Alstroemeria pygmaea

[David Nicholson]

I have a few plants of the above grown from seed sown March 2008, with very reasonable leaf growth given their age. Should I let them dry out now, or are they evergreen please?

[Alessandro.marinello]

David
sincerely I do not know, of usual are not evergreen

[Darren]

I don't think this is an amaryllid but I'll have a go at answering. I think Alstroemeria are dormant in late summer and early autumn when they should be allowed to dry a little but not completely. Most will lose their leaves at this point. My pygmaea are just starting to produce a few new leaves now which indicates they want some moisture to tide them over the winter. They will then produce full new growth in spring. In early summer the sterile shoots will start to dry off but the flowering shoots start to pop up.
I would keep them just moist now until next spring when the growth starts to accelerate. You may be able to see new shoots apppearing at the soil surface - I just checked and mine are just below the top dressing and will be up in a day or two.

Hope this helps.

D.

[Maggi Young]

I don't think this is an amaryllid

Quite so, Darren! Thanks to another Forumist for pointing out this misplaced thread..... I am still catching up from a busy day yesterday! 

[annew]

Hi David, I have this plant self-sown in the plunge in my bulb house so it's dry in the summer (but down about 15cm below the sand). The roots, or whatever they are, get quite rubbery. They then get the Sep and Oct storms as Ian's regime, and the sand is kept moist until the following late spring when the bulbs are dying back again. It flowers well and reseeds.

[mark smyth]

Way back in May I was given two roots of Alstroemeria pygmaea that had some leaves. These quickly died down in the heat wave in June. Do they leaf now and flower in the spring?

How should I look after them during the year? Right now they are outside where their pot is very wet after the rain that has fallen

[ashley]

Mark,  I'd be inclined to bring it into the greenhouse and overwinter in good light with occasional watering and later feeding until it flowers & goes dormant again.

[mark smyth]

I'll do it right now.

[David Nicholson]

I don't think this is an amaryllid but I'll have a go at answering. I think Alstroemeria are dormant in late summer and early autumn when they should be allowed to dry a little but not completely. Most will lose their leaves at this point. My pygmaea are just starting to produce a few new leaves now which indicates they want some moisture to tide them over the winter. They will then produce full new growth in spring. In early summer the sterile shoots will start to dry off but the flowering shoots start to pop up.
I would keep them just moist now until next spring when the growth starts to accelerate. You may be able to see new shoots apppearing at the soil surface - I just checked and mine are just below the top dressing and will be up in a day or two.

Hope this helps.

D.

Many  thanks Darren and Anne. Sorry about putting it in the wrong family, it's Alstroemeriaceae now, BUT in 1837 it was in Amaryllidaceae according to the Kew Check List. I just didn't read it fully, anyway I'm always behind the times

[David Nicholson]

Still no flowers

[mark smyth]

Not good for mine either. It stayed dormant until about 6 weeks ago each stem promptly died back in days then came a flower stem that died back, then another flower stem that produced a flower, died back and nothing more

Is it worth keeping?

photo
another photo with my thumb for size comparrison

[Maggi Young]

Not good for mine either. It stayed dormant until about 6 weeks ago each stem promptly died back in days then came a flower stem that died back, then another flower stem that produced a flower, died back and nothing more

Is it worth keeping?

photo
another photo with my thumb for size comparrison

Well, I agree that things could be going better.... but look at that little cheery face on that flower.....VERY cute indeed.... give it another chance!

[mark smyth]

Give it another chance to have one flower next year!? Maybe I should put it in a trough?

[Maggi Young]

We've found that even the tiniest forms of Alstromeria want to tunnel downward as though trying to reach the other side of the world, so I don't think a trough is the answer... what about a warm spot where it could dig itself down deep if it wanted to?  Worth a try?
Since I've never seen how deep they sink themselves in the wild I don't know if that is what they all do in nature but it is what they do here in captivity.... little seedling tubers taking off straight down!

[David Nicholson]

Are they hardy? Mine has very strong roots growing through the bottom of a 9cm square plastic pot.