Flower Gardens

» Cottage_Garden - Force amaryllis for fall bloom

In response to Amaryllis posted by strong76:
Hi jamie! Ummmm, unfortunately I don't really think this is going to work out too well. To understand why I am worried about your plan, it might help to know how these bulbs normally work.

Amaryllis planted year round in the garden (in warm climates like FLorida) normally bloom in the spring. When we grow them inside as container plants we force them -- or trick them -- into blooming for the holidays. So the bulbs you buy for Christmas blooms have been dug and specially prepared for blooming in that time frame. When we keep them from year to year, we maintain the same forcing schedule because they only bloom once a year.

The bulbs need a long growing season to recover after each bloom period. During this growing season, they produce lots of leaves. The foliage is what refuels the bulb so it has strength to bloom again the next year.

It takes months of growing the foliage, and then usually about two months of "rest" before the bulb is ready to kick in and grow and bloom again. Unlike daffodils or tulips, the rest period is not a chilling period. Instead, it is cool and dry -- about 55 degrees or so. This typically causes the foliage to die back completely.

If the growing time frame is too short, the bulb is short changed on energy and won't be able to bloom. If the rest period is skipped or too short, the bulb won't bloom. Instead, it produces foliage but is too weak to bloom again.

Assume your bulb has a good long growing season and then a nice long rest of about two months duration, and then it is restarted into active growth. Now it can be anywhere from 6 to 10 weeks or so from restarting it until it blooms. Under home growing conditions, the length of time from restart to bloom is sort of unpredictable. Also, some varieties bloom earlier and some are naturally slower.

Working with a target of early fall bloom date, I'm concerned there just isn't enough time for the foliage to grow, then rest the bulb, then get it restarted into active growth and wait for it to bloom.

Storing it for months and months before replanting is not feasible -- the bulbs are living things and can only be out of the ground for so long before they deteriorate in quality.

In addition, timing the bloom period is iffy under the best of conditions.... You would need to start multiple batches about a week apart to be assured of having flowers on the big day.

Now, I wonder if you might be able to take bulbs grown in the southern hemisphere and thus running on the opposite seasonal schedule, then force them accordingly? But, I believe most of the amaryllis sold in the US come from the Netherlands so it might be really difficult to import such a thing.

If you are willing to source these through a florist, they might be able to do it for you? Or they might be able to have some specially custom grown on contract for you?

All in all, you might want to consider something else that is more seasonal? Talk to your florist and see what would be available at that time of year. Maybe they could obtain cutflower amaryllis, or live orchids (these are being done in the lab now and very inexpensive compared to "the old days"), or colorful potted bromeliads instead?

There are so many possibilities they can probably show you. I would really suggest you look into some alternatives that might be more easily achieved or at least more reliable. For a big day like a wedding, I always think the bride has more important things to worry about than holding her breath whether or not the flowers will be in bloom that particular day, let alone the possibility of crop failure! Yikes!

I am sorry I can't be more encouraging about this but I hope it helps you with your planning.

-- posted by Cottage_Garden