Haemanthus 2011

[jshields]

Here is the bloom on one of my Haemanthus humilis humilis bulbs.  A couple other bulbs are also starting to send up blooms, so maybe I'll get a few seeds this year.  These are easy from seed (relatively easy anyway).  I find humilis hirsutus difficult from seeds, and usually don't get many hirsutus seeds even if I have the blooms.

Jim

[Brian Ellis]

Thanks Jim interesting to hear that you find it difficult from seed.

[jshields]

I don't know why hirsutus seems hard to grow from seeds.  HH. barkerae, coccineus and humilis humilis are quite easy to grow from seeds.  There is a high mortality rate of seedlings of hirsutus, much higher than from the other three.  H. crispus is hard to set seeds on, but once you get the seeds, they are pretty easy tog row to mature bulbs.  H. montanus is so slow from seeds that I have still never seen a seed of montanus that I planted produce a flower. 

Hybrids are easy to grow, including [humilis hirsutus x coccineus] as well as [barkerae x coccineus].  I think I have some [crispus x coccineus] too, but they are not mature yet.

Jim

[PeterT]

I have noticed with some of these amarillads that sometimes the seedling bulb seems to develop without a proper root, so that it fails with the first dry period. I was given four seeds of H humilis hirsustus a few months ago and one of them tried this trick recently. I'm hoping I saw it in time to keep it damp untill it grows some root...
I find this often happens with southern hemisphere seed at about the time they would naturally go dormant on a southern hemisphere growth cycle and just at the time I want them to keep growing in order to convert to northern hemisphere.

[jshields]

When I grow Haemanthus from seed, I keep them in continuous growth for up to 30 to 36 months.  To do this, I grow them under fluorescent lights inside my home.  I try not to let the seed potting mix dry out in that entire time.  Some seedlings do under these conditions sometimes yellow off all their leaves (the one or two that they have), but they immediately grow new ones.  When I'm ready to put them onto their natural cycle (Northern Hemisphere, regardless of hemisphere of origin of the seeds) I move them from under the lights into the Haemanthus greenhouse at the start of their normal growth season.  For winter-growing species, that is late summer or very early autumn.  This helps to avoid seedling losses during the first few dormant times, by not having any dormant times.  Once having gone into the greenhouse, they thereafter are on the normal seasonal cycles.

This routinely works for amarylloides polyanthus, barkerae, coccineus, crispus, humilis humilis, and has worked for single batches of lanceifolius and unifoliatus with high survival rates.  (By the way, this approach also works quite well for growing many Hippeastrum species from seeds.)  HH. albiflos and pauculifolius appear to grow from seeds under just about any conditions you care to try.  I'm not so sure what the best method is for growing deformis seedlings; it looks so far as if the continuous growth approach might be working for deformis.

It just occurred to me that I have had the same problems with carneus that I have with humilis hirsutus: refusal to stay in continuous growth, high mortality rates in the first two years.

This also failed me, in a way, for nortieri.  I had a batch of seedlings (from seed from Rachel Saunders) that was 30 months old.  When the entire batch was allowed to go dormant the following summer, every single seedling died.  I apparently should have tried to keep them growing, or at least moist and not too warm, for one more summer.  The nortieri seedlings were quite healthy as long as I kept them under the lights.  That truly did upset me.

Jim

[PeterT]

I have some H deformis seedlings which are two years old, they are in the corner of a windowsill shaded by a blind and they have never gone dormant.

[Brian Ellis]

I find this often happens with southern hemisphere seed at about the time they would naturally go dormant on a southern hemisphere growth cycle and just at the time I want them to keep growing in order to convert to northern hemisphere.

When I grow Haemanthus from seed, I keep them in continuous growth for up to 30 to 36 months.

Thanks for these hints, it seems highly reasonable that this is the critical time for them when trying to change hemisphere, I'll keep a sharp eye out.

[Hans J]

Today good news from me  

I'm really proud to report that here is flowering a self sown ( from year 2005 ) Haemanthus humilis is flowering for the first time !!!

...but this is ( until now ) the only plant from this batch ...we have to be patient !

Hans  

[angie]

Brilliant Hans, no wonder you are pleased with yourself.  Self sown well done 
Hope you don't have to wait to long to see more in flower.

Angie

[Auricular]

Hello Hans,

sure humilis? Looks anyhow like carneus

 

Maybe its one of the humilis-complex thats near carneus?

[Hans J]

Thank you Angie 

Bernie :

my label says H.humilis ( seeds ex C.McMaster ) ...I will ask Cameron !

[Hans J]

Bernie :

I have just received a answer from Cameron :

"Its certainly not H carneus which has included stamens.  It is clearly humilis and looks to me like the form from the Central Karoo."

I'm glad for this confirmations !
Hans 

[Auricular]

Hi Hans,

that was the fact i thought about carneus: i cant see the stamens...maybe i must look closer to the photo
 


Have a good night

Bernie

[Hans J]

 

[PeterT]

Very beautifull Hans, - a lovely colour!