I put all my hippeastrum into dormancy by putting them dark (under cardboard boxes) cool and dry into an unused bedroom. Later, hopefully, the temperature gets down to between 50-55F or 10-12C. Not sure it did this time, but they seem to flower anyway. My question is: why do some sprout fast and some slow? On Tuesday the 15th, I brought down 5 smallish ones which had their first dormancy, plus the ismene. After about 8 days two of these had shoots, both the original bulb and the offshoots. The next Tuesday I brought one of my old ones downstairs, and after 2-3 days there was a shoot. So three of the small ones (and the ismene) wait for a while. WHY? What is it in the bulb's nature to cause it to either sprout almost immediately, or wait 2-3 weeks? Carol