Amaryllis Challenge (open to all)

[Horus]

OK folks when out shopping today I decided to buy a box with a ‘grow your own Amaryllis’ kit in it. So after returning home and putting the shopping away I potted it up and put it in the bay window under the watchful eye of Mrs H.

They are very cheap to buy and I got mine from a supermarket chain (Aldi) for just £2.59 that was for a pot, potting compost and the bulb all in one box. They supposedly will take 6 to 8 weeks to produce a flower, so who knows by the New Year I may have a nice big flower.

The one I have is called ‘Orange Sovereign’ and I know that LLL has just planted one, so the thought occurred to me that we could have a challenge. Anyone can join in just get your bulb planted up (the sooner the better) then take a picture as proof that it is your own plant and if possible give reports in this thread of it’s progress. As they will all flower at different times we will wait until everyone has posted their best flowering picture and between us all we will pick a winner, no prizes just a bit of fun over the Winter months.

This is my entry into the challenge

Straight out of the box with a couple of sun starved small shoots peeking out

[Ruby Slippers]

Is an Amaryllis like a hyacinth?

[Horus]

Yes a bit, quite tall, grows from the bulb and has a fairly long lasting flower or two at the top, very nice as feature plant, very little maintenance, throw it away after flowering.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Okee dokee - the gauntlet is thrown!

My amaryllis was also a kit - bulb (nothing sprouting at all yet so your bulb is a wee bit advanced on mine), pot and soil medium. I've got it planted, watered and sitting on the end of the counter in CANADA but I'm in the USA now 'til around Nov 25/26th-ish at the earliest. Will take a photo of it soon as I'm back home.

The name of mine is RED LION and should be a dark red once blooming.

[Jayway]

Ummm, I wonder if Portuguese Aldi sell them ....

[Horus]

Good start with several interested parties, it should be a laugh if nothing else.

Jay, you need to nip in and have look, it was one of those specials that they do sometimes, but I am sure if you look around you will find them, you only really need a bulb and stick it in a pot with some compost/soil around it and keep it moistened for it to start growing.

So come on down the rest of you and get an Amarillis bulb. Kiya, MD, RS, Jay, BK and anyone else who wants to join in and we will even allow Mrs G to be the proxy grower for Grandad as we all know that he thinks that anyone with 'green fingers' has Gangreene

[LovelyLadyLux]

Amaryllis are easy peasy but the blooms are Bloomin' Gorgeous! Solid colours, variegated - they're totally lovely

[Ruby Slippers]

I am forbidden to touch a pot plant! It would be the ultimate in cruelty to plants! I can even kill a cactus - which ain't easy, but I managed it!

[Jayway]

Come on Ruby, your dreadful wreck of a plant will give us encouragement ... do get one . .. .

[Mad Dilys]

Here's a tip, if you have the chance of choosing a dry bulb from a mound of them in the shop, rather than in a box where you can't actually see the bulb before you buy it - go for a nice heavy one and squeeze it gently to see if there are any soft spots. Just like you would if buying an onion.

They are pretty forgiving and absolutely lovely.

Go on Ruby give it a try.

Here's the Royal Horticultural Society advice for Hippeastrum aka Amaryllis. https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=118

[Grandad]

Mrs G to be the proxy grower for Grandad as we all know that he thinks that anyone with 'green fingers' has Gangreene

Swept some leaves this morning......the extent of my horticultural ability.

[Horus]

RS, yes I agree with Jay, I would not have put it quite so bluntly, but yes, please get one.

MD, thanks for the advice, bit late for mine, but then again I just buy onions and sling the bad ones in the bin.
I hope that you are going to join in too

Grandad, sweeping up leaves is no excuse, you cannot let the side down, you can get Mrs G to help you and they do look very nice when they flower.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I bought mine at the local grocery store as this time of year all our grocery stores get them in. They are in a box with the pot and dirt on the bottom and the bulb nicely put on top so you can easily see it. I admit I did open a few boxes to see which bulb was the biggest and firmest - OK - I SQUEEZED the bulbs!

They're primed and ready to bloom and watching the bulb evolve could be described as (ahem) erotic

Pour half the dirt into the pot, stick the bulb on top, spread the roots out a bit and then fill the rest of the dirt around the buld. Totally fine IF the bulb seems big and sticks up out of the dirt that is the way it is supposed to be.

And even the leaves are quite lovely too - big long strappy leaves somewhat like an orchid.

[Horus]

Dirt! Dirt! do you mind, dirt is what you get under your finger nails We gardeners refer to it as either 'Soil' or 'Compost' if you don't mind.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Ahhhh - I stand corrected re: dirt I should be saying that the soil mix I used from that supplied in the baggie was a proper mix of soil, compost, humus, composed cow (or other animal) poop and perlite and a teeny tad of vermiculite! Plus water (from the tap) at room temperature

[Horus]

That's much better we do have standards to maintain on here you know

[Robbo70]

I havnt had a clue what you've been on about with this plant and never heard of it. Then you put a picture up and whoa.. I have 2 in my kitchen One is flowering regularly, the other appears to be a collection of 3 leaves and a twig, and lots of roots. I am not green fingered by a long shot

[Horus]

Thats OK then, you can enter it into the challenge

[Kiya]

I've just caught up with this thread & so happens was going through some of my grandma's table ware (having a clear out really) & decided to keep the ones shown in pic.

I had a flash back from primary school days when we used old dishes for planting bulbs & thought I could use the ones shown in the same way.

I'm not green fingered in anyway & surprised to see them growing, usually everything dies on me

I've forgotten what they are so will have to check with brother as he chose them, he's the green fingered one

[Horus]

Kiya those are Hyacinth bulbs but you can grow an Amaryllis the same way and just as easily.