GROWING AMARYLLIS WITH EARTHWORMS

AMARYLLIS / Hippeastrum
Perennial true bulb
Though native to tropics and subtropics, most Amaryllis bulbs now are called Dutch hybrids that are produced in Europe and the United States. Each plant has one or two thick stems, bearing a cluster of three to six trumpet shaped  flowers 6 to 9 inches across. 

HOW TO SELECT AMARYLLIS BULBS:
When buying bulbs, it is best to buy locally so that you can see what you are getting. It is important to shop early as soon as the bulbs appear in stores. Because the longer the bulbs are in storage, the more moisture it will loose. This definitely affects the blooms the following years. Handle bulbs with care, check each bulb carefully and stay clear of any bulbs with mushy gray spots, with any mold, with exceptionally lightweight or with any damage.  The base of the bulbs should be firm and solid. If you order by mail, unpack the bulbs as soon as they arrive. Even though they are dormant when you buy them, they are still alive and are affected by what you do to them or where you put them. If they get too wet, they will rot; if they are left out under the sun’s heat, they will dry out; if they are sealed in plastic bag too long, they will suffocate and rot.

HOW TO PREPARE THE ORGANIC MIX FOR AMARYLLIS:
The following is a simple mixture for container and garden culture bedding of Amaryllis.
1 part peat moss.
1 part other organic material such as earthworm castings, compost. Leaf mold or Nitrogen stabilized bark.  1 part builders’ sand.

HOW TO PLANT AMARYLLIS IN POT OR CONTAINER CULTURE AND THE USE OF EARTHWORMS:
Pot amaryllis bulbs from mid-autumn through winter or around November to February. Prepare the organic mix described above, place 1 bulbs in a 5 – 7 inches deep pot or 3 to 4 bulbs in a 14 – 16 inches pot. Fill pot 1/3 full of the organic mix and place bulb with roots spread and pointing downward, cover with an inch of soil for a two inch bulb, so that half of the bulb will be above soil surface. Water immediately and thoroughly, keep the pot barely moist.  Dig a small ½ inch hole beside the plant the day after planting and put a ½ dozen live earthworms into it then cover the earthworm with soil. Upon signs of new growth, water regularly until after bloom and leaves turn yellow. When flowers fade, cut off flowering stem. Continue watering to encourage leaf growth.

HOW TO PLANT AND CARE FOR AMARYLLIS:
Look for sunny or part shaded area for your Amaryllis in your garden; dig and mix up the soil with the organic mix above, then set out the bulbs 1 foot apart keeping the top of the bulbs level with the soil surface. Water thoroughly then keep soil just barely moist until leaves emerge. Dig a small ½ inch hole beside the bulb the day after planting and put a ½ dozen live earthworms into it then cover the earthworm with soil so that birds won’t come and pick them up right away. Increase watering after sprouting. After the blooms have faded, cut off the stalks when the foliage turns yellow and die down, stop watering. Keep soil dry until new growth begins.

HOW TO PROPAGATE AMARYLLIS:
You can propagate Amaryllis by division of clumps in early autumn if the clumps are too crowded and bloom quality decline. Another way of propagation is by growing from seeds. Amaryllis grown from seeds will take a few years before they grow to blooming size.

HOW TO FORCE MORE BLOOMS OUT OF YOUR AMARYLLIS:
Here is how to get more blooms out of your beautiful Amaryllis: After the entire Amaryllis plant has died off, pull the Amaryllis bulb out of the soil, then cut off the foliage or leaves and store the bulb in a cool, dry place until the next planting season, which is usually spring time after the danger of frost has gone. Plant the Amaryllis properly by digging a small hole into the ground to fit 2/3 rd of the Amaryllis bulb with pointed part on top showing about 1/3 rd of the bulb. Keep it well watered until summer or July. Expect a gorgeous bloom at this time. Then remove the Amaryllis bulb again after the first frost. Store it again in a cool, dry place until the end of October. This time, replant the bulb in a pot indoor, not outdoor to get another bloom during Christmas or a few weeks after potting indoor. The potted amaryllis bulb can be brought to bloom in just a few weeks. Keep it slightly moist in a warm dark place until roots have formed. Then move the pot to a warm lightly shaded place keep up with the slight moist condition until leaves start to form, increase watering at this time.