Amaryllis belladonna in Connecticut

Nathan Lange plantsman@comcast.net
Wed, 17 Jun 2015 13:04:31 PDT

My first response to this question is to ask about the exact number 
of lovely green leaves. Regardless of where you grow them, a single 
Amaryllis bulb large enough to flower should produce, at a minimum, 9 
to 10 leaves during each vegetative period. The number could vary 
with climate and could be different if you are growing Amaryllis 
hybrids. Knowing the total leaf number for an Amaryllis bulb is a key 
piece of data relative to flowering. If plants are not flowering and 
are routinely producing fewer than 9 leaves year after year, then 
that indicates something is preventing the bulbs from attaining 
sufficient size for flowering since leaf number is correlated with 
bulb size. If each bulb is producing plenty of leaves (10 or more) 
year after year but still no flowers, then that indicates something 
is either preventing flower initiation or causing flower abortion. I 
agree that excessive fertilization could conceivably prevent 
flowering of large bulbs but small bulbs benefit greatly from proper 
fertilization.

Nathan


At 05:06 PM 6/16/2015, you wrote:
>Hi again,
>
>Monty Don holds the position of head gardener for the UK, I found 
>this quote from him.
>
>Q  My daughter came back from holiday in Jersey three years ago with 
>a packet of Jersey lilies. We have grown them in pots and had lovely 
>green leaves, but no flowers.
>Freda Turner, Eastwood, Essex
>
>A  Amaryllis belladonna, or the Jersey lily does not come from 
>Jersey, but South Africa. That's the clue to its success. It need 
>lots of sun to flower in September or October, which is why it does 
>well in Jersey. For you, it is best to grow it in a greenhouse or 
>conservatory and to give it poor soil and not feed it. This will 
>reduce the leaves and encourage it to flower. To impoverish the 
>soil, mix peat-free potting compost half and half with grit.
>
>--
>David Pilling




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