three weeks ago Maria sent me a few seeds of H Parodii, SO KIND of her. Yesterday I found 11 little leaves showing their presence. Some of my gifted seed have reached far East.
Amaryllis is now a fast growing (of over a thousand) family with me, I have lost many beloved ones and many new lovely faces have replaced them .Instead of mourning the loss I now take pleasure in the new additions.
My future Amaryllis programme is:
NO MORE BULB PURCHASES .
Selective cross breeding.
Gift seeds all over the world and get what you want from friends.
Plant twice your requirement.
Destroy all weakling on first transplantation.(An advice of HANS the authenticity of which I have learnt the hard way).
Have patience, will be rewarded.
Finally DO NOT BOTHER about parentage.