Amaryllis Challenge??

[LovelyLadyLux]

Gorgeous H! Your "Tres Chic" is close to the colouring of "Monte Carlo" ... I wonder how they differ? I wonder the criteria for registering a name of a flower. Maybe just in the shape of the flowers? All interesting but bottom line - they're ALL GORGEOUS!

My wondering extends to lots of plants i.e. tulips. There are TONS of tulips that come out here all listed as NEW and DIFFERENT with a different name yet - they're all flowering red. Maybe fine fine shades of difference in the red but essentially all the same - they're red.

My Amaryllis are still fairly tightly in bud. Superstar is just growing taller and taller but Minerva IS starting to move and two bud heads are now out of the neck of the bulb.

[Horus]

@ Grandad, sometimes it is just the luck of the draw

[LovelyLadyLux]

I just measured Superstar and he is a full 36" high from the counter to top of the bud. I don't think he'll be open for Christmas and Minerva definitely will NOT be open but Superstar should be lovely for New Years!

Will get a picture of him tomorrow.

@H - BTW - I haven't gotten the proper orchid food yet but I did mix a 20-20-20 batch (about quarter strength) and plunged the two orchids into it. I also pulled off quite a bit of the dry moss that was stuffed all into the top of the pots. Both my orchids had quite a few roots hidden underneath all of it so now I've got a bit more of the roots exposed and they've both had the first taste of fertilizer since I got them. Will see if they perk up or change and I did cut off two wizzen'd up aerial looking roots on orchid #2. Gonna have to name them to keep them identified.

I also picked up THREE leaves off the ficus in the mixed basket I won. Memories of ficus leaf dropsy are starting to float in my head! I'm actually thinking that sooner rather than later I'm going to have to separate out this arrangement and get everybody into their own pot(s).

[Horus]

Good idea to separate them out, I always think that they struggle in a mixed pot, each plant usually has different watering regimes so may be not getting enough or too much water and of course the light requirements may vary.

[Grandad]

Can you wonder that I am in despair over this challenge. This is the state of play with the Tescos Red Lion after about 4 weeks. There are shoots showing with a couple more on the other side but it has stopped any further movement for nearly 2 weeks now.


I have a battle every day to stop Mrs G throwing it out....

[Mad Dilys]

That's in fine form Grandad, believe me. The top of the bulb has swollen a lot both with the flower buds and leaves. It looks like you might have two flowers........... Yours isn't the last to move my Minerva only has a trace of green showing - a long way to go.

I think the late starters have to build up their reserves in the bulb to flower, not using their roots directly, but I could be wrong.

[Horus]

I can tell you with absolute certainty that you have a flower stem about to pop out on the nearside of your picture. It just isn’t it’s time to bloom, a bit like throwing a Snowdrop bulb out because it has not flowered yet. I actually think that you may get a better flower stem out of that bulb because it is not roaring away, the one in my Kitchen is pretty useless as a pot plant as it is far too tall. The odds are with the lengthening days it will grow slower and produce a good stem and flower, remember that out of four bulbs I have one that has flowered and is on its way out, one in full bloom, one about to open and one that is not much bigger than the one you have.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I've had Red Lion and they're gorgeous! Yours is looking totally fine, quite healthy and you definitely have a flower bud coming. They all seem to go on their own agenda. I have one that is a full yard tall and another one that is barely cracking 6 inches. Give it time and you'll be rewarded soon.

They are interesting too in that they seem to take their time getting ready but once the gun fires they grow like all get out and sometimes can put on an inch or so per day.

[LovelyLadyLux]

This is SUPERSTAR whose main goal in life seems to be to reach the ceiling. The tallness of the stalk is starting to definitely take away from the overall niceness of the plant. I have it on the counter and it is now 36" high. The bloom bud is just ever so slightly starting to crack open so I'm thinking the growth spurt has to be coming to an end. It is now so tall (although not leaning to the light too much) I've had to move it over to a side counter in the kitchen area which is a bit lower than the dining room table. Not one leaf in sight.



This by contrast is Minerva. Hardly moving at all but 2 fully formed buds with leaves growing up the middle. I'm expecting the growth spurt to start soon (I hope).

[Horus]

Looking good I woke up this morning to find my Tres Chic leaning heavilly to one side I have tried to stake it back but it is definately too top heavy, a big problem with these bulbs I reckon.

[LovelyLadyLux]

I hope Superstar doesn't have a huge bloom. It might cause the bulb was large and it has definitely grown HIGH (too high IMO and won't look nearly as nice as a smaller more compact plant) and once the flowers appear it could topple easily. I don't have any longer sticks to stake it and am not going to wade through the snow out back to find any longer branches but it would benefit from something longer.

Am anxious though to see the flowers. It is now NOT a Christmas plant but hopefully a New Year plant and if Minerva doesn't get a move on she'll be blooming when I'm not even here!

[Horus]

My first Tesco bulb is now flowering and it is a gorgeous pure white and has large Lily sized flowers starting to open, so I will wait a couple of days before posting a photo. The problem is it is far too tall and once the flower is fully open it will lean even further over than it is already.

[LovelyLadyLux]

My Superstar is also too tall to be really appreciated in that even on the lower counter it is now higher than my head! And I'm a bit worried that once the bloom open it'll be way too top heavy and topple over.

I actually prefer varieties that are stopping at about 2' high. In other words still nice enough as a plant on the table vs this really high big plant that is going to bloom OVER my head!

I don't think I've ever had a white amaryllis but am sure the blooms are gorgeous!

[Horus]

I don't think I've ever had a white amaryllis but am sure the blooms are gorgeous!

They certainly are impressive, pure white and very large, probably the biggest flowers yet and they are not all out

[LovelyLadyLux]

Beautiful and proportionately the blooms do look super large. You have lots of nice leaves too. Superstar doesn't have any leaves emerging at all although Minerva has about 3 coming out up the middle. Am kinda wondering IF having leaves grow at the some time as the flowers will make any difference to the bulbs actual grow life afterwards.

I think this year I'm going to continue to grow both of these ones inside in pots then soon as weather permitting plant the bulbs outside directly into the garden to see how they do.

[Horus]

That is the way to do it LLL, but leave the bulb in the inner pot and plunge the whole thing into the soil once it is warm enough to survive outside. You then lift the pot and bulb around September and let the pot dry out somewhere cool and dark, once it does you can remove the bulb and keep it in those conditions (dry & dark) until it is time to re-pot it again mid November.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Measured the amaryllis earlier to today and it has grown another 2"! We're at 38" high from the counter. Taller and taller.

The bud is also now just starting to open





And, maybe just me but I think the orchid is starting to move a bit since I doused it

[Horus]

All looking good LLL and that orchid is nice and healthy, just let that aeriel root do what it wants to do.

[LovelyLadyLux]

Flower on Superstar is now starting to crack open a bit. Am disappointed that whilst starting them both with sufficient time neither has moved themselves to actually OPEN for Christmas. Guess I'll look forward (I hope) to it being open for New Year (otherwise I'm going to adopt Grandad's mantra!)

I have found both of mine this year to be slow.

[Horus]

I cant complain as three of mine hit the mark with one maybe another 2 weeks to flowering.