A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Amaryllis Not Growing

I potted up 2 Amaryllis bulbs 2 weeks ago and neither of them has grown at all. They both have the exact amaount of growth barely coming up as they had when I potted them. Any ideas why or how I can get them to grow?

Did you get them from Walmart by any chance? I heard that theirs take a long time to bloom. I'm not sure why that is, though!

Alan, I'll pass along what I do with my bulbs and maybe that will help. Pot up in good soil, leaving the neck exposed. Pot size should be just barely larger than the bulb. A tall pot is best because they develop huge root systems. Some "experts" say to leave the top third of the bulb above the soil line but I've never done it that way. Soil is kept moist but not wet and soggy. I leave the bulbs in a dimly lit room until new growth starts and then they are moved to a sunny window.

It can take several weeks for them to start their show so just be patient. I just put all of mine to bed for about six or eight weeks and I am already anxious to get them started for a new round of gorgeous flowers. This is one of my favorites...
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mine have always taken a couple of weeks to start to grow as well, maybe even three. I always leave the top of the bulb exposed. I've never saved my bulbs - it's been a while since I've grown one, what do you do to reuse them?

If left to their own devices and not "forced", this is their dormant season. I just put mine in the closet, I'll bring them out ~Feb, they'll bloom brilliantly in the early spring, spend the summer outside, and return to the closet next October. I have a light red one like yours, rose. It had 2 flower stalks this spring, the first with 6 flowers, the second with 4. They're easy to cross or self pollinate and grow from seed, but they take ~4 years to bloom.

Margaret! - Will they bloom all summer?

Thanks Rosie...I did pretty much as you said, so I guess I'm just impatient! (Huh, me?) I had one like yours last year...very nice!

gardenkitten- Yep,they came from WallyWorld. They didn't have much of a root system, so maybe that is the problem. The ones I got last year came form Lowe's and were bigger and had better root systems. Guess I got what I paid for...

Wally-world is becoming a place of disappointment garden wise as well as in other departments. Pretty soon it won't even be worth going there.