After placing the bulb in a bright and warm location, the bulb sent out a scape and then showed signs of another emerging scape. Like a normal Amaryllis bulb the scape kept growing until it unfurled and the flower we are all familiar with, and associate with Christmas houseplants, appeared.
My bulb was waxed and painted silver, but on the Jackson & Perkins website you can see that they come in a lot of other decorative colors.
Caring for a waxed Amaryllis bulb
Do you have to plant a waxed Amaryllis? No. As you'll see at the website, the bulbs are held in decorative saucers. The bulbs are waxed so planting them in soil would not result in them sending out roots.
How do you water a waxed Amaryllis?
You don't water these bulbs. Unlike tulips and paperwhites that you may force indoors this time of year, this bulb doesn't require watering. Amaryllis bulbs that you buy have all of the energy they need to bloom one time stored in the bulb. It will bloom even if you don't water it. But because the roots have been removed and the basal plate waxed, there are no roots to absorb water.After blooming Amaryllis care.
When your waxed bulb has finished blooming, you're suppose to toss it. That's right. It is considered a disposable plant, and requires not further care after it has finished blooming for you.If you look at the Amaryllis label on my blog, you'll find instructions and tips for caring for a normal Amaryllis bulb. In particular, you should look at the post on pollinating and collecting seeds from your Amaryllis because it is a fun winter and indoor gardening project any gardener can do.
Have you seen these Amaryllis bulbs? Would you treat an Amaryllis like an annual that you can toss? Leave a comment below and you'll be entered into a random drawing for a gift card from Jackson & Perkins.
I'm used to getting mine to bloom year after year, but presumably with the basal plate waxed so roots don't form, that's not an option with this version. Hippeastrum bulbs (aka amaryllis) are quite expensive here in the UK, so it makes sense to get them to bloom again.
ReplyDeleteVP,
DeleteThat's so interesting. I figured Hippeastrum bulbs would be cheaper for you in the UK since you are so close to the Netherlands where many of these bulbs come from. Amaryllis bulbs are very cheap, you can find them here for as low at $3.99 during the holidays. And after Christmas, you can find Amaryllis kits discounted as low as $1 in many stores.
They're usually packaged up as a Christmas gift so that puts a premium on them. Choice ones can cost over $10! I'd be interested to see if you get your waxed one to grow roots...
DeleteI think they are an interesting novelty, but I wonder if they will really become a trend?
ReplyDeleteI'd probably want to take the wax off after and see what it really looks like inside!
Misti, I don't know. I mean, the regular ones aren't that big of a trend. So I'm curious to see if these "disposable" bulbs will become one. I plan on trying to remove the wax after it had bloomed and see if I can get it to root. No way I'm tossing a live plant away, LOL.
DeleteSomehow, i hate the idea of disposable plants, even tho i have never been successful in reblooming an amaryllis. At least i always try!
ReplyDeleteIt IS a lovely flower tho, and i like the short stem. Apparently i don't have enough light ... as mine always end up 36 inches or more! That one would be handy all around the house.
Wishming you a happy holiday.
Webb,
DeleteI do too. I once had dinner with a garden business owner who told me that she composts her bulbs after Christmas. I was shocked because she was in southern California where you could make a go of it with these plant and plant them outside.
Happy Holidays to you too!
How unusual these waxed bulbs...a perfect gift for a gardener and non-gardener as they have little care needed.
ReplyDeleteAren't they unique?
DeleteBeing an amaryllis lover,I grow them every year. I usually send my Hippeastrum bulbs to summer camp when the weather allows. When I do this for the season and then allow them to dry out, rest for several weeks( Approximately 8 weeks) then resume watering usually they bloom again. Year after year... I personally have trouble tossing my bulbs into the trash, though I have done so on the rare occasion that I am overwhelmed with stuff. Still I think disposable is never a great idea, however if you compost at least you are giving it another purpose. Oh the contradictions...
ReplyDeleteRenata, I wish I had space to be overwhelmed by Amaryllis bulbs!
DeleteYes, if I won one of these, I would grow it and then toss it, but I have a feeling that the purchase price of one would make it prohibitive of me buying a disposable.
ReplyDeleteDolly,
DeleteI'm too garden poor and frugal to buy disposable plants, I know others can do it, but I just personally can't. Although, I suspect if I won the lottery I would be more open to the idea of buying disposable plants. :)
Like many others, I would simpy have to strip off the wax and see for myself what's there. Not fond of disposable plants - I nurture everything. Even grew an amarylllis from seed. The Christmas bulbs bloom for me again but not for Christmas - more like March a year later.
ReplyDeleteI do think it's a dandy gift for my black-thumbed friends who have no qualms about enjoying a beautiful bloom and then chucking the bulb when all the fun is gone. In fact, on e of my friends would be thrilled with this concept!!
TG, Good point. I also think that there is a whole segment of gardeners different from us who have no problem enjoying a decorative plant and composting it when they have finished with it.
DeleteThis is a very clever idea. I live in Michigan and only grow amaryllis indoors in the winter. The many years of attempting to let them grow in the summer and then giving them a quiet time and growing again only yielded leaves. I'd love one!
ReplyDeleteMarjorie,
DeleteI summer my Amaryllis bulbs outdoors in the Midwest too. I have found that feeding them heavily with the fertilizer you use outdoors ensure that they get blooms again after they come back from dormancy.
I really like the minimal care aspect, it will keep me from over-watering :) I'd still likely strip the wax and see if I can keep it going though, I can't throw plants away either.
ReplyDeleteGB,
DeleteGreat minds think alike!
I read that they cut off the base plate too, not just the toys, so the bulb absolutely can't be saved. This is pretty but I don't like the wasteful aspect of this.
ReplyDeleteRoots, not toys. :)
DeleteMel, That's interesting information. I'll have to look closer at mine and see if the basal plate is gone.
DeleteALRIGHT, I ASSIGNED A NUMBER TO ALL THE COMMENTS BASED ON ORDER THAT THEY CAME IN. THEN I PUT THE NUMBERS IN A HAT AND DREW ONE. SO THE WINNER OF THE JACKSON & PERKINS GIFT CARD IS MISTI. CONGRATS MISTI, I'LL BE IN TOUCH TO GET YOUR EMAIL TO PASS ON.
ReplyDeleteI haven't listened "Waxed Amaryllis Bulbs" before. I have read that bulbs are used for decoration of plants but seriously this is something new. I have started gardening online website before 1 year and I am enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to your next blog.
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ReplyDeleteSeems like a fun idea.
ReplyDeleteI think the point is that they make an easy, fun gift for someone at the holidays.
ReplyDelete