I developed this technique to bloom already planted [at least one year] amaryllis in the fall or winter without putting them through a forcing program [picking-leaf cutting-drying-cool storage-prechilling-replanting/watering]. This is not for newly purchased forced bulbs.

My technique breaks down like this [picking, 5 to 7 days of drying-replanting/watering.

The advantages are::

You can time the bloom period to within a few days [specific holidays or other occassions].

You can use bulbs you have planted in your garden, greenhouse or in your kitchen as long as they have been planted in the same place/container for at least a year.

You can replant into the garden [in early fall in warm climates] or into pots for reblooming.

It is much less actual physical work than forcing programs and faster.

You can have them in bloom in 25 to 46 days.

The bulb must have been growing with new leaves for at least 2 months after the previous bloom.

Start with the bulb's character. It should be growing well with at least seven leaves. It should be healthy with no diseases and not more than a few small nibbles from pestws and no infestations. This works very well with the large flower/large bulb types and the small bulb types from South Africa. It does not do as well with cybister hybrids [sometimes less than 25% rebloom success) although if it does not bloom it will just revert to its normal bloom time the next spring. Usual success rates with other than cybister hybrids is above 80%. I have no data for you on species.

Step by step Technique.

Unplant[pick] your chosen bulb.

Lay it on its side on the ground/lawn part sunshade or indoors with a window or greenhouse for 5 days [does not matter if it rains].

DO NOT CUT LEAVES or roots= VERY IMPORTANT.

After 5 days, replant.

In yard/garden widest part of the bulb

is the soil line with a 4 inch tile

buried immediately the base of the bulb.

In a 10 or more inch pot plant only the

roots with the bulb resting on the soil

surface using a fairly tight soil mix

of at least 50% sand with good drainag.

You want plenty of soil to anchor the

roots.

Water immediately and every 3 weeks. Do not let drain

water stand in the saucer under the pot.

Keep your pot in front of a sunny window and look at it

at least twice per day.

Now that you can make it bloom let us look at timing.

From picking day it is 5 days [or 4 or 7 or 8 if you

have to go out of town for a weekend. I tested at 1, 5,

15, & 30 days. At 30 days I sometimes saw some leaf

yellowing. At 15 days I sometimes saw sliglimpness in

leaves.

5 days

From replanting day different have different time for

planting to bloom. Hadeco's Joker takes about 20 days.

I use 39 days as my base planting to bloom # of days

for most garden type [big bulb/buig flower].

39 days

So subtract about 47 days from the holiday, birthday, anniversary, office party, or celebration you are aiming for. The extra days are to have fuller bloom at event.

Mark your calendar for Unplanting/picking day, Replanting day, Blooming/event day.

Email me at amstgrp@yahoo.com with your pictures, successes, questions, comments.

You are now working in a new area of the bloom/growth cycle

. Botanists & Cornell UNIV. don't know this. They don't know this yet in Holland, Brazil, Thailand, China,

E. William Warren, Amaryllis Study Group