Monday, March 2, 2009

What to do Inside when there is a Nor'easter Outside

What do you do when there is a Nor'easter dumping snow outside? Re-pot your amaryllis bulbs of course! These amaryllis bulbs were stored in the basement over the winter months in the same pots that they were in all summer. The leaves which feed the bulbs wither and die during their "sleeping" phase.Look for the beginnings of growth as the bulb starts to turn greenRemove the bulb from its pot and shake out the dry soil. Loosen the pot bound roots.Wash clean outer pots which can be found all year at thrift shops and tag sales. White pots look very nice with the intense reds and pinks of the amaryllis flowers, and the extra weight of the ceramic pots helps to keep the plants upright since they will eventually grow very tall.The "orange" home store carries excellent potting soil in huge bags,but you have to go to the local roadside garden center to get a large 40 pound bag of triple phosphate. That sound like a large amount, but every hole that one digs, and pot that one plants should have a handfull of this root promoter.Drop some potting soil into a plastic pot so that it come up half full. Sprinkle a handful of phosphate over that.Place the bulb into the pot and backfill with new potting soil and gently press down around the base of the bulb. Make sure to leave the top half of the bulb showing out of the soil. Water and place in ceramic pots.Line up the pots on a window sill. This one fortunately, has a large florescent fixture over it. That acts like a grow light and increases the growth over time of the amaryllis bulbs. These bulbs require a lot of watering which makes the sink area ideal. The snow and winter is safely outside for now.

3 comments:

Tess Kincaid said...

What a great snowy day project! I like all your white pots.

Elizabeth said...

Sure looks chilly over there!
But the snow is impressive.

this is my patch said...

Amaryllis have such amazing flowers. I look forward to seeing them in their full glory. x