Yes but the original still dies like an animal would. It’s just the dying entity can clone itself...

And who knows if the clones are the same individual... and even if they were most people just throw them in the trash anyway... It’s horrible and sad...

You see like a human head is not entirely brain, neither is the bulb... the basal plate is the brain... you could say the roots are nerves with “mouths” and the top of the bulb is the neck... the internal bud connected to the basal plate is like the brainstem... imagine a human who’s body can fall off yet the head stays alive and grows a new body yet retains the Same consciousness. It’s all the same just arranged differently... you can survive for a while with damage to your head and even brain as long as the brain stem or core is not damaged... you just won't function properly... same as the bulb... the “scales” of the bulb are like belly fat... or layers of skin. We don’t have that on our head because it’s on our belly due to the fact that our bodies never detach....

I work in the horticulture industry. These are meant to buy, grow for 4-5 weeks and throw away. I think it's wonderful to save them and try and grow them for another year, however I don't think it's cruel to do as they were meant for, gifting and tossing once spent. The same goes for Christmas poinsettias. Those in the horiculture industry need sales, otherwise the industry would die. I'll be buying a few of these this year! I may just try and salvage them as well, but it won't steer me away from buying them next year also. I'm supporting my industry!

I think the moralizing here is hilarious. For a few bucks, I got tons of gorgeous blooms, xmas 2018.

While there are worst things to be throwing away, at least these are biodegradable. Although, I do object to the pointless use of glitter. This stuff is horrible for the environment, because it doesn't break down. Every year, more and more cheap "disposable" holiday decorations get thrown away, and most of them are covered in this horrible stuff. The last thing we need is more of it. These plants are beautiful in their own right.

I know this is slightly off topic, but back during the holidays, I picked up a toy catalog on my way into Wal-Mart, and one thing immediately stood out to me, everything in there was made of plastic. Every single page, every single toy... plastic, plastic, and more plastic. That's not including the materials used to package these toys. Cheap toys that kids will quickly get bored with, more sooner than later.

I hate bringing it up, but once you've watched the many documentaries about this plastic garbage, it's hard to turn a blind eye to it. It makes me sick that this is the kind of society that we live in nowadays. So when I see it pointlessly integrated into the plants we buy, I just can't stand it.

Every holiday is just another excuse to manufacture even more of it, just so we can throw it all away. Ironic how none of it is made to last, yet it never goes away. I went to the store the day after christmas, and all of those decorations were moved to the clearance isle, and all of the cheap valentine's crap took its place without skipping a beat.

Despite already owning several amaryllis plants, I went and bought four more varieties this season. I bought them without hesitation because they had minimalistic packaging. If they were dipped in wax and/or coated in glitter, then I would've avoided them like the plague. I don't need cheap pointless gimmicks to entice me into buying these beautiful plants, and I refuse to contribute to it.

Agree. You can now buy glitter made of plants from https://glitterevolution.com/ and several other places. There is no excuse for buying glitter made of plastic anymore. Look it up, there are many sources out there if you use it in painting or crafts.

Well-mine looked like this-not too bad.

Yeah, they definitely have the energy to bloom, but the bulb itself will get sacrificed in the process. It will continue to shrink until not much, if anything, is left of it, and the plant won't be able to recover without the leaves and roots it needs to produce and store energy and nutrients.

When I bought this amaryllis, it was on clearance, and I didn't even plant it. I placed it on top of a empty pot of soil and left it. My intention was to plant it later on, but by then, it grew roots and anchored itself down into the pot of soil. Not only that, but it bloomed for me as the bulb grew larger than ever. The myth that they prefer being rootbound just isn't true. A larger pot will grow a larger plant.

I repotted it into this pot and two more bulbs started growing off of each side. The four new bulbs that I bought over the holidays, I've kept in my garage so that they remain dormant until spring arrives. I quite look forward to seeing them when they bloom. Just plant them in a large pot and stick them in direct sun and they practically take care of themselves.

Well, you've got yourself a beautiful pink there that certainly wants to live. I don't think I recognize it though but it's a beauty!

Photo Synthesis, nice demonstration of what a box-store bulb can turn into after some TLC! I use the same self-watering planters from Walmart, the roots love the air-grid at the bottom.

A friend of mine gave me her waxed bulb this past Holiday season (November 2019), she had it in a dark space in her home, and she saw me admiring it. I took it home(I believe I have a green thumb), placed it in a bright spot next to my windows, and waited anxiously for it to bloom, and ended up waiting 2months for it to bloom, and it never did. I started to realize if it was going to bloom, it would have already done so, wondered if it being in the dark space initially at my friend's house had ruined the chances of it growing. I was about to throw it away but decided to google it first just in case, to see if anyone else had a similar experience. Came across this post and I'm so glad I did. I easily cut off the wax, stuck the bulb in a glass with water in it, and it's grown about 4 inches in just under 2 weeks. I'll post photos of the before and after once it sprouts more.

Congratulations!! You know, of course, that it needs friends, right? :)

I bought an amaryllis bulb in wax this past Christmas for a family member who was in the nursing home. She was very ill and stayed in bed all of the time. The Amaryllis bloomed beautifully and was a total delight for her to watch grow and bloom. Since it requires no care it was perfect for a nursing home. It put up several stalks that all bloomed starting before Christmas and into late February. She died this morning and I have no bad feelings about the end result for the bulb. It brought her such joy.

So very sorry for your loss and so glad the bulb brought her joy. That was such a thoughtful thing you did for her.

i bought a waxed amaryllis bulb last year. It was on QVC by Cottage Farms. Never had an amaryllis before so didn't know what to expect. Set it out and watched for changes. One day a spike popped up and it got tall amazingly fast, then came a huge red bloom, a bit later it was joined by another and maybe even a third one. (By now I was wishing I'd gotten more than one since it was so cool and spectacular, didn't have to water, didn't have to worry about a plant leaking onto a table,etc.) When it finished, I was sad, then another popped up. And more spectacular flowers followed :) !!! Finally cut off the previous stem though not sure how much to cut. This was followed by a THIRD stem, and almost 3 months of blooms. When I got it, I'd seen the demo of how they are created. The roots are trimmed to almost nothing and then it's dipped in wax - the lack of roots force the plant to bloom and there is no need to water without roots to take it up. It was clearly stated that this would be a one-time only--similar to cut flowers which no one seems to mourn. Worth it to me. BUT being an experimenter,, I peeled the wax after the last bloom and stuck that bulb in the ground with its stubby leaves--maybe I'd wasted a few minutes planting, but it was fine. That bulb just grew all summer to a nice big plant. Now I don't know what to do - keep it in the ground to bloom later? No idea when they'd bloom naturally or overwinter as a bulb, but I guess I'll find out. There is no reason to feel sorry about these.

Further to what Hu wrote: I felt sorry for my rootless waxed bulb last winter so I removed the wax & put it in soil. It bloomed beautifully and in May I planted it in the garden. This week the leaves froze so I dug it up and cut the leaves off. It now has large roots and the bulb is large & firm. Don't know where Hu lives - I am close to Niagara Falls, Ontario. I didn't read through all the posts so I'm hoping to hear from someone - I assume my bulb will bloom - but when?

Hi all. I just took the wax off mine and peeled the mold away. I am concerned about the holes that the vases thing was jabbed in. The holes are very brown I tried cutting the brown away but didn't know what I was doing so I stopped. I washed off any mold I could see and put it in a glass with about an inch of water. It has 2 scapes neither is open yet. Any ideas are welcomed please!

Well! I have always bought waxed amaryllis from Trader Joe’s and they have never disappointed me. Beautiful multiple blooms with no watering just a nice spot on my window sill! $7.99! I’ve also bought expensive specialty amaryllis and grew in a pot. They were not nearly as beautiful as my Trader Joe versions!

I purchased one from a shopping channel(way to much $$) and two beautiful scapes. It is now the end of January and I’m busy looking up info on how to keep this giant bulb alive for the future. I removed the wax which was as you said, with a void from lack of water. There are no roots,

but the bulb is firm, so I think I will give it a try!

Good luck, Debbie! Read up on how to grow them, stick it in a pot with good well-drained soil, and when it starts putting out leaves, go on a regular fertilizer program. I like to use a weak (1/4th strength, usually) water soluble fertilizer with each watering; had better luck with that, last year, than other years where I used slow-release in the soil and was never quite sure when it was used up.

Hi! Thanks for sharing your saga. Sounds like your rescue effort has been fruitful. I hope to rescue 2 bulbs that had been wax-encased. I peeled off the wax and put the bulbs in soil. So far, 2 weeks later they are growing green leaves. I didn't see any wire at the bottom of the bulb and there was no mold. I was wondering if it would be worth adding a hormone solution to encourage root growth, but I don't want to kill it. I have another gorgeous amaryllis that I'm tending until it reblooms next holiday season, but it has a normal root system.

Sandra Borrelli, a lot depends on what you mean by "soil." Personally, I like to use Miracle-Gro general purpose potting soil (because widely available), supplemented with extra perlite (I want it to be well-drained, sorry there's no recipe, I go by "feel"). After about 3 months in that soil, because I expect that all the built-in fertilizer is gone, I always water with 1/4th strength fertilizer ev. It has been commented elsewhere that something formulated for tomatoes - higher "K" (potassium) number - is good. I've always used something with a higher middle (P) number so far, which has been, well, okay. This year, I'm trying the higher K number, and we'll see.

There are a lot of variables.

As for hormones - they are usually timelly meant to encourage root growth. I've never had a well-aerated and appropriately fed amaryllis bulb that failed to produce PLENTY of roots (unless they had thick basal plates, which you'll have to eventually trim). I wouldn't mess with hormones, but instead attend to the basics. Air, moisture, light, and a basic fertilizer balance.

OH MY GOSH, YOU PEOPLE!!! It's a plant! A plant with a short lifespan, in most cases. And that's all it's meant to be. Last spring my sister gifted each of the people who threw a baby shower for her daughter one of these waxed bulbs. We had SO MUCH FUN texting pictures to each other as the stems grew and eventually bore blossoms. Each plant bloomed at a different time and some even grew a second stalk and grew more blossoms. Every one of them produced at least four blossoms. They provided IMMENSE pleasure to each of us. And isn't that pretty much all you can ask of a plant?!? You are all acting as if these plants have feelings and need to be "set free" from captivity. Good grief, how on earth can you live with yourselves when a bouquet of fresh flowers needs to be thrown out? Or is cutting flowers for bouquets just too much for you to bear? This year I plan to gift at least six of these little beauties to people who will, like me, enjoy them immensely for a season ...... and then put them in the weekly trash collection when they have outlived their purpose. A purpose which, sadly, seems to have escaped most of you.

@marlene

So glad that you and your family and friends enjoyed their waxed amarylis! But, please, don't make judgments about how others feel about their waxed friends. There may be a reason that you don't know - that compromising a living thing - even a plant - is not something they can do.

You make good points but they are your points. Not for everyone. The whole "good grief, how can you live with yourselves?" is harsh.

Just stay in your own lane, enjoy what you enjoy and do not make judgments about how others on this thread respond.

Marlene,

I don't think all of us are quite so "tender" as you imply. Many of us here are very much interested in how plants grow in their native conditions, and how we can either mimic or improve upon them from year to year. To most of those who post on this site, these plants are not disposable.

Amaryllises are not, actually, plants with a short lifespan. Single bulbs have been known to live for 25 years or more, to the point where they become family heirlooms. They are true perennials. And though to maintain them as such requires some knowledge and nurture, most of the more interested growers do not regard them as disposable. Be aware that you are commenting on a site that engages expert growers.

Of course all of us who are Master Gardeners accept that eventually disposing of cut flowers is just a Thing We Do, a choice we make. But it doesn't mean we make that choice for every plant under our care, such as amaryllises.

Amaryllises are one of those plants for which that choice need not be made, unless the steward of that plant regards it as disposable. This might be you. In which case, carry on! Do what you want.

There is plenty of market for "the horror that is waxed-encased bulbs". I personally accept that. But there are also plenty of us who, when gifted with such a relative abomination, will seek to save that plant.

You do you. We'll do us.

Lack of empathy is inherent in ones genetic makeup

i will try to remove the wax but what do i do after i plant it?

my garage gets down to 20 degrees

do these bulbs need a dormancy period or do i just keep these in a low light room until spring?

im assuming a cactus mix will suffice…i usually use Sungro black gold cactus mix

i dont care for miracle grow potting soil im afraid tgat would be too rich

its new years eve… how do i care for this after blooms are finished?

the staff where i purchased recommended misting it at the base of the leaves

silly me i didnt realize this was a one time bloom and done, i feel like i was robbed a whopping $26 haha

Hi stillinwisconsin.

First off, amaryllis bulbs cannot be allowed to freeze, ever. A 20F garage is not a suitable storage site.

Amaryllises do need a rest period. In their natural environment, this involves a period of drought and slow or zero growth. Please do some research on your own re amaryllis care. There are a LOT of resources out there. Here's a basic one (and even though I live in Minnesota, I don't follow all the guidelines listed here; I just think that if you start here you won't kill anything, and meanwhile you can go on to learn how to do even better): https://extension.umn.edu/houseplants/amaryllis

I've never had a wax-encased bulb to have to look after, but I've had some that were given to me in nothing but clear glass with a "medium" of glass beads. The expectation was that all I would do is keep them watered until they bloomed and died, and then toss them, similar to the waxed ones. Edit: As soon as they were done putting on a display I took a photo to send to the giver, then immediately potted them up in real soil. They are all now HUGE. As in well over 30-34 cm circumference each, from their initial maybe 19-20.).

When you're ready to peel the wax off your bulbs go ahead and do that. Then, for simplicity's sake, plant them into a regular potting mix such as Miracle Gro (I usually add a little perlite to this formulation because amaryllises like lots of air around the roots and perlite helps with that). In most places where you can buy potting soil you can also buy perlite, so get a bag of that for supplement. But amaryllises also *thirsty* and they're heavy feeders, so they like regular fertilization and do not like to ever get totally dried out. I would not use a cactus mix.

Further edit: Even my small-town local hardware store now stocks decent potting "soil" (it's all peat-based, mixed with perlite) that is not Miracle Gro, and is less pre-fertilized. This is helpful for all growers of specific plants, because one-size-fits-all definitely does NOT fit all. So these days I use Sungro Black Gold to start with. It has minimal additives, and even less in their organic product. With these mixes, I start weak fertilization earlier than I would when using a Miracle Gro product.

Grow these plants to their max: you want the biggest, greenest, and most leaves you can get. Once the fertilizer, if any, in the soil is pretty much used up (probably after two months if you use Miracle Gro, given that you're using a small pot that only allows about 1-2" of extra space around the bulb on all sides), you should start regular fertilization. If your soil mix has no built-in fertilizer, you can start with weak fertilization - 1/4th strength - with every watering. I do this because then I never have to try to remember when I last fertilized, which is a huge advantage. Otherwise, I would start to use this routine at whatever time you estimate the pre-mixed fertilizer in your pot has run out. (Don't wait until your plant's leaves are obviously pale. A weak fertilizer watering won't cause harm, at any point.)

On other threads I've checked into what kind of fertilizer to use. Most experienced growers recommend something with a "tomato" formulation, i.e., it will have a higher K (potassium) number. I used Jack's Classic Tomato Feed (12-15-30) last season and had a huge jump in performance (i.e. much greater bulb growth) over when I used Jack's Blossom Booster (10-30-20). And I recommend either of them over similarly titled Miracle Gro products, because Jack's always has micronutrients that my water supply - fresh water, not ground water - lacks. Others' mileage may vary, depending on water source and characteristics.

"Wot?!!?" with regard to misting at the base of the leaves??! I can see no circumstances in which that would be healthy or beneficial.

I hope this will give you a good start. Do write back - and maybe start a new thread, this one is *exhausted* - with any particular problems. People here will respond.

I bought an amaryllis that was encased in wax, and planted it, but shortly after I trimmed the bloom stalk off, just trying to help it along so that it would not spend to much energy blooming. I saw some little roots, but they didn't do much. Any tips would be appreciated! :)

I was given a wax encased amaryllis under the tree for Christmas. The next day I set it out in a brightly lit spot. It is now four weeks and absolutely nothing has happened. Can I still expect a bloom?

Are there leaves? If so, then this amaryllis might just grow leaves before the bloom. If there is not any vegatation on it, the bulb is probaly dead/dud.

Amaryllis Man, how's your wax-encased bulb doing? Did you peel off the wax before planting? I hope things are going well. It probably will take a while to recover but I bet it can be done.

HU-443355538, really, absolutely nothing? Maybe start a new thread in Amaryllises and give us all the details.

A tiny 1/4 inch shoot appeared in the center of the bulb but dried and shriveled within a few days. The little bit of green that was showing at the edge of the wax seems to be fading to brown, also. While the bulb feels solid thru the wax, I'm afraid it is probably dead. I'll leave it in a bright room and see what happens but I don't expect it to survive given it has been in the bright room for five weeks now.

PROGRESS REPORT ON FORMERLY WAXED AMARYLLIS, now potted up

i am excited to post an update here on my newly potted, formerly-waxed Amaryllis, but I will start a new thread after this

I used an old clear plastic orchid pot to plant it in (has drainage) specifically so i could monitor whats going on beneath the soil after i pot it up

The waxed amaryllis was done blooming

After removing the waxed encasement, i cut the old flower stalks back and left the leaves intact i potted it in soil (Sungro black gold general purpose) and i kept the neck and shoulder of the bulb above the soil … i topped it of with sphagnum moss and watered it in generously

for the first week i kept it in front of a sunny window Then i thought, since the bulb is using Photosynthesis to store energy for next years growth, why not put it under my grow lights …so thats what i did

it is now January here in wisconsin, and i have my succulents under ceramic metal halide grow lights for 12 hours a day

i read that once it is potted up, to water every two weeks so i go to water it today, i remove it from the cache pot to peek at whats going on inside the pot and lo and behold there are roots!!! ….lots of beautiful, healthy roots!

Remember, this bulb, just three weeks ago had zero roots and the bulb was covered in a wax encasement that was glued to a decorative base i honestly wasnt sure it was going to do anything, so today was a nice surprise

i know this is going to need a minimum 60 day dormancy/rest period if i want to force blooms again in the future, so I’m thinking if she does ok through the spring i will throw her in my dark basement sometime around sept and bring her out in mid november, clean off yellowing or dying foliage at that time, and then put her back in a sunny window and start watering again when there is at least two inches of new growth maybe ill have blooms again by Christmas 2022

Thats my plan and i hope I’m successful, because she is beautiful in bloom!

here is a pic of the new roots on this baby!

Under my grow lights:

Here she is formerly waxed when i purchased her:

Closer pic of roots:

Saved one year ago from wax tomb!

I removed the wax from these two in December of 2020, planted them and kept them watered. They grew long strappy leaves throughout the summer. in early October, I put them in dormancy. About 2 months later, I brought them out again, watered and placed in sunniest spot. We have been rewarded with these breathtaking blooms, even more beautiful in person!

Northern Gardener, my amaryllis is fine, i have it in a large rectangular pot, with another bulb and it has not done anything much, but I hope it has rooted. No new growth🤔

I will admitt, this thread is OLD! Surprised that it is still going!

I think the thread is still going and popular because everyone loves a resurrection story, phoenix from the ashes….and care and growing instructions on this site are great!

stillinwisconsin,

If your bulb grows well that orchid pot is going to be overwhelmed with roots in short order. Yay for you! Please don't hesitate to up-pot.

I've had happy amaryllies that were planted in pots with an extra 1.5" of radius (and I never use less than 1", preferring to err on the side of extra space, even up to 2"; the plants always fill the pots and it gives space for the bulb to expand and the offsets - baby bulbs - to have room), and by the end of the summer there were so many roots that they were actually crawling out of the pot. They could've used a LOT more pot space. Just read your plant.

Don't even get some of our members started on what's necessary to force bloom, hah, or if you even should. Forcing isn't strictly necessary, and some bulbs don't like forced dormancy at all (genetics, sigh; my Picotee just wants to be left to grow whenever she feels like it, which isn't always on what I think of as a seasonal schedule, whereas the rest are pretty tolerant). There are other options than the forcing regime. But that's for another thread.

Good to know and i was planning to pot up in spring anyway… or some time during the season

and if i dont have to force dormancy thats even better !!! i really dont care when it blooms

I have a bulb and removed the wax a couple months ago. It is healthy and has formed lots of roots into a water base. A seed pod formed !!! I’d like to try planting the seeds. Any suggestions?

Mine is going insane! its HUGE, the new leaves are towering

you were right…. she quickly outgrew the orchid pot but her root system was so healthy and it was so nice to be able to see the growth through the clear plastic, but it was time … so i repotted her into a much larger terracotta pot and i could have probably even gone bigger

i have her under my ceramic metal halide grow light and she has gone gangbusters the leaves are probably at least 20 inches tall

my husband walked in the griw room one day and said what is that plant, when did you get that? i said thats my waxed Amaryllis! he was surprised how latge she grew, he didnt recognize her i had cut all her leaves off after transplanting her but she quickly threw all kinds of new growth, so stunning

i wonder when she will bloom again

I'm interested about the seed pod! how exciting is that and i wonder if they will grow the same as the mother plant

Any one have waxed bulbs in 2023?

-The Gardener of Everything

The Gardener Of Everything: I was just gifted 2 waxed amaryllis bulbs for Christmas 2023. I've grown regular amaryllis bulbs but have never dealt with waxed ones. So, first thing the next day, I was searching for information on how to deal with them once they've bloomed. Thanks to everyone for all the great advice! I'm hoping I can keep these babies going after the Holidays.

I’ve had to pot mine up twice already. The bulb itself is HUGE and now its sending offshoots (baby plants). I potted mine in a wide clay pot. I’m running out of room she’s so large … I cut back her leaves this year and now she’s growing new ones. I’ll probably have blooms around Easter. Glad I kept her.

I’ve had to pot mine up twice already. The bulb itself is HUGE and now its sending offshoots (baby plants). I potted mine in a wide clay pot. I’m running out of room she’s so large … I cut back her leaves this year and now she’s growing new ones. I’ll probably have blooms around Easter. Glad I kept her.

I see trader joes has them this year ...