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Why isn’t my Amaryllis re-blooming?

Here’s some instructions to help those not yet blooming Amaryllis bulbs.

  1. DID YOU PRE-SOAK THE BULBS FIRST BEFORE PLANTING THEM? If not, soak it now in the dirt. Place pot with bulb in a deep bowl and add warm water to about 2/3 the height of the pot the bulb is planted in. Check to make sure the neck of the bulb IS NOT submerged! Let soak for 4 – 6 hrs. NEXT  If the bulb has sprouted leaves, (Now this will be hard to do, cut the leaves off to about 3″). This will shock the bulb and signal it to bloom.
  2. BULBS MAY NEED SOME FERTILIZER. Add a 15-30-15 liquid fertilizer (follow directions on box) to warm water and water the dirt around the bulb in the pot, not the bulb. As the dirt completely dries, about 5-7 days water again. If you are pre-soaking, you can add the 15-30-15 water solution to the water that the pot is soaking in. REMEMBER AMARYLLIS BULBS WILL ROT IF OVER WATERED! 
  3. AMARYLLIS BULBS LIKE HEAT AND SUNLIGHT . Make sure the bulb is in a very warm room with sunlight at least half of the day. After they bloom, you can move them to less light and a cooler room to extend they bloom time. We have had several very cold days in the last 2 months.
  4. DON’T GIVE UP! Your’s will probably bloom in January. This summer while the bulb is summering out side, make sure to feed the bulb which will help this problem next winter. Also, remember forcing the Amaryllis to bloom for Christmas only works a couple of years.

Merry Christmas Happy Gardeners.

Fall is a great time to plant and transplant

If you are planting or transplanting this week, PLEASE make sure to water water water with the high 80’s temperatures coming back !

Fall is the best time to plant or transplant!

Now is the time to begin transplanting your bulbs and day lilies.

For Gladiolus,

1. Cut back the foliage to within 1 inch of the ground after the leaves begin to yellow and die back naturally in the fall. Rinse pruning shears in a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water before each cut to disinfect them.

2. Dig around the clump of gladiolus corms, loosening the soil to a 6″ depth. Lift the corms out of the soil and brush off the dirt.

3. Break apart the corms by twisting them gently until they separate. Remove the old basal plate, which contains the roots, on the large main corms and dispose of it. Separate the smaller corms from the sides of the main corms. Throw away any rotten or damaged corms.

4. Cover the new bed with a 2″ compost layer, then till into the top 6 to 8″ of soil. Select a well-drained garden bed that receives all-day sunlight during the spring and summer growing season.

5. Transplant each corm so the tip is 3 to 6 inches deep, planting larger corms at the 6″ depth and the smaller corms 3″ deep. Space the corms 3 to 6″ apart in all directions.

6. Water the soil after transplanting so the top 6″ feels moist. Cover the bed with 2″ of mulch to protect the corms from winter temperature fluctuations. Gladiolus do not require further watering until spring.

For Day Lilies: This articles is from Oakes Daylilies which shows these step by step instructions on an actual Day Lily: Divide and Conquer 101

  1. Select a large Clump: You can divide any daylily clump that has 2 fans(divisions) or more, but typically you would want to divide clumps that are several years old with quite a few fans.
  2. Dig up the clump. Start digging 6-8″ away from the clump, then work your way around the clump until you can pop it out of the ground
  3. Shake off the dirt and trim the foliage(optional) Shake off some of the dirt so you can see where to divide the plants. You may also want to trim the foliage (6-8″) so the plants are easier to handle. Trimming is optional, but if you don’t trim, the leftover foliage may wilt and look ragged after the transplant. New foliage will typically start growing back soon after transplanting, especially if you keep them well watered.
  4. Divide the Clump. Often you will just be able to pull the plants apart (some varieties divide more easily than others). If they don’t pull apart easily, you can use a knife to pry or cut the plants apart.
  5. How small to divide? You can divide as small as one plant but you will probably want to leave a few plants together. If you divide to a single plant, you probably won’t get much bloom the next year.
  6. Replant: Dig a hole deep and wide enough to place the roots. Plant to the depth they were previously planted. The white ring between roots and leaves is about ground level. Cover the roots and firm the soil.
  7. You’re finished! We usually toss a slight handful of basic fertilizer around the drip line of the day lilies in the fall. We just use a basic 10-10-10 mix. After you fertilize, don’t forget to water and mulch your new daylily. Then, just sit back and let that beauty grow!
  8. Remember Day Lilies are sun lovers.

 

 

Amaryllis

This is the month to put your Amaryllis to sleep for the fall so it will re-bloom this Christmas. Start by cutting  all the foliage to about 1″ – 2″ from the top of the bulbs, and place the bulbs in a dry, dark place. I put mine in paper NOT plastic, grocery bags. Basements are good choices, and even the back of a closet will work. You are trying to force your bulbs to take a rest, to slip into a few weeks of dormancy before starting a new flowering cycle. During this period, DO NOT water.

Let the Amaryllis sleep for ten to twelve weeks. Then start the growing cycle over just as you did when you first planted the bulbs.

PRE-SOAK BULB – Bulbs are very dry when you buy them. They need to be pre-soaked before planting. To do this place the bulb in a small container that will allow it to be half way submerged and soak in tepid water for 3-8 hours.

Replace the soil with fresh mix, remove any dead leaves and old, peeling bulb sheaths (these look like the dried, outer skins on an onion) and replant, again with the bulb shoulders exposed. Place your bulbs in bright light and give them one good drink of water. The combination of light and water will wake up the plants and encourage them to start growing again. When the first leaves appear, and NOT BEFORE, begin watering them regularly. If you give them a steady supply of water to the bulb with no foliage, the bulb will rot.

The only things I will add is that I take mine out of the old dirt for fear of bugs in the soil and I spray my bulbs with the Insecticidal Soap to make sure no funguses lived over the ten to twelve weeks they are sleeping. I would leave them the 12 weeks then re-pot the bulbs. Remember they will need another 2 weeks after they are re-planted to bloom so count backwards from when you want them to bloom and add one more week to this formula. Example: I will be putting mine to “bed” the week of August 21 and replanting the week of November 21st. Yeah, right before Thanksgiving. Then they have 2-3 weeks to bloom before Christmas. If you wait them blooming the first week of December adjust your week to put them to “bed”.

Can’t believe we are thinking about Christmas when it’s in the 90’s. Happy Gardening.

Amaryllis Part 3

Now that the torrential rains have stopped, your Amaryllis bulbs in their original pots with the only the leaves because you have trimmed the dead stems off, can go outside. Place them in morning sun/afternoon shade. Keep them watered and also fertilize them every 2 weeks or so. Dear Violet uses a liquid sprayer attached to my hose. Makes it so must faster to fertilizer all my pots.

Check out the web site’s directions for more inform on summering Amaryllis bulbs outside. More inform to come in August on how to force the bulbs for a December bloom.

https://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/t-bys-amaryllis-post-bloom-care.aspx

You can also plant them outside in the ground BUT you must plant them in a south facing garden. Dear Violet’s are also planted close to a stone wall which helps them stay warm during the weather. We are right on the line for Amaryllis bulbs surviving our winters. Please follow the directions at this website for planting them outdoors.

http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/g-3-amaryllis.aspx?

 

Amaryllis Part 2

Now that your amaryllises have probably finished blooming, you will still need to keep them watered while we wait for spring to get here. They need about a cup of water a week if the soil is dry to the touch. Remember to let the water drain from the pot. Amaryllises bulbs DO NOT like to be wet. When the outside temperatures warm up to low’s in the 50’s then the Amaryllis bulbs can go outside in morning sun light for the summer. But they will still need to be watered though out the summer.

If you are interested in re-blooming the Amaryllis bulbs for Christmas 2016, I will post instructions in July on what to do with the bulbs.

Happy Gardening!

Amaryllis Bulbs

How to Plant and Care for Amaryllis Bulbs

What you need to plant an amaryllis bulbs

POT – Size does matter! The pot should be 1 – 1 1/2 inches bigger than the bulb. Amaryllis bulbs must be pot bound to bloom as well as to support the large stems. Weight matters too! The large stems and flowers will topple over a plastic pot. A heavy clay pot and saucer with a drainage hole is recommended.

PRE-SOAK BULB – Bulbs are very dry when you buy them. They need to be pre-soaked before planting. To do this place the bulb in a small container that will allow it to be half way submerged and soak in tepid water for 3-8 hours.

GOOD QUALITY POTTING SOIL – Select a type used for indoor plants.

Planting

1.  Tilt the pot to the side and fill one third of the way with soil.

2.  Place bulb in pot and allow roots to spread across the bottom.

3.  Tilt pot back to normal with soil two-thirds the way up the bulb. The top one-third of the bulb should be out of the dirt. DO NOT SUBMERGE COMPLETELY IN THE DIRT.

4.  It should take four to six weeks for bulb to bloom. Flower stem will lean towards the sun so you will need to turn the pot every few days to keep the stems straight.

5.  Water bulb throughly (at least one cup) being careful not to get water down the neck. Let extra water drain through. THEN DO NOT WATER AGAIN FOR ONE WEEK. Mark your calendar. Then water again about one-half cup weekly depending upon how dry the soil feels. Don’t let bulbs sit in water. It will rot!

After Blooming

1. After all the flowers have bloomed on the stem, cut off stem down to the neck. DO NOT CUT OFF LEAVES. A lot of bulbs will have a second stem of flowers and the bulb needs the leaves to store fuel to rebloom.

2.Continue to water (half cup per week) until May when bulbs can summer outside in the shade. Bulbs will die if they are not watered until dormant stage. Check Dear Violet posts in July for how to store the bulbs so they will rebloom next December.

SOME OF DEAR VIOLET’S FAVORITE AMARYLLIS WEBSITES: Easytogrowbulbs.com ; whiteflowerfarm.com/amaryllisbulbs