The Amaryllis Family – How to grow and propagate?

Few large growers have made a specialty of the amaryllids, which include the handsome Agapanthus, Clivia, Haemanthus, Sprekelia, and Zephyranthes. Currently the main sources are foreign, but there is no reason why you couldn’t grow and sell them here. Many have only basic cultural requirements.

How to Grow Amaryllids

Culture is about the same for all of them. Large bulbs are potted so their crowns are well above the soilabout one-third. Smaller bulbs are set with crowns barely protruding from the soil. All are heavy feeders, and during their growth period they should not be allowed to dry out.

Prepare a soil of fibrous loam, sand, and leafmold with a pH no higher than 6.5. Growers in Florida have experimented with synthetic growing media. Wyndham Hayward of Lakemont Gardens, Winter Park, recommends potting in sphagnum moss well firmed around the bulb. The bulbs are fed regularly with dried, sterilized, cow manure, about 1 teaspoonful every 2 weeks for bulbs growing in 6- or 7-inch pots. In addition, they receive liquid fertilizer every week. The moss must be damp but not soggy.

Bring amaryllids into growth in a house with a minimum temperature of 60 degrees. If it is well ventilated, they do not seem to suffer even when in summer temperatures go up to the 90′s. Good light is necessary to keep flower scapes straight.

After flowering, amaryllids usually produce heavy foliage. This must continue to grow for at least 6 months to let the bulbs “fatten” and make buds for the next flowering. As foliage yellows-usually in the fall-dry off the bulbs and store at 45 to 50 degrees. When new growth shows, bring the bulbs to the light, water them, and feel assured that they are set for another round of bloom.

Propagation

Propagation of most amaryllids is through offsets, the term applied to small bulbs growing alongside the mother bulb. These can be separated and potted individually. Some growers “rim out” the bottom of the bulb-as previously described for hyacinths-to make it produce more offsets. Don’t try this trick unless you’re experienced. With the species amaryllids you can produce more of their kind by hand pollinating them and raising them from seed. The majority of amaryllids ripen seed in about 6 weeks, but Haeman-thus seeds sometimes take up to 4 months.

Seeds should be planted immediately after ripening in a light loam. As soon as the weather warms up, the little seedlings can be transplanted to the cold frame or lath house or directly into the garden. Not hardy in most areas, they have to be replanted to pots or flats and kept in the greenhouse during the cold months.

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