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mark4321_gw

Hippeastrum papilio: Repot or Divide? When?

mark4321_gw
11 years ago

Hi,

I just bought a Hippeastrum papilio and I wanted to get opinions as to whether I should replant the whole group, or remove some of the offsets. Is now (or when blooming is completely done) an OK time? I'm also curious what size pot these guys would need.

I bought the plant at DIG Gardens in Santa Cruz (wholesaler Suncrest) for $9. It was past its peak bloomtime, but for that price it seemed reasonable. The plant has 8 offsets with visible leaves. It's in a 1 gallon pot that is already a bit distorted; the younger ones are at the edge.

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(the plant on the left is Crinodendron hookerianum. Same source(s), same price)

{{gwi:408331}}

At about "9 o'clock" in the photo above there's an offset that is larger than the others.

If I repotted these as a group, when would the offsets bloom at the earliest? Would 9+ bulbs/plants in a pot be too many?

Comments (7)

  • fishing_dentist
    11 years ago

    I would�nt touch it for the next time! Let it recover! There are some marks of red blotch, spray it with captan- solution and feed it well. I have no luck with papilio! :-(

  • mark4321_gw
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure whether the redness was natural or pathological. I don't have Captan, so I coated the leaves (top and bottom) with Daconil (Chlorothalonil). I also wet the soil with that. I found a suggestion on the PBS site that Chlorothalonil might work and it's what I have around. I'll repeat with something else if that doesn't seem to work.

    If the treatment works, will there be a change in the existing red coloration or simply no increase?

    At least we don't have to worry about significant rain until Fall.

  • dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
    11 years ago

    Mark.
    If I lived in your zone and wanted to keep them in a pot and not planted in the ground, I would lift the whole root-ball out of that plastic pot and buy a larger heavy clay pot where they could stay for several more years before you had to disturbe then again.. I wouldn't touch the roots, but would make sure I had a very granular, quickly draining soil and re-pot and enjoy the show for the next few years..at that time maybe you could seperate them, but for the time being I'd just re-pot the whole thing.
    Why is it that you don't want to plant directly in the ground in your neck of the woods?
    This is all just my opinion of course....

    Donna

  • mark4321_gw
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Donna,

    My growing area is tiny, and the spots in the ground are pretty limited. Mostly I have room for just a few vines in areas next to fences. I thought about putting it in the ground, put couldn't find a good spot.

  • mark4321_gw
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    I just noticed that the ovary of one of the flowers is swelling considerably. I tried selfing the flowers on the left and right. The one on the right is several days behind that on the left, so maybe there's still hope for it (?)

    {{gwi:408333}}

    I've done nothing to prevent access to the flowers by insects, and I was not in possession of the flowers the whole time they were opened. So in theory it could have been pollinated by another flower from another location.

    If I indeed selfed it, should I expect to get viable seeds? How long until they ripen? How many (roughly)?

    (the flower in the background is Passiflora herbertiana)

  • Carol love_the_yard (Zone 9A Jacksonville, FL)
    11 years ago

    Donna, you read my mind. :)

    For what it is worth, I always separate offsets from mother bulbs as soon as blooming and seed setting are done. That would be right now - early June. I just separated all my offsets from the mother bulbs last week. I do that so that the babies will have babies and the mother bulbs will produce new offsets. My pink bulbs are particularly prolific with offsets so I move them off to be on their own just as soon as the blooming period and seed-setting has ended.

    Carol in Jacksonville

  • npublici
    11 years ago

    Papilio commonly goes dormant in midsummer. In this area(Tampa)Papilio is still growing.I have one exception,which dropped its leaves and went dormant a month ago,after putting up two scapes in March. In my area, it is very unusual for Papilio to divest itself of leaves.Unless you plan to go through the refrigeration process to force bloom, it would be best not to separate Papilio in expectation of bloom.It could take another two or three years for it to bloom after offsets are removed.If blooms are not a consideration,then while Papilio is dormant is the best time to remove offsets.
    Del

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