South American Amaryllids
Diana Chapman (Sun, 23 Jun 2013 07:59:33 PDT)

I think my success with SA Amaryllids is partly the climate I live in.
It is cool here, with summers rarely having temperatures that reach
20C/68F, but the proximity to the Pacific Ocean (only about two miles
from me) makes the temperatures fairly even year round. Of course, it's
colder in the winter, but we rarely get frost, and the temperature
differential from daytime to nighttime is only about 10-15F. It is also
fairly humid because we get fog from the ocean in the summer and ground
fog in winter. Since they are in greenhouses, this boosts the
temperatures quite a bit, but they are very large greenhouses so the
temperature swings are not extreme. It still isn't warm enough for
species from very warm regions, therefore the heated benches, which work
very well. I couldn't possibly heat the entire greenhouse. When I was
getting Telos started, I didn't have the money to put benches in the
greenhouses, and everything was on the floor, which was covered in
landscape fabric. Very, very bad!! I lost a lot of Hipps. in the
winter and had rampaging disease. When I could afford the benches,
raising them about 24" off the ground, with better air circulation and
better drainage, a lot of the problems completely disappeared. So, I
think the important things are: fairly even temperatures, no excessive
heat or cold; very good drainage; very good air circulation; repotting
yearly and regular fertilization. If you are in a warm climate that
means you need a cooling system, and a swamp cooling system is the best
for greenhouses, since it is cheaper and raises humidity. You may also
need to shade the greenhouse, especially if it is small, to prevent
extreme temperature swings from day to night, and I recommend Aluminet.
When it is cold, they need some extra heat, but mats can supply that.
Soil temperature is more important than air temperature.

Diana