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Amarylis

glider14

Always a newbie
Hey,
my grandpa had his Amarylis bloom a while ago and i snuck in a pollination. well it worked so my first question is how do i know when the pods are ripe? my other question is how do i care for them as seedlings and adults and how long would it take for them to flower? do these plants have much value?
thanks
alex
 
Ya know who knows a bit about Amaryllis? Syble (Sib), if you want to contact her.
 
I just got the American Horticutural Society encyclopedia of plant propagation says here that Amarylis seed heads will dry and start to split.
-Ripe seed will be black in color.
-Sow the seeds in well draining peat/perlite mix in at least 60*F soil temp
(I place my jiffy seed tray/greenhouses ontop the terrarium lights to warm the soil and hasten germination of my seed crops)
-pot up plants individually once their leaves are 5-6" long
-Initiate dormancies for new plants by watering less.

Note: Amarylis roots do not die over their dormancy like most bulbs (like cypripedium orchid roots which remain succulent even in winter) so they need to be kept slightly moist as they rest. If you have a Bachmans plant/floral shop in your state they have a great little book on Amarylis which has recently been marked down to $10.00 from $24.95 (at all the MN Bachmanns anyway).
Did you do a cross of two different plants or a selfing?
My favorite Amarylis is the Red/White clown stripe

I would imagine 4-6 seasons from seed to blooming size bulb. There's not much actual hard cash to be made from raising plants of ANY kind (ok, Dope would make you bundles of cash but also put you in a heap of trouble!

If you actually break down the cost of specialty soil mixes, lighting, pots, water, humidification, heating,cooling, plant tags, waterproof markers, blah, blah blah. You're not making much unless you've gt a huge turnoever business selling annual plants by the semi truckload. It has to be done as a love of the process of raising and selling plants that are inspirational to the grower.

When my pal sells a slipper orchid for $200, a lot of money to many of us, it may have been at the shop for 6 or more years (especially if it's one he grew from seed in his TC lab) that plant racked up much more in "rent" and "labor" than he actually gained in profit. The cost of rasing plants is the same for hobbyist growers who use their meager plant sales money for supplying the same necessities to there collections and accuiring new species to sell or trade.

Don't look for $ in plants, work with those plants who move you. Of course, get what you can for them as there's lots of work involved. Study the markets and see what people are selling things for.
 
As swords says - not much money in unnamed seedlings - but fun to try. note that the name amarylis is the common used name for hippeastrum, a south american genus that can include small hardy alpine types. The true amarylis is Amarylis belladonna - a magnificent south african bulb that is (borderline) hardy here in the UK (needs a warm site) and is a WINTER grower, fully dormant in the summer and had seeds like bulbils. These also cross with Nerine, Crinum and boophane to make excellent intergeneric hybrids.
I love 'em both as well as Nerine (many named hybrids - 30+), Crinum (a few species) and Boophane (lost my only one ever).
Best regards


Chris - Cheshire UK
 
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