Hi Dennis, Hippeastrum seedlings should be kept in continuous growth until the bulbs are up to bloom size. Don't let them dry out or they will go dormant. They often don't make it through a dry dormant period while they are still very small. Too much moisture will rot them, the small seedlings are susceptible to damp-off, but drying out is just as likely to kill them. Use Subdue fungicide to control damp-off. I keep them under fluorescent lights, 16hrs on/8 hrs off, for about 2 years at least. Drive up to Indy sometime, and I'd be happy to show you our set-up. Best regards, Jim Shields in central Indiana At 11:25 PM 11/27/2004 -0500, you wrote: >About 4 years ago I purchased some Hippeastrums at the store. I attempted >crossing different colored varieties with each other and got some >seeds. Not knowing what I was doing, I planted them. Many sprouted, but >eventually withered away. Suffice it to say, only one is now left. > >About 2 years ago I learned "proper" care for mature Hippeastrums to get >them to rebloom. A buddy taught me to plant them in my garden during the >warm summer months, and then lift them in winter. It worked like a >charm! So this past spring/summer I did the same with my seedling and it >nearly doubled in size.... to approximately that of a grape. > >At any rate, I recently lifted it and have it resting in my basement. I >really would like to nurture this thing to bloom. I did a bit of Googling >but couldn't find any good sites to get tips on raising them. Is there >anyone on-line that could share a few pointers for me? I'm hoping that in >2 years from now I can get it to be big enough to bloom. > >Dennis in Cincy > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php ************************************************* Jim Shields USDA Zone 5 Shields Gardens, Ltd. P.O. Box 92 WWW: http://www.shieldsgardens.com/ Westfield, Indiana 46074, USA Tel. ++1-317-867-3344 or toll-free 1-866-449-3344 in USA