Hi RyseRyse,

From seed to first bloom it takes approximately 3 years.

I documented my first papilio seedling to bloom on this forum from seed to first bloom and the first of about 17 seedlings from this particular cross took only two and a half years. The rest of these seedlings are in varying stages of sizes. I think that before the 3 year mark is up about 3 more will bloom and the rest will be after 3 years.

It all depends on the vigour of the seedlings. Out of any batch of seedlings some will have have stronger growth genes than others, not to say the strongest will have the best flowers though.

I also have two other seedlings from different crosses sending up their first scape/bud and I'll have to go back and look at my pictures of the seeds and bloom times ( unfortunately, the way I keep my records) and I think these will be closer to the 3 year mark or later.

As for planting them outside in the soil for the summer, I've done this and Yes, they do grow substantially better in the outside ground BUT, this year in particular, I lost many of my prized seedlings to NBF and other critters in the soil that actually ate my baby bulbs. Some just disappeared! I also found this year in particular (probably because I planted way more outside in the soil than ever), that some (only some) did not respond well to being yanked out of the soil (as careful as I was to get every root), and when I immediately replanted them they sulked for the longest time.

I planted more than several whiskey barrels with many of my bulbs (not seedlings) and I found that the insects did not do the damage that they did on the ones in the ground (the barrels with old soil from previous years and the new barrels with new soil). No grubs of my kind made it into the whiskey barrels. This year I think I may try some seedlings in the whiskey barrels but my crosses that I consider the most special and those with the fewest numbers will probably stay in clay pots when they go outside this coming summer.
Every year I try different things with my bulbs and seedlings but I must say that my first papilio seedling to bloom and it's 16 siblings, never were planted in the ground but summered in several clay pots... (usually about 5 per pot)

This is just my opinion based on my experience so others may have different opinions based on their experience. Good luck, and hope I have been some help to you..(sorry be being so long winded)

Donna

Thanks Donna - lots of good information. I am so glad I can expect blooms in 2/3 years.

Our dear friend Laurier, who is no longer with us, documented blooms from seed in just under a year. Quite miraculous but fully documented. He shared some of his tips on this forum...warmth and warm soil temps and fertilizer{{gwi:807}}.

At this time of year I always recall those who have left us. I hope there are loads of Hippeastrum in heaven for Laurier and Haitidoc!

Happy New Year!
K

This post was edited by kaboehm on Mon, Jan 7, 13 at 17:47

Kristi where would I find the tips he posted for growing amaryllis in a year from seed?

I believe that when Laurier passes away that all his information pertaining to his crosses and methods for growing his seedlings were taken off the Internet by his friends or family. I believe he was from Canada and what was published at the time was in French. I think Maria and he were friends and she might know more about the situation..hopefully, she will see this post....Donna

Yes... Unless one of his family members allow the publication, we will never see it.

There are other threads that mention how commercial growers get such fast growth and again it was warm soil, fertilizer{{gwi:807}}, and....a continuous flow of low level CO2 gas (as I recall) flowing over the soil. I had contributed to one of those threads after speaking with growers in Lisse.

Remember bulbs from cuttage grow faster than from seed, but dear Laurier got the best from his seeds. It's not easy, but nothing worthwhile usually is.

K

This post was edited by kaboehm on Mon, Jan 7, 13 at 17:48

I don't understand; Were they secrets to a business or something? I find it odd that friends and family would remove any information he put up to help others to reach bloomhood faster.

Less than a year, too - that's impressive. I'm imagining all kinds of grow lights and laboratory stuff here. hehe.

Here is an old thread on the very subject..

Here is a link that might be useful: old post

Here is a link to the original Laurier post (GardenWeb ID: agent1xe13).

Carol in Jacksonville

Here is a link that might be useful: So, what is so special about this plant?... (July 27, 2009)

Here is the original thread. His webpage has been taken down so any links to it will go nowhere. Read through the thread and you will gain valuable knowledge.

Please let him rest in peace.
K

Here is a link that might be useful: Original thread from Laurier regarding his accomplishments

Carol... Again, great minds think alike! Our posts crossed!
K

Interesting thread! Thanks for sharing. I guess all we can really do is keep experimenting and find our ways of trying to reach 'bloomhood' as fast as we can. ;) I have bulbs grown from seed in 2007 that still haven't bloomed even though they've been in the ground for years. Ample space, lots of sun, hit with fertilizer when I come around, etc. In that batch of 2007 seeds, my personal fastest is 4 years. 2007 to 2011 when the first flower came up. That was so exciting (even though it was all red like its parents).

Since then, generous people have given me some really interesting seeds that I hope will reach blooming stage faster than four years. I got my hands on bonemeal so I'm definitely hoping that will try to give the bulbs some extra material to work with and encourage the blooms to be developed sooner rather than later.

I've never bloomed any amaryllis from seed, but I'm sure that they will respond well to warmth, big pots, good air circulations, constant supply of fertilizer, and great access to light. CO2 levels probably factor in too. Many planted aquarium enthusiasts supplement the CO2 levels in their tanks to get great plant growth. I've been reading a lot about indoor light gardens and it seems like some plants respond well to the consistent light levels that light fixtures offer verses the the fluctuating intensity of the sun and the accompanying temperature shifts of the seasons. Of course none of this can really be confirmed unless someone has access to a controlled growing environment or grows amaryllis near the equator where the conditions are constant nearly year round.

Sorry if I'm talking nonsense, but I'm just trying to apply different growing techniques for other plants to growing amaryllis.

I still have some Charisma X Charisma seedlings from seeds Donna sent me last February. They are outdoors potted up semi-hydro style and they seem to be handling the weather just fine. I haven't given them the best care, but I'm sure that all the strongest ones are still alive. They aren't anywhere close to blooming anytime soon but I'll report back if they ever do.

Just remember folks that out of any sizable batch of seedlings some will bloom much earlier than others solely due to superior genetics of that particular seed. Remember my PapExStasy bloomed in 2 1/2 yrs and the other 15 seedlings haven't yet bloomed although several of them are almost as large as the first and all had exactly the same care.

Joe:

When using bone-meal outside be careful. Bone-meal and blood-meal attract critters such as skunks, raccoon and opossums. About 10 or more years ago we bought a huge amount of daffodils and planted them all over the yard using bone-meal. Within a few days, all the bulbs were laying on top of the ground having been dug up by someone expecting a tasty meal! They didn't eat the bulbs, so we re-planted them and some clumps were dug up again! We laugh about it to this day..but it wasn't funny at the time! I'd use it in pots that you keep in the house, but, just be careful... Donna

Donna, Yikes! Sorry to hear that! Yeah, I heard a lot of horror stories when it comes to bone meal. So far I am lucky because I used bone meal in my long amaryllis bed last spring and didn't suffer any mishap. I was nervous when my minpin mix was being all curious as she walked up and down alongside the bed but she never made any effort to hop up in there and dig, thankfully. Since then I've used it in other pots and flower boxes. Nothing's happened yet - knock on wood. hehe.

I have blooms from seeds after 2.5 years. But I am from a warmer climate.

Xuan