As far back as I can recall in my childhood days, the small onion sprouting leaves (placed in a basket in the kitchen to be used for cooking) was the earliest fascination I had on plant growth. To actually see the kick start of a baby plant ! Wow, the sight was something so wonderful it played on my young mind - how did that happened and why did it happened ?
Now the question that often plays on my mind is why the Amaryllis bulbs refused to bloom when left to themselves ? I have these bulbs plants but they hardly ever blooms, just keep propagating small plants and sprouting healthy foliage. Then maybe, just maybe.. if I get lucky, perhaps one or two blooms in the whole year. Yet at the highlands like Penang Hill, Cameron Highlands, Fraser Hills, etc where the temperature is cooler these bulbs bloomed in abundance! The large showy and beautiful blooms are a sight to behold ! Some avid gardeners have recommended putting these bulbs in the refrigerator in order to force the blooms. Interesting. However is it worth going through the tedious process (for 4 months or so) just to enjoy some blooms for a week at most ? Hmmm....perhaps...
Well the month of April is a lucky month for me, despite the heat getting on my nerves, and no rain in sight since end Jan or so ...! I spotted one flower scape (flower bud) coming up from one of the bulbs. I had transferred them to the ground after feeling disappointed on their reluctance to bloom. So I decided to dig up this bulb with the scape, potted it, placing it just outside the doorway in anticipation of enjoying the bloom. Each day I take a photo to check its progress. Since January, we had hardly any rain, and I noticed most of the bulb plants were 'suffering' - losing their healthy green foliage. I decided to dig up some of those with the big fat bulbs and repot them. I noticed another bulb sprouted a scape after about a week of repot, what an excitement ! That was so amazing, but my luck apparently ran out with this second bulb. So far none of the other bulbs showed any signs of a flower scape coming up. But for now I am contented and I would like to share the photos I had been taking in the last few days.
Something I thought worth noting is that despite the heat and excessive dry weather, these bulb were able to produce the flower scape. Is there a lesson here to be learned ? I suppose I will try to water sparingly these bulbs and see what happens next.
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| Gorgeous ... if only they bloom all the time !! |
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| The second scape is about to bloom ! |
4 comments:
The day wise pictures are nice
Yes you guessed right! Hippestrums like a rest season. The leaves die away and the bulb rests for three months no water, or very little. Then when the rain starts again they all flower just before the leaves start coming up. If they dont get that rest they just keep growing and dividing getting smaller and smaller. If you have a dry season so much the better. If you don't just move the pots under cover so they don't get wet. Leave them dry until the leaves die and vanish, leave for a few months, three or four is good. Just forget them. Then move them back out and let them get wet and they will instantly flower and grow. Let them grow with green leaves for about four months. Feed them some fert high in potassium (last number) about a month before you make them rest again. This makes bigger bulbs for bigger flowers next time. If you use high nitrogen at this stage they will divide into smaller bulbs instead. I have the same problem with Zephyranthes, those little ones with thin leaves. They multiply so fast they look like a lawn and never flower ): just not enough dry season.
hi there, read your comment on avocado tree in KL to one of the top guy in FRIM. In your comment you said a fruiting avocado tree in your neighbour's compound. Can I request for an air layering sample?
I have been trying to plant avocado in KL from seeds..but very slow, and I know it will take many, many years for it to bear fruits, if any.
i guess, air layering will allow me to obtain the exact gene of the tree while shortening the time period for it to bear fruits.
do contact me at sufian.mohamed1966@gmail.com
Hello Sufian,
I am sorry to inform you that the neighbour has cut down the tree some years back. Btw there is an avocado group, "Avocado Lovers Malaysia "in Facebook. Lots of shared experiences discussed. Maybe you can try contact one of those people who has a fruiting tree. Good luck.
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