Amaryllis generating bulbs - what do I do?

[Mare]

I was given an Amaryllis bulb for Christmas several years ago. I potted it and put it out on the deck. All I’ve done is water it. It has now turned into several bulbs (I’m not even sure how many, but I think maybe 6?) There is no longer room in the pot. I assume that I should take the bulbs out and split them? But I don’t know how to do that without killing the whole thing. Thanks for any advice! (I’m afraid the photos don’t show the crowd in the pot).

 

[Marck]

First, loosen the rootball of the 'Amaryllis' (Hippeastrum cv.) from the pot, by detaching it from the sides of the pot and underneath as much as possible. An old dull kitchen knife will be a fine tool for this procedure. Once it is loosened, gently lift or tip the whole rootball out of the pot. Clear away soil from the top until you can distinguish individual bulb, then gently tug them apart. You may need to use a sharp knife or secateurs to separate some parts. Once separated re-pot each bulb in a separate container. As I believe you are in a mild climate, you can also plant the bulbs in the ground, in full to part sun locations.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

You may need to use a sharp knife or secateurs to separate some parts.

I go for pulling them apart and gently bumping them up and down on the floor of the potting tray when I get things stuck like this. It shakes the soil loose and allows one to gently pull them apart without breaking anything. A broken root is a lost root, it is a potential source of infection and if it stays in the root ball it is going to rot there, which may not be good. A knife would be a measure of last resort.

 

[Mare]

Thank you so much for the instructions. we only have a Northern exposed deck, and I’ve just let the amaryllis alone except for watering. It has always bloomed, more than once in a season, even with double blooms. I won’t mind if the entire deck is covered with the plant. I was afraid I would jinx it if I took it out of the pot. But it is really too crazy now! Thanks again!!!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I once had a friend come around and proudly tell me she had an off shoot from hers. I took her in the greenhouse and showed her the twenty or so plants I had raised from seed I gathered. She said "Damn you Olly Buckle"

 

[Mare]

First, loosen the rootball of the 'Amaryllis' (Hippeastrum cv.) from the pot, by detaching it from the sides of the pot and underneath as much as possible. An old dull kitchen knife will be a fine tool for this procedure. Once it is loosened, gently lift or tip the whole rootball out of the pot. Clear away soil from the top until you can distinguish individual bulb, then gently tug them apart. You may need to use a sharp knife or secateurs to separate some parts. Once separated re-pot each bulb in a separate container. As I believe you are in a mild climate, you can also plant the bulbs in the ground, in full to part sun locations.

I have one more question. It’s a clueless question, but I’m really not sure about this. What is the size of the pot that I plant the single bulb in? I have no garden; only pots on my back deck. Thanks again for your advice!

 

[Marck]

For a single bulb, the pot should be at least a couple inches wider than the bulb.
Coonversely, multiple bulbs could be planted in a wider pot.

 

[Mare]

For a single bulb, the pot should be at least a couple inches wider than the bulb.
Coonversely, multiple bulbs could be planted in a wider pot.

Thanks again!!

 

[Mare]

HHHHHHHHHEeeeeelllllllllpppppp (meaning HELP!) I’ve gotten this far. And dark is coming on. I couldn’t help breaking off a few fat juicy roots that were stuck on the inside of the pot. I’m trying not to break anymore, but how do I untangle the roots from each other without breaking them? Knocked off a bunch of healthy leaves too. I don’t think I can finish this today since it’s getting darker and rather cold. If I leave them like this will they die? Or are they going to die anyway because I accidentally broke off some roots? My poor baby!

 

[Marck]

The bulbs should be fine overnight. Even if some of the roots break off or dry up, the bulb will generate more when planted.
Still, it is better to keep as many roots as possible for a fast recovery.

As for separating the bulbs, first try pulling them apart. Some roots will break off, but most should stay with the bulb they are attached to. If it seems like too many roots will tear off, you can use a knife or similar tool to divide the soil root ball in half. Be sure not to cut through the bulbs themselves.

 

[Mare]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for getting back to me so quickly! I just closed the door to the deck, and will begin again tomorrow morning. I’ve never lived with gardens; so even though I love plants, I don’t know what the heck I’m doing. It is very comforting to have access to this group. Thanks again!

 

[DirtMechanic]

Sometimes I will shake off the dirt that I can and hose of the rest when separating just so I can see better. Not the best idea for many plant due to the fine roots. Bulbs are unusually robust in this regard and, at least down here, have shown me that even significant parts of a bulb will root again even if I have sliced them apart with a shovel or my hori hori knife.

 

[davidinsydney]

You’ll be fine. They were multiplying like crazy in my garden bed. Had to cull and dig a few bulbs out. I left them just sitting on top of the garden bed thinking they’ll just naturally die, but those bulbs are resilient, sending out new shoots despite not having any soil roots.

 

[Mare]

The bulbs should be fine overnight. Even if some of the roots break off or dry up, the bulb will generate more when planted.
Still, it is better to keep as many roots as possible for a fast recovery.

As for separating the bulbs, first try pulling them apart. Some roots will break off, but most should stay with the bulb they are attached to. If it seems like too many roots will tear off, you can use a knife or similar tool to divide the soil root ball in half. Be sure not to cut through the bulbs themselves.

Hi again! I finally managed to get the root ball out of the pot. There were something like 17 bulbs (some large, some new & small). I planted one single large bulb in each of two pots I bought today. Then I planted a large bulb, along with 3 small bulbs, in the original large pot. I didn’t have anymore medium sized pots, so I found a huge plastic pot in the garage and planted the root ball in it without separating the rest of the bulbs. I hope I did this right! We’ll see what happens. Many thanks for your help!