You are here:
- Home
- Home/Garden
- Gardening
- Bulbs
- amaryllis plant
Bulbs/amaryllis plant
Advertisement
Question
On my plant after blooming, one of the flower stalks (after I removed the dead flowers) formed like a seed pod. I didn't cut off the dead flowers, I just pulled them off and where they were growing out of the stalk it formed this pod. It was there for several weeks and just yesterday I noticed they were popped open, I collected the seed looking things and I was wondering what they were and if they could be plalnted to produce a new bulb???
Barbara
Amaryllis Seeds appear in shrunken pods. And yes, you can harvest and sow them.
The usual procedure is exactly as you described. You keep the pod attached to the stalk and let seeds develop inside.
When the pod turns yellow, open it up -- I recommend you do this over a sheet of clean paper to make sure you get all the seeds -- and sprinkle the contents onto the surface of some potting soil.
Barely cover, and keep warm and moist. They germinate and bloom in 3 to 5 years.
And they may all look different from the original mother bulb. Interesting project. Thanks for asking!
The mother bulb produces offshoots. Divide those off, and plant. They take about three years to bloom.
Related Articles
Long Island Gardener
Expertise
Growing Tulips? Dahlias? Daffodils? Gladiolus? It doesn't get easier than bulbs and tubers. Once in a while, something goes wrong: The dreaded Narcissus Bulb Fly, which resembles a honeybee. Mosaic virus, which can ignite a field of tulips in a single season. Nematodes, lurking underground. Here on the North Shore of Long Island, the garden is full of surprises. If you live in the Northeast/Atlantic Coast, I can help you pick the right bulb for every season, indoors and out, and help you fertilize, bloom and harvest for home or work. How: I have degrees in related fields, but my best understanding is all learned from trial and error. For most of my 53 years I have been gardening somewhere. No matter what the problem, I've learned the best answers are always Organic -- Earth friendly, less expensive, healthier for people and pets, easier and cleaner than toxic liquids and powders that big chemical companies sell so smoothly.
Experience
Besides degrees in related fields, and a few favorite horticultural societies, I work as a docent at our local botanical gardens -- but it's the years of work in the garden that's the real test.
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.