Amaryllis Challenge??

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Mad Dilys
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Mad Dilys »

Not just Grandad my Minerva looks fit for the bin, but give it time....... :up


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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Horus »

Don't feel sorry for him MD, he gets all the good weather :lol: :lol:
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Mad Dilys »

That's true, but even you get better weather than we do in Cardiff the wettest city in the UK.

Oh to be back in mid-Kent where the rainfall was one third of here. ;)

Think I'll take my daughter up on her offer of house sitting in Ibiza. 8)

AND Grandad has Airports that are open all the year round for the places I want to go to..........

AND He can go to France for the day once a week like I used to with my old friend (how I miss her)

AND He's got Blue Water within striking distance.

BUT I'm sorry his poor Amaryllis haven't started yet. :(
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Grandad »

I can see you are home sick MD. Lovely day here today, temperature made double figures, will have to put the summer duvet back on. :lol: :lol:
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

@Grandad - did you rescue the amaryllis from the bin?
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Grandad »

LovelyLadyLux wrote:@Grandad - did you rescue the amaryllis from the bin?
As I have said before, I have no comment to offer on this thread. ;) ;)
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

:cry: :cry: Ahhhhhhhh - YOU KILLED IT??? :cry: :cry: :cry:

:mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

x;) x;) x;) x;) x;) x;) x8) x;) x;) x;) x;) x;)
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Mad Dilys »

Don't worry LLL he'll suddenly produce a glorious specimen that he has secretly been hiding - of course some jealous folk will think he's been cheating,

I trust you Grandad! :a21:
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Horus »

he'll suddenly produce a glorious specimen that he has secretly been hiding
Ooops! there goes another flying pig :o :lol: :lol:
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Mad Dilys »

I got a shock this morning. I saw the Monte Carlo was leaning again so I moved it onto the workbench and left the light under the wall cupboard there on all night.

Fortunately I didn't put the pot under the cupboard but just clear. It wouldn't go underneath anyway now as I keep measuring it and it definitely grew just over 2 inches last night, so if I had put it under the cupboard it would have really distorted the stem.

Note: No Flying Pigs were involved in this event. :up
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Horus »

I know what you mean, believe it or not as I was watching TV last night with the blind closed and just a table lamp on, the Amazon bulb flower spike actually curved towards it at more than 45 degrees it looked like a banana. :cry: I have been twizzling it around all day trying to get it back to something like straight and the Tesco bulb in the kitchen window had actually grown past a string tie that was set about 2” below the flower spike top the day before. :o
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Just noticing that Minerva has now just cracked out a second tip of either a leaf or flower bud. She sure is taking her time but am good with that as Superstar is going to be flowering very close to Christmas so Minerva will be coming after that.

I've always been amazed at how much amaryllis do grow in a single 24 hours once they get going. They can really move it FAST.

And we never know about Grandad - am sure he probably has his trail cam on his rescued amaryllis documenting its every move. Probably has trained the fox to be romping in the background too and still keeping an albino squirrel to appear at the finale!
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Mad Dilys »

Ahem, LLL I think you said elsewhere that Minerva was an early Variety? Mine looks deader if anything than when I bought it. Not a sign of swelling in the shoulders let alone an emerging shoot.

Oh well, it will spread out the display, if it's late so silver linings everywhere! ;)
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

When Minnie aka Minerva was the only one here she looked to be starting but has actually stalled with one teeny tiny tip out (now has a second one just cracking the neck of the bulb and compared to SUPERSTAR who really IS looking like a start Minerva might be ready to flower by Easter!

BUT if the bloom season extends - BONUS.
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Grandad »

OK, I will fes up. ;) I DID recover Minnie Minerva from the bin. I sat her in a pot for four days with just enough water to cover her roots. I had added a little plant fertiliser to the water. Nothing happened but today for her LAST LAST chance I have re-potted her and I will see if anything happens over the next few weeks. I have already been trying for 5 weeks. :( I call it 'Her' because she is being coy and temperamental with me. :lol:

The Tesco model has a small shoot no more than 1.5cm above the old plant. There are signs of life between the layers of the old plant so I will persevere with this one but like LLL, it might not bloom until Easter. :lol: :lol: .
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Horus »

It is surprising how fast they grow once they get started :o
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

These plants are totally programmed to produce for Christmas so I'm betting that even though my Minerva is barely cracking a leaf tip out that soon as she starts she'll go full bore ahead and be in flower by the end of this month. Once they get get going they definitely seem to put on a couple of inches of growth per day almost.

@H & MD - re: my orchids....the light bulb went on.......it never dawned on me 'til you mentioned it that the ROOTS might need daylight. All my friends in Trinidad have tons of orchids strung about everywhere and they flower all the time AND their roots ARE exposed to daylight and same same with Hawaii & Mexico. Mostly there the orchids are strung up in trees (although the potted ones, I'm sure, are rented from Plant Nurseries) and wired to other outside buildings etc.

My orchids are in the pots I bought them in. They're in clear plastic containers inside decorative ceramic ones. When purchasing I will admit to selecting the plant I wanted and then swapping a purple pot for a muted yellow one but I thought these pots which are very tight to the roots allowing no light at all were more geared to keeping them appropriately watered. In other words the water wouldn't evaporate too quickly.

I'm also aware that REAL orchid pots have holes in them which could be to give the roots some light!!! Again I was rather hung up that the holes were to ensure proper drainage and if I planted, for example, an African violet the dirt would fall out the holes!

I know I have one large green as in really LARGE and outside orchid pot and I also have had 2 smaller ones I acquired over the years at boot sales but I do believe I've moved them on :( soooooo I'm going to persevere as is right now 'til I come across REAL orchid pots (and I do see them quite often particularly in the spring at garage sales and bazaars) with holes in them. I'll re-configure so the saucers underneath are large enough to catch water (although I'll still soak them in the sink and let them drain)

So am not on the look out for proper orchid pots with HOLES so the roots can get some daylight and will see if that will make the difference to them flowering or not........

Thanks for the discussion on them cause I think you've definitely hit the nail on the head and solved the dilemma of why mine look healthy (and I am following H's recommendations re: watering & draining etc) but no flowers in sight.......will keep you in the loop as I find proper pots. :) :) :)
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by LovelyLadyLux »

Today when I went downtown to the block printing class I walked right past a thrift store and for a whooping $2 I bought this pot. It has holes in it and it fits the first orchid I bought perfectly so:

BEFORE (this morning)

8688


AFTER (Now this afternoon)

8687

Hopefully this will allow enough light into the roots of the orchid to maybe send it a message that it MIGHT NEED TO BLOOM!

Since I had the camera out

SUPERSTAR! Today

8689

Four days ago
8672

This is MINERVA today. Just the start of seeing the bud now however once they start they can really grow fast

8690
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Horus »

They are all looking good, not too leggy and nicely green. I am having problems with our really dark days and limited daylight in keeping mine from trying to reach for the stars. :(
That pot should help although if it were me I would go for a lot bigger outside pot so that you can tuck a few roots between the inner and outer but still get some light between the two. ;)
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Re: Amaryllis Challenge??

Post by Mad Dilys »

When I was checking my pots I noticed that the bulbs that are shooting had actually increased in girth. :o

There is no way that Monte Carlo, the biggest would now get into the original pot with compost. They are all increasing in size except for Minerva who is dormant. :urm:
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