Growing Hippeastrum from seed

I have let a Hippeastrum someone gave me for Christmas go to seed - it had 2 x stems, 4 x flowers on each, so I have 8 very plump seed pods

When each one opened I cut it off with as much stem as possible (the couple of inches from the Y-fork at the base of the flowers)

What next? Do they need a "rest" before sowing, or can I sow straight away?

What I'm after is enough bulbs that I can plant in my Exotic garden to make an impact. Not worried how the flowers turn out.

I'm also planning to try an experiment and twin-scale a bulb of a very nice double Red one that I was also given from Xmas

 

Kristen , I`ve tryed once , to plant the seed and the plant developed in the first year , but 3 years later still no sign of flower .

 

No sign of the ones that I planted out last year..............

Can take anything up to five years I'm told.

 

You left them out for the winter? or they had disappeared by Autumn perhaps?

 

They were 25/30 cm deep on their sides. They were so cheap that I figured it was worth a punt.................

 

Must admit I have left them in my non-frost-free greenhouse some winters. But they would not have been watered Nov-Mar at all, so perhaps would be happy if cold but bone dry?

I did a bit of research into germination. Floating the seeds on water seems to be popular ... dunno if that is likely to yield higher germination, or just "easier" pricking out?

 

I have grown them from seed but it was a long time ago.
I dont think you need to wait before planting, think I planted edge way on, in the pots.

It is a long process until flowering.
Might be a good idea to buy up loads of those bulbs you often see after christmas in garden centres being sold off cheap, still good but started growing in the packaging.

They usually make quite a few offsets after a year or two.