how to grow Amarylis??

I have a number of amarylis bulbs which have been outside all summer, I brought them inbedfore the 1st frost and dried them out, then potted them on to the hot bed for a little while, but nothing has sprouted over the last 2 weeks, what have I done wrong? Can some one tell me how to do it properly!

Thanks!

 

I have four or five that have been given to me for Xmas over the years - I just stick them out on the back patio for a couple of months once it warms up, then lift the bulbs & store them in the dark until November or so when they get planted up again ; they all seem to survive, but only one flowers reliably.

 

I've got one that I forgot about - it was in the shed all dried out. I put it into the greenhouse about a month ago and gave it a drink, and now it has two sword-like leaves, but no sign of a flower. Maybe I should bring it indoors and give it some plant food.

 

I dont have many now, but I always flowered them in summer and kept them dormant during winter, dry and cool.

The winter flowering is not natural in my opinion, but forced flowering, its a bit like forced hyacinths, they take a year or two get themselves sorted.

 

I have a few that are about 7 years old, each year I keep them cool and dry to try and slow them down and get them to sprout later. I checked them a few days ago and there's tell tale signs of green. They seem determined to grow/flower in Winter no matter what I do. At the moment, they are wrapped in newspaper in a cold room untill planting time.

A few years back, I left some in the greenhouse (not in soil) and the mice had a field day nibbling away at them, almost through to the heart of the bulb. Not only have the bulbs repaired themselves but are flowering well, obviously made of stern stuff.

Has anyone tried to grow on the little bulbs that grow from the base of the main bulb, I saved some from three years ago and for the last two years, I've planted them up with the grown up bulbs. They get a little bigger each year but no flowers yet. I wonder how long it takes for them to mature? If they do show any signs of flower stalks, I'll remove them to save draining energy from the young bulb.

 

I've always left the small bulbs in tact and just potted the plant into bigger pots.
Growing on the small bulbs is easy enough if you want to separate them, but I dont think I'd remove flower spikes when they form, its not necessary.

 

Hello Terry - also left mine out over the summer until all leaves fell. Now in the house and in growth after a little change in the top layer of compost coupled with small regular watering - they should not need any bottom heat.