apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think you accidentally copy and pasted the wrong answer to the question.

test

I believe that the water technique works on bulbs because, as they grow leaves and blooms, they're mostly using nutrients that are already stored in the bulb. So, you can do this once and basically use up what they have, and then you can plant them in the ground for the coming year. I don't think you can keep them in the water. I've always given my 'spent' bulbs to friends with gardens.

Well, I know this is an entirely different kind of plant, but as an example I have rosemary and mint cuttings growing in water without soil for over a year with no problems.

I originally meant to plant them but didn't need to and it does look nice.

Give it its normal growing conditions--in dirt-- through the rest of summer. Then, in September, stop watering it and bring the pot to a cool dark, dry spot for about 2 months. When you are ready to force into bloom, bring the plant back into warmth, replace the top inch of soil with fresh, and water. As soon as some foliage appears, bring the plant into its normal growing conditions and start feeding it, within 6-8 weeks you should get a flower stalk.

I think it might kill the plant. I know the roots of plants grown in water are thicker and more fragile than those grown in soil. You could get a taller glass container, fill the bottom with rocks, add a layer of charcoal and then put the plant, dirt and all, in on top. That's how you would do it for a terrarium. Good luck!

I have re-bloomed amaryllis many times. And I'll let you do the general research. But the specific question about water: the bulb, unlike almost all other bulbs, must not be submerged in water - just the very bottom for it to bloom without rotting. To get it to bloom again you should probably skip the water route entirely since you'll lose so much energy without recouping any during blooming - you can still rebloom by planting in soil after the bloom, but I suspect that unless you have a very big bulb it will take two years of recovery before it blooms again.

again, unlike other bulbs like narcissus, amaryllis rot easily and dislike exposure of the bulb itself to water.

forcing the bulb in water will be a one-time-only affair.

if you want to keep it year after year, forcing it into dormancy and reblooming, keep it in dirt. find a beautiful pot with good drainage as amaryllis don't like to be wet. it's very easy to over-water and rot the bulb.

follow Palmetto's instructions and water very carefully from the bottom, submerging the pot in very shallow water allowing the soil and roots to absorb the moisture.

Hello everyone.. I just found this:

Amaryllis - How to plant, grow, and enjoy
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/growing-amaryllis-bulbs.html

Video - Growing Amaryllis in Water (1.07 minutes)
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/video-am-glass.html

Video - How to Pot and Care for Amaryllis (1.51 minutes)
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/video-pot-am.html

FWIW, there's nothing wrong with forcing a bulb and enjoying the beautiful flowers and foliage while they last. They're certainly more economical than cut flowers, and they last much, much longer.

For city and apartment dwellers, they're an easy way to enjoy some of the benefits of a garden without having to actually garden. When the bulb is finally spent, discard it and start over with a new one.

Beats killing houseplants, or having a bunch of sickly, half-dead plants scattered about. It can be very hard to keep flowering plants in an apartment in good condition, unless you have a green thumb.