Arif, Last year a very small percentage of mine bloomed. This year most bloomed.I don't know a secret to getting them to bloom. I just know their bloom is not reliable. Some people,here in Florida,get them to bloom in the fall,however mine bloom in march,when they bloom.
Del

Up until this years mine were blooming regularly..this year nothing so far..I guess they're just finicky..most beautiful people are...

Join the crow y'all. Most of mine had real short scapes this year, though all the mature bulbs are blooming. I have a 24" square cedar box with 8 mature bulbs planted in it. 2 bloomed with long scapes and 4 buds per scape the other 6 had short scapes and only 2 or 3 buds per scape. Maybe it's "Solar Flares" :)
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Were these new bulbs or old repeters?
Arif

I share your frustration. I've bought bulbs of Papilio butterfly from Royal Colours for three consecutive years, and they have all failed to flower, and eventually died. I wrote and told them and they sent a non-commital reply saying yes they can be difficult (but did not offer a refund or replacement). I bought other varieties called Misty, Rembrandt van Rijn and Rio Negro - these all flowered shortly after they arrived, but did not survive another year. The only one flowering this year is a variety called Exotic Star which has just come out:

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My papillo bloomed last year (new bulb). I put it into the garden, and it has huge robust foliage. But no bloom this year=(

This is a really fun and informative discussion! I've had a papillio in my Hippeastrum area of my garden for four years. It gets the exact same treatment as my other Hipps, including H. striatum and H. 'Mrs. Garfield' and all of the others (save one no-name Cybister I got in a trade three years ago) bloom, but the papillio just refuses so far. Good to hear I'm not alone.

I'm not really planning on doing anything about it, but knowing it's not just me, or a dud bulb, is good to hear. Thanks for sharing!

Take care,
Grant

I have two Papilios... and they seem pretty finicky. Even trying to get them to put out lush greenery seems too much to ask. I don't think I have had more than 6 leaves on either plant. Good luck... and lots of patience! -Tina

I have discovered a few things about Papilio-the hard way.They like medium shade in Florida.They are more sensitive to too much moisture than most bulbs.They require good drainage.They will rot.They do better in pots than in the ground,even though the soil is sand.They will grow quite well as epiphytic plants,as long as the roots are often wetted.They go dormant in the heat of summer,but retain their leaves,almost always.They require that the bulb be larger than four inches across to bloom.I have never had them bloom from one smaller.They use more fertilizer than any other species or hybrid I have grown.They will grow very well with often applications of liquid fertilizer at half strength. They will fill a fifteen gallon pot in three years,with offsets.They set seed from hybrid pollen,of any ploidy, more readily than most species.One or two of the seeds of the pod will often be viable.A few of the seeds will have the embryo outside of the black tissue like seed coat.Most of those won't be viable.Papilio will open its pods while still very green,so a close watch must be kept near the ripening time.It is rare to have a Papilio seed pod totally change color,upon ripening.Papilio has strong dominance,no matter what it is crossed with.I have never not been able to tell that I am seeing a Papilio seedling.They do not like being dug up and moved,more than many others,especially when not dormant.They will put roots down two feet,but almost always have roots above ground.
Del

I think you are pretty much accurate Del. Arif, they are rebloomers from years past.

i dont know if u know that papillio bulbs do not like to be fertalised but grow tham in a mix that is high in organic material that should get them to flower happy growing danny

I agree with Del, papilio seems to be a heavy feeder.

They're from the cool Atlantic forests and they're naturally epiphytic species which needs a large root run.

Josh

Hmmm... maybe I should try repotting one of my Papilio into a tall black glazed pot that I had originally grown cymbidium orchids in. That would allow the roots to go very deep, compared to how they can grow in the average plastic pot.

Papilios love organic fertilizers.

I grow all, but a few species, in compost made of bones, eggshells,leaves and grass clippings,mixed with sand and perlite.It isn't that Papilio doesn't like fertilizer.It's that it will damage the roots if too much at one time is used.That's true of others,but more so of Papilio.I suspect it would be true of most which will grow epiphyticly.That is the reason I use half strength liquid fertilizer.I live in the city, so I'm limited as to what might offend my neighbors.
Del

The three in 14inch pot have not bloomed but the one bulb-let in 10 inch pot has surprised me.
It seems my Papillio is of a different strain, it is much greener and middle two petals are not as broad even the anther is green
{{gwi:397686}}From Amaryllis 2012
{{gwi:397687}}From Amaryllis 2012

Any comments
Arif

The green papillio is a very striking color combination. I like the ligher papillio and the greener variety equally... both are unrivaled beauties! Has anyone tried growing them in just coconut husk chunks? It would be an airy medium that would also retain a decent amount of moisture.

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I grow mine in compost rich clay mulched heavily with live oak leaves. Since I've been putting down compost for years and also letting the oak leaves I add as mulch every year compost in place, I no longer fertilize anything in that bed.

I started with one bulb and it has done an excellent job of multiplying and it and it's larger children bloom every year.

The bed where these are located is on the west side of the house, so they are in heavy shade until the afternoon, when they are suddenly blasted with sun. Then, about five hours later, they are shaded again by my live oaks.

They are also located pretty close to the drip line for my roof, so they get plenty of water when it rains.

I have a lot of other cultivars in sunnier, drier areas and none of them multiply and bloom nearly as well as these.

And this is a lovely Exotic Star..not papilio...but I'm sure you know that...very beautiful.

Nope. However, after listening to you guys, I think I won the mislabeled big box store bulb sweepstakes.

More attractive, IMO, and less fussy. I'll take my mislabeled Exotic Star and be happy with the mix up.

You're right, Exotic Star is second to none..I've had mine for 3 years now and this year I got 3 scapes from her..one of my all time favorites and as you say, definitly less fussy.
But, keep trying for a papilio, she's worth all the extra fuss and work when she does decide to bloom...

Donna

Papilio are epiphyte/geophytes that grow better if the roots are planted and the bulb is on top of the soil in a pot or tghe garden. It will not rebloom in a pot unless it is in a small 6 inch or less pot or has enough bulbs to "feel" crowded. Put a piece of tile or sliver of broken pot immediately under the bulb base [If your pot mix or garden soil is stiff with sand, you might not need this].

Because of your hot climate in Kandahar, Arif, a blue or green not red shade cloth or net may help your flowers last longer even if they are under a tree. Shading the ground (or soil surface in pots)around your bulbs with 1 to 6 inches of oak leaves or pine straw, but NOT WOOD CHIP MULCHES OR SAWDUST will help to keep the top of the ground from drying out in the hotest summer sun.

The Museum of Thomas Edison's Winter Home in Ft. Myers, FL replanted the amaryllis bed that Mina Edison [his wife] enjoyed 80 years ago in April 2011 with half older amaryllis and half new hybrids. The bulbs had pulled themselves about 2 inches deeper than they were planted by late November 2011 due to the extremely loose soil found in much of south Florida. This is similar to what I have observed in West Palm Beack, Miami, Naples, FL, etc. The chief gardener immediately replanted the bulbs on top of the soil with a piece of 4 inch tile only 1 inch under the bulb.

I have also determined that pots in hot climates [and cold in cold winters] can accumulate extra heat from the the sun that will damage the microscopic hair roots on the surface of the visible roots so that the plants (not just amaryllis) can not take up water and the dissolved minerals and fertilizers for nourishment and growth. This is why people see the yellowing leaves and say "the sun myleaves". Actually the hair roots were cooked and the plant is starving and dying of thirst.

So The worst hot pots are terra cotta; next is glazed pottery; next is concrete. The best pots are the newer very light foam pots with a hard shell. They last longer than they did only 5 years ago. Not using saucers and putting the pots in direct contact with the ground and especially in the shade of trees will help reduce overheating and drying. E. William Warren

Once again,Papilio has made a liar of me. This year they began blooming in october,and have continued to now,with many not bloomed yet.For the first time, several in crowded pots,with two inch sized bulbs have, bloomed,with smaller than usual flowers.These are all from seeds planted years ago.The bulbs I began with from ETG have not bloomed yet this year.They all have large bulbs,but are in a different part of the yard,in the shade.Papilio is extremely variable in bulb size,time before first bloom,number of offsets and bloom reliability.The bloom colors in mine vary little.

What is ETG?

A flower bulb company … easytogrow

My papilios have all leafed out and look very healthy, but I'm not holding my breath that this will be the year of blooms. I've never successfully had one bloom. I've tried them mounted on wood, in hydroponic baskets and in a variety of pots and mediums. At the moment, the mounted one seems to be doing the best.

Mine seem to do better when they're crammed in their pots and it kinda makes me think they don't like their roots being messed with. I've had mine in the same pot for a few years now and it reliably (seemingly out of no where) blooms this time of the year. I don't do anything special to it other than making sure it's in full sun both inside for the winter and outside for the summer.

We have much better blooming with Papillio when they are very tight in the pot. I often hear from other gardeners who say they have a large pot with a bunch of old bulbs that blooms every year. We get few flowers on plants that are separated every year (although we get more pups separating the plants). we usually leave a few pots with several bulbs in them so that we get flowers to show other gardeners. They usually bloom around the start of February (our first blooms) but this year they are very dry and have not bloomed yet.

Papillio do not like to be overwatered here in Tampa. They are very tolerant of drought.

In Orlando, my papilios have always flowered in February. Last year I had two bloom with two scapes each. One had a lot of offsets (around 10) so it was crowded, and the other was in a pot that I thought was a bit too small. I gave the one with the offsets to a friend, who separated them and planted everything in the ground. Last summer, I potted up the one that I still have. I haven't seen any scapes on mine, and neither has my friend. Mine has been growing leaves and offsets prolifically instead of flowers. I think that crowding does indeed induce flowering, and having space causes the bulb to produce offsets instead to "fill" that space. I'm going to leave the 10 offsets I have on mine and see if that works for next year. Does anyone know how to tell whether a papilio has become dormant? I've never noticed since they don't drop their leaves.

They go dormant in the hottest of the summer. The leaves often droop and they stop growing.

As far as I know, mine never really go dormant. The older leaves kinda get shabby in early spring but as soon as I put them outside for the summer, new leaves start growing like crazy.

I was moving last summer and I repotted my entire collection right before that, so maybe I just didn't notice and thought it was transplant shock. That could also be why it hasn't bloomed... I thought it would be over that stress by now, but apparently papilio is more temperamental than I thought. Fred, does yours put out leaves in one burst or is it kind of continuous?

The clone I have puts out it's leaves in one burst during the summer months and keeps them right through the winter but blooms with those same leaves.

I think the differing results are caused by differing conditions.Mine are grown outside ,with varying amounts of sun exposure.I've only grown then inside to 1/4 in sized bulbs.i have far too many to grow them inside.

I have 5 clones, and they all behave differently. My biggest one puts out leaves continuously, but some of my smaller ones behave like yours. All of mine are under the same conditions too, so there must be genetic variability along with the unique growing conditions that everyone inevitably has. The hybrids are single clones, so they are a lot more predictable.

I think from what I've read that some Hippies like acidic soil - oak leaves rotting give a lot of acidity and I also read a recommendation from a French grower using 1/3 of the potting soil as 'terre de Bruyere'.