Amaryllis: seeds or bulblets?

Discussion in 'Plant Propagation' started by erin_juniper, Jan 5, 2008.

  1. erin_juniper

    erin_juniper Active Member

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    I want to try and propogate my Amaryllis (just to see if I can). I read that you should trim the green ball shaped bit behind the flower when it is done blooming because it contains seeds and it will take energy from the bulb. Then I also read there can be bulblets around the bulb if the Amaryllis is grown in a large pot.

    My question is what is it's natural way to propogate? I didn't know flowers could have seeds and bulblets.

    I figure the bulblets would be easier to get going but could I use the seeds too?

    Also, if I use the seeds should I let that green lump behind the flower develop for a few weeks before I steal the seeds out of it?
     
  2. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    If you want seeds and it sets some then you will want to let fruits develop and mature. Unless you have found that it sets readily on its own you may have to hand-pollinate.

    Even the large-flowered hybrids with their big flat trumpets clump up in time, with proper care. I have seen a pot near a window in a sitting room up your way (SW BC) containing several bulbs all in bloom at the same time. These had been kept well-fertilized and grown for some years to reach that state of development. Note that drying the bulbs off and forcing or encouraging dormancy is done to get flowering at a predictable time, otherwise these are actually evergreen plants that would just as soon remain in leaf throughout the year.
     
  3. erin_juniper

    erin_juniper Active Member

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    what are the fruits?

    How do I know if it's "set" and what does that mean, to be "set". Does that mean that its been fertilized?

    So does an Amaryllis have seeds or bulbs or both?
     
  4. acphm

    acphm Member

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    I have an amaryllis..4 yrs old. It has never successfully grown seeds even if the flower 'sets' fruit i.e. base of flower swells after pollination into a round seed pod. It supposed to ripen naturally over several months before the seeds are viable but usually, at least in my experience, the fruit doesn't survive and it shrivels and dies. I find the easiest way to propagate your amaryllis would be to allow it to develop bulblets. This occurs naturally as the original bulb grows, it develops 'baby' bulbs on itself which you can divide once the smaller bulbs have some root base to sustain its own growth. In my case, my bulblets had been left growing for enough years that they had completely separated from the mother bulb and were just rooting next to each other.
    If you wanted to speed up bulblet development, I read you could divide your bulb at its base by cutting into it i.e. cutting an X into the base would eventually form 4 smaller bulbs. The downside to this is that each new bulb would probably need to grow for a few years before they would bloom. Plus, I don't like to unnecessarily damage my bulbs...fungus and rot are always a concern.
    Hope this helps!
     
  5. erin_juniper

    erin_juniper Active Member

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    Thanks for your input. I will be keeping an eye out for bulblets but I was hoping to create my own hybrids.
    I will just keep trying I guess.
     

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