hippeastrum seedling
Dennis Kramb (Sun, 28 Nov 2004 19:53:41 PST)

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

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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

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