Seed Talk #15 - Amaryllis - Forcing Indoors & Saving Bulbs with Val Schirmer

[@cbak1819]

A cleaning customer, who has now passed away gave me her last amaryllis.. it bloomed the next year.. last year it didn't .. I thought one more year and if it doesn't bloom I'll let it go. Guess what ? It's blooming 🎉 Jannie's memory lives on❤

[@Foundingmother1]

Thank you for your very informative video. I’m from Chicago and love your lovely warm southern accents. Happy 2024

[@donnamcleod2130]

I love getting a "bald" bulb and watching my new baby grow! They are simply one of the most beautiful flowers and put on a spectacular show! This is very good information from beginning to end! Thank you all ladies, awesome job!

[@sonyamelzer]

Great video! VERY informative. This is my first year growing amaryllis, and I’m hooked.

[@williamkallenbach7461]

So much valuable information, even for someone like me who has been growing plants since the 1970s !

[@daniel68475]

I love Val and highly recommend her course for people interested in bulb arrangements. 🌻🌻🌻🌻

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Thanks, Daniel - we love Val, too! Her course is both inspiring and informative ☺ Thanks so much for watching and for the positive feedback! 🤗

[@elliebee2012]

That is the biggest amaryllis bulb I’ve ever seen!! 😮

[@cbak1819]

Question? I'd like to have them bloom in April around the 25th ish. Do I bring in and leave in sunny window until they need to be put into dormancy? How long can they be stored? Thanks so much Layne.. love this show! Now watching to the end .. I'll go over to her face book.. 💜

[@jcrane45585]

Great info!!! My great grandmother LaCroix grew amaryllis under her live oak tree in between the roots ( the Louisiana delta, zone 8b/9a). She would dig a few up for the holidays and gift them. In that vein, I'm growing amaryllis outside in a morning sun bed. My question is what could be planted in the winter that likes the same conditions to keep the bed covered from August to April?

[@judieahmed98]

Wow! That is a huge bulb!

[@Synycom1]

Very helpful

[@madonnaschmid7707]

Great info!! I think I need to grow them!!

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Thanks, Madonna! You definitely do need to grow them - and you can usually find some on discount at this time of year ☺ I just bought a bunch to add to my collection, as well. Hope you find some big, beautiful bulbs to plant - thanks for watching! 🤗

[@michelles1517]

I live in Florida zone 9 -10 when I first moved to the neighborhood a lady down the street gave me two huge orange Home Depot buckets full of amaryllis bulbs she just didn’t wanna do it anymore she had a bad knee and just couldn’t keep up. I brought them home and I really didn’t know anything about Amaryllis. I have a lamps that have amaryllis hand-painted but I never knew on actually how to grow an amaryllis . so I left them in the bucket. I looked it up online and I sort of followed the protocol online. I ended up just putting them along the side of my house I didn’t even I spread them out I didn’t really even cover them with dirt or anything I just lay them along the side of the house and then I saw the notice that they were starting to sprout and get green so they pretty much have been there now for two years I’ve never had a bloom I’ve had plenty of green the leaves but never bloom so I’m wondering am I supposed to dig them up throw them in a box in a dark spot in the house and force them to go into a winter or dormant stage for a couple months and then bring them out again and start all over or maybe this Time grow them in in a glass jars or something.

[@ElmaCocklin]

I love them started last year have 5 colours Elma cocklin south africa

[@stevenseverance3692]

I have Amaryllis Belladonna, and the regular Amaryllis growing in my Las Vegas Nevada yard. I find they do just fine in are "Sandy Soil" however to help with "Drainage a little bit of Grit added to the Soil helps". I use a little bit of"Cactus 🌵 mix". They seem to do quite well and they live outside and take the Cold 🥶 Night's just fine and then I protect them from the Afternoon Sun 😎 during the Summer along with the Summer"Dry winds "they're Very Happy 😁. Which variety is best for my situation/growing zone #9 - Desert 🏜️? Peru or Holland? Outdoors 24seven 365days a week. Let Me Know! Sincerely Yours 🤠 Mr Severance, "The Cake 😋🍰🎂🥳🎉🎈🥂🎊 Man ".

[@martystevens2313]

I've always left the leaves on to die back when I bring them in to my basement. I thought the energy from the leaves goes back in to the bulb ( like the rule that you dont cut the daffodil or tulip foliage until it is totally dry). I learned something new today!

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Hello, Marty! I was surprised to hear Val say that, as well 🙂 Like you, I typically allow my amaryllis' leaves to die back naturally before cutting them off, but Val has great success cutting them off right away! Perhaps the bulb has more than enough time to photosynthesize and store up energy for next year's show during the very long time period it is left outdoors, which is why Val has success cutting off the leaves while they are still green. I love learning how people do things differently! Thanks so much for watching and for taking the time to leave a comment! 🤗

[@martystevens2313]

@@LayneAngeloTGW I may have to experiment next fall and try it both ways. I have 7 bulbs to play with (maybe more if I find some on clearance after Christmas).

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

@@martystevens2313 I was thinking the same thing - an experiment is in order! 😁 I just bought a bunch of bulbs on discount, as well! Good luck finding some more after Christmas to add to your collection 🤗

[@darlenemacdonald206]

Where do I get the forcing & saving bulbs with Val course for $50? Thanks

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Hello, Darlene! You can find the course via The Gardener's Workshop's online shop (additional information in the show notes above). Thanks so much for your interest and for watching! 😊

[@itsmewende]

Any info on why a bulb wouldn't bloom. Last winter for the first time I bought an expensive bulb at a garden center I frequent, no blooms last yr, no blooms coming this yr. I have 7 huge leaves but not one sign of a flower.

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

Hey, Wende - How disappointing! 🙁 A few questions: Do you recall how large the bulb was when you purchased it? Was it significantly smaller than the ones Val showed in this video? What time of year was it when you purchased the bulb and was it dormant when you purchased it? What did you do with the plant over the past year, and did you allow it to have a dormant period of 8 to 10 weeks? Thanks for watching!

[@itsmewende]

@@LayneAngeloTGW Thanks for getting back to me. I bought it maybe mid Nov, it wasn’t ginormous, but still a good size, 2 stems worth I’d guess. I left it in the pot I planted it in and stuck it in the back bedroom. Never did a thing with it, then around, maybe Oct I noticed a new leaf growing, that’s all that’s been growing. I did remove the offset, wish I hadn’t after watching this video.

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

@@itsmewende Hello again, Wende! Any time you are buying from a reputable source (like the garden center you described), the bulb should definitely bloom the first year. Blooms the second year will depend on how it is treated in the interim. In order for your bulb to have any chance of blooming next year, you will need to rehabilitate it this coming year! Using the steps described in the video, you should set the bulb outside once the weather is warm enough, ideally in a location receiving at least part sun. The plant needs to photosynthesize and store up energy for next year’s show. Indoors, there is typically not a strong enough light source (without the use of grow lights) for the bulb to build up sufficient energy stores to bloom the following year. Leave the bulb outside the entire summer, up until your first frost (which will “knock it back”, so to speak). After that point, bring the bulb inside and stop watering it. I allow the leaves to die back naturally, however Val recommends cutting them off right away. Store the bulb in a cool, dark location indoors and - again - do not water. The bulb needs to remain dormant for around 8 to 10 weeks. After that time period, follow the steps described in the video to “wake” your bulb up, and hopefully you will get some blooms! I currently have a bulb that was originally found in the corner of the warehouse from a previous year (it had rolled into the corner unnoticed). It was not in great shape, but I rehabilitated the bulb as described above and although I did not get blooms the first year, I did get blooms the following year! I would definitely try to pick up some more bulbs (hopefully at discounted prices, this time of year) to enjoy while you attempt to rehabilitate your current bulb. Best of luck, and thanks for watching! 😊

[@itsmewende]

@@LayneAngeloTGW Thanks again for answering back, I’ve probably ruined its chances again for next yr, as I’ve also cut the leaves off, I should have known better after all it is a bulb 🙄 just was tried of looking at it.

[@LayneAngeloTGW]

@@itsmewende Who knows - maybe it will send up some more leaves! 😊

[@retire14pattaya9]

None of my bulbs have produced a flower stem. I gave gave them everything even grow lights. Only leaves so far.

[@victorb145]

I like 80° water. It's the temperature my fish tanks are and that's what the plants get watered by. People tell me that 80° fahrenheit is to hot for plants, but none of my plants complain.

[@terresturtevant2061]

my flowers only last about a week. Is that normal

[@ShirleyJDavis]

If you have bought bulbs with only one stems,as the bulbs get older will grow more stems with more flowers. I always save my bulbs from year to years.

[@indirapatino1138]

How to make them get bigger

[@beverlycasson2453]

The bigger the bulbs the more they cost . If you start out with a small bulbs surely will get bigger right.

[@nelvanderburg599]

Graag Nederlandstalige

[@micefood]

F/U to what is "forcing"...brief summary of the process please.