Only one of my amaryllis will bloom this year. All have leaves trailing down. Is there a point at which I could cut these leaves off and start the whole thing over? I know I can cut off the yellow leaves, but what about the green ones? I have also something called a silver quill or squill, which has never bloomed. Thanks, Jackie
You need them to be cold for a while. I would suggest cutting the leaves off, taking them out of the pot, cleaning them off (you can leave the roots) and putting them in the Fridge for a few days. Then repot and they should bloom. I have close to 100 that I have blooming year round using this strategy. I have a few in the fridge all the time. Do not leave them in for weeks at a time, they will rot. Like apples they need chill time.
Doug
I strongly disagree with chilling amaryllis, whether you mean A. belladonna or some form of Hippeastrum. A. belladonna is a subtropical bulb, and Hippeastrum are tropical. Neither experience true winter chill in their native environments.
Although A. belladonna does indeed go dormant, this should be allowed to happen naturally. Further, its roots should not be disturbed. Any attempt to force dormancy artificially (e.g., by removing green leaves) or any disturbance of its roots (e.g., removing from soil to refrigerate) other than at the start of natural dormancy will cause the bulb to refuse to bloom for a few years.
In its natural environment, Hippeastrum species are evergreen. In the winter, they do have a resting period during which they do not bloom or produce new leaves; this is equivalent to dormancy. Even then, however, existing leaves will often remain green. Removing green leaves will reduce the ability of the bulb to produce flowers. I have noticed that, when the winter weather causes all leaves to yellow on my Hippeastrum, they generally bloom once during the growing season. However, if the winter allows the bulb to retain green leaves, I might get flowers in the spring, again in the summer, and even again in the fall -- flowering three times in one growing season.
See my , which (among other things) explains the differences between A. belladonna and Hippeastrum.
We had them escaped in Hawaii, they just grew in the lawn, nobody that I knew had any idea what they were. I dug some up, dried them, then they would bloom. Some I just hung on a clothesline in the shade, some I put in a paper bag.
I am confused, but I will weigh whether to chill or not. Maybe I will chill some and not others. I will cut the leaves on the ones I chill. I can identify the one which is about to bloom as the Hippeastrum. The ones not blooming are Amaryllis belladonna, which are also Hippeastrum I think??.
These plants are in the sun room and I want to put them out on the patio when it is consistantly warm. Jackie
For really good and correct information on these bulbs go here:
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