Horticulture Hotline 04/05/23
Bill Lamson-Scribner
One thing about living in the Lowcountry, when something happens in the garden, word spreads fast. Last Friday I was asked to look at some Viburnum and the first call into “The Garden Clinic” was about the same disease. The very windy, hot, low humidity days triggered a disease that exploded by quickly drying out the soil.
Botryosphaeria Dieback and Canker has created quite the buzz in the area. Many of the Viburnum I have looked at were used as hedges and leaves and debris had built up at the base of the plant leading to adventitious roots growing in the debris. These adventitious roots “take over” for the main roots, that grow in soil, and dry out very rapidly. Pruning out the dead (sterilize your pruners and spray the wounds with T-Methyl) and getting the plant as healthy as possible (remove, debris build-up, water, fertilize according to soil test) will help them out-grow the damage.
Alright, let’s go to something fun! Amaryllis is one of the most beautiful flowers in the garden! The huge flower and big bulb almost make them look like fake plants. They are such a showy plant I think some people are afraid to grow them. You can also extend their color by forcing them in the off season or just leave them in the ground and enjoy them in the spring. Boy they really put on a show and are easy to grow! When I see an amaryllis, I think of one person – Rudy Lane!
After your foliage has died back, you can dig the bulb out of the ground.
Amaryllis is unique in that they do not respond to photoperiod (light hours received). This makes Amaryllis easier to force than Poinsettias that you have to bring in an out of a dark closet in order to get them to turn red. You do not have to regulate the light hours the Amaryllis bulb receives. All you have to do is hold back the moisture (i.e. no water or fertilizer for 8-10 weeks). While holding the water back, you can put them in a cool dark place away from any direct light and forget about them. Since Amaryllis originated in the tropics of South America you also do not need to worry about cooling requirements (i.e. no bulbs in the refrigerator next to your lettuce!).
Once you have dug the bulb up from your yard, you want to plant the bulb in a pot with well drained soil. Equal amounts of peat moss and perlite should provide you with a good growing medium. Do not use a pine bark medium. Be sure the pot has good drainage. Usually, a 6-inch pot will do for each bulb. Ideally your pH would be between 6.0-6.5. When placing the bulb in the peat/perlite mix have at least a third to a half the bulb above the surface. This will help reduce a disease called fire or red spot that is caused by having the nose of the bulb wet. When watering, avoid watering the nose of the bulb. You want to wait until the plant has leaves before you fertilize or you could rot the roots.
While your bulb is resting, check on it after 4 weeks and look for new growth at the top of the bulb. Sometimes it doesn’t take the full 8-10 weeks. If the bulb starts to grow, you can bring it out into the light and begin to water and fertilize it. Fertilize every other week with a 20-20-20 fertilizer and in about 6 weeks you should have a new flower.
If you really like amaryllis and all the colors they come in, you could stagger (buy or dig some bulbs in week or 2-week intervals) force them, and have a perpetual supply of blooming amaryllis throughout the year!
Always read, understand, and follow product label. The product label is a Federal Law.
