Thanks for all the responses, everyone! It's a bit of a bummer to find I've done the not-so-best thing (again) but hey, we all have to learn by doing. I think this bulb is big enough to survive it's forced dormancy. I don't have any grow lights or greenhouses or anything, so it will have to make do with what minimal coddling I can provide. Jim, I would love to come visit some time! You're only a couple hours away so maybe after the Christmas season we can make some plans. As for my other seedlings demise I'm sure they mostly died from drying out. I grew them in a cactus tray and didn't always remember to water them. 3 lived for about 3 years, but by the 4th year only one was left. Originally 30-something had germinated. Dennis in Cincinnati At 09:58 AM 11/28/2004, you wrote: >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 > > >_______________________________________________ >pbs mailing list >pbs@lists.ibiblio.org >http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php