amaryllis did i kill it?

[sherm]

i was distracted today and never got outside to check on my greenhouse until it was too late. temps were up to 57C. some of my plants looked peaked but the amaryllis leaves looked like badly wilted lettuce. i immediately opened everything up and sprayed everything w/ a mist of water and then soaked each pot. i quickly got temps inside to 30 C. i think everything else will recover w/ no real damage done. however since the amaryllis looked so poor i afraid it will be a goner. i did sink the whole plants under water after i had everything else cooled down. and was going to let it soak for a few hours so that maybe the leaves will soak up some water it they aren't too cooked.

really my big question is that if the leaves are dead, can i just cut them off and put the bulbs into storage for a few months and then retry to grow them? or should it continue to try to grow them out now? sherm

[David E. Ross]

Was this a true amaryllis (A. belladonna)? Or was it a Hippeastrum?

I can't help you with the former.

With the latter, remove the leaves only when they are clearly dead. Keep the potting mix moist but not wet. Leave the pots in the greenhouse. If they are still alive, they should show new growth within

4-6 weeks.

Hippeastrum is a tropical, evergreen bulb. I have them growing both in pots and in the ground, all outdoors. In the winter, they sometimes do go dormant, more because of the leaves being battered by wind and rain than from the cold. However, I treat them as if they are constantly growing. Often, they remain in leaf throughout the winter. Those that do not go dormant often bloom twice in the summer and sometimes even three times.

See my .

[sherm]

thanks for the response. yes this is Hippeastrum Amaryllis "Aphrodite" it was growing in the greenhouse only because nighttime temps are below freezing here at night on some nights and i had just gotten the bulbs from someone and they had just started to grow. i thought they would enjoy the direct sun instead of indoor lights. i doubt i will ever have the luck you do w/ them as i live in zone 6. but i was looking foreward to seeing them bloom in a couple years.

do you think the actual bulb was damaged by the 135 dF temps? the bulbs didn't feel soft like when you bake garlic or onion in the oven so i was hoping the were ok.

the leaves continued to dry out over the past few days so i went ahead and cut them off as those leaves were gone. i have been misting the soil so it is just damp, so it seems like i am doing what you had suggested. i guess time will tell. have you ever had any bulbs cooked w/ outdoor temps?

sherm

David E. Ross wrote:

[David E. Ross]

I replied via E-mail before I realized you also posted your message on this newsgroup. For anyone else who might be interested, here is my reply:

All of my Hippeastrum -- both the three in pots and the two in the ground -- get part shade. This is the result of the huge ash tree in my back yard. My entire garden has to be shade tolerant, even the roses.

Even in the summer with temperatures at 100 or more and the sun shining on them during part of the day, the potted bulbs don't really cook because they are in clay pots. Each pot sits in a saucer. When I water them (at least every other day in the summer if not every day), I also fill the saucers with water. Moisture evaporates through the sides of the pots to keep them cool.

It is possible that the heat did not penetrate into the soil of your pots. You might carefully knock the bulbs out of the pots. Rap them gently upside-down on the edge of a table or counter while holding the bulb and soil with your fingers spread out. Then, sniff the root mass. If it doesn't smell of rot, it might be okay. If you see fresh roots, then I'm sure it will be okay.