Hippeastrum papilio
P. C. Andrews (Sat, 01 Dec 2012 12:17:51 PST)
Bob,
Dormant is better of course, but I second Fred's approach for many overcrowded, actively growing bulbs. The garden hose loosens things up when the soil is washed out and some wriggling and gentle shaking gets most of the bulbs loose. A few roots may be lost but its less than other approaches I've tried.
Note that some bulbs are really cranky about having their roots disturbed so I mostly use this approach with the more exuberant growers.
Regards,
Phil
Hi Bob,
My papilio does the same thing. I just wait until the spring, unpot the
whole thing and wash away the soil with the garden hose. This does two
things, it re-hydrated the roots and soil and it also helps to de-tangle the
roots so that it can be more easily pulled apart. I hope this helps.
Warm Regards,
Fred Biasella