Please Help with Amaryllis Minerva - 2010/03/29 09:56Hi, I bought a amaryllis minerva bulb and planted it valentines day 2/14/10. Within a few weeks it grew a stem but last week it died, now the roots are water damaged with few new growth, the stalk is wilted, and there is a tiny little yellow leaf growing. I was told to cut the stem and roots, dry it and put it in the fridge but i'm scared it will not recover, please advise me in what to do! I don't want my pretty little plant to die
Also, there are tiny little black and yellow bugs on it. The dead flower bulbs on top of stem seemed to have white dry crust I'm guessing from the bugs. How can I get rid of the bugs?
Re:Please Help with Amaryllis Minerva - 2010/03/29 21:42 Welcome.
I'm sorry that you are experiencing a problem with your Hippeastrum (aka Amaryllis).
I think that if this were my bulb, I would begin by removing any damaged or unhealthy tissue - including roots, foliage and bloom stem. I would also check to feel that the bulb itself still feels heavy and firm - if there is a feeling of squishyness, then it may simply be too badly damaged to recover.
But, if the bulb does feel healthy, then I would dust it generously with cinnamon (yep, good old cinnamon, straight from the kitchen spice rack - which has pretty effective anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties) and then set the dusted bulb aside to "rest" in a cool, dark place for a couple of weeks. Frankly, I would not refrigerate the bulb under these circumstances - that is usually part of a process used when trying to "force" a bulb to bloom out of it's natural season (the cold of the refrigeration simulates winter, and when the bulb is brought out of the cold, it reacts as though spring has arrived). In this case, your bulb has already tried to bloom and expended a good deal of it's stored energy in the process, even though the cycle did not end successfully. What your bulb needs now is a chance to rest, and then to grow without flowering for a year so that it can re-establish it's health before trying to bloom again. If you do try to re-bloom it this season, there is a good liklihood that the bulb might waste away in the effort.
So, as I said above, I'd give the bulb a short resting period, followed by replanting if the bulb still feels viable after a couple of weeks. I would replant it with the intention of growing only foliage throughout this coming spring and summer. In fact, if it were mine and if I wanted to be certain to save it, if the bulb did happen to send up a second bloom spike this year, I would remove it in favor of letting the bulb build and store as much energy as possible for next year.
As you have already experienced, it is not a good idea to over-water these plants, especially in their early stages of development, so if you do replant your bulb, be sure to put it into a smallish pot and use a well-draining growing medium - the excess soil in larger pots retains too much moisture and leads to rot.
I hope this helps, and I wish you the best of luck with your plant.
Re:Please Help with Amaryllis Minerva - 2010/04/01 04:00Thank You SO much Zuzu,
You cannot know how much I appreciate the help, all over online and nurseries told me to put it in the fridge but that's for amaryllis which have bloomed and stored energy through leaves, mine is still a baby.
The bulb definitely feels heavy and firm! I don't care about it flowering anytime soon, I just want it to live! Thank you for giving me hope.
When putting it aside to rest should I put it in a paper bag? Also, the nursery told me to mix rubbing alcohol with water and spray on plant to get rid of the bugs (thrip) would cinnamon get rid of them or should I continue with the alcohol?
I think the thrip might have been the breaking point for my plant because the stem and leaf has red markings all over it. My BF bought me another bulb because I was so sad but those leaves have few little red marks too! Any tips on that?
The overwatering came about because the pot which the bulb came in (a kit) had no drainage holes in it. This is my first plant (along with plumeria) so I'm learning with experience and your help
You're the BEST Zuzu!
I'll be putting the minerva in my closet tonight and plant the red dragon in a different, smaller pot with drainage holes
Re:Please Help with Amaryllis Minerva - 2010/04/08 15:47Hello again, sorry to be so long replying to you - hubby and I took a nice, long Easter vacation. I'm glad that you found my post helpful.
When putting it aside to rest should I put it in a paper bag? I have stored bulbs both ways (in a paper bag or not), it seems to work either way, especially if the storage time is relatively short - I am more diligent about bagging bulbs for winter storage. In this specific case, I think that either way would be just fine. The main purpose of this short-term storage is to give the bulb time to dry out properly - a little celebrity re-hab session for Minerva so to speak. *lol*
The nursery's advice on treating for thrip sounds fine - just a couple of treatments should probably suffice. Cinnamon is effective for fungus and bacteria which foster rot, but is not effective against pest insects, to the best of my knowledge.
Your plans for re-potting sound good - it's a shame about the lack of drainage in the original container - it's sort of shocking to me how many plants I bring home which are sold in unsuitable containers.
I'm curious about the little red marks on your second plant, wondering if they have increased in size or number since you made your last post? It's possible that they are the result of insect damage, but it's also possible that they do not signal any ongoing problems. If the spots haven't changed, the plant is probably fine.
Again, I'm very sorry to be slow to reply, and I hope that all is coming along well with your plants now. I have quite a few Amaryllis ( technically Hippeastrum) which are just now coming into their natural blooming time here in North Carolina. I seem to see a couple of more flower stems poking up each day.
Re:Please Help with Amaryllis Minerva - 2010/04/15 03:48Thank you for all your help! I hope your long easter was fun!
My new plant is having thrip problems too! I saw that the 4 little leaves began drying up (from the bulb up) a few days after I planted it and when I looked closely I saw 2 little clear/yellow bugs crawling around. I took it outside and sprayed insecticide. I think the red marks are from the thrip too, maybe them eating the leaves? They have increased but not where I am sure it's from them so I dunno
I'm so bad, if this one dies I just give up! It's great that your amaryllis' are doing good, I bet they're beautiful, maybe you can put up some photos so I can live vicariously through you! You're also lucky to live in NC where it's humid, you can probably raise anything there! I live in the desert (las vegas) that coupled with my inexperience= I kill all the plants I touch
I check the minerva bulb every few days and it's still firm, the little leaf bent and dried a little but it looks fine. It's getting its rehab in a victoria's secret bag
I think the water damage to my first plant resulted from the thrip drying out the plant, and me living in the desert thinking "well if it's a tropical plant it needs humidity" and the silly container which has holes in it now.
I really hope the insectecide fixes whatever is killing this plant. I'm afraid it might be a little strong so I'm considering hosing it off the plant tonight. It's crazy I have onions sitting in a box growing green stems like crazy within 2 weeks and amaryllis' all planted in moisture control soil and stuff getting damaged, I don't get it! It grew better when it wasn't planed :cry
Re:Please Help with Amaryllis Minerva - 2010/07/02 08:33Update:
Putting the bulb aside and replanting it later worked! I thought it was a goner because the roots were really damages and non-existent but the little bulb has 2 quick growing leaves on it! Anybody who is having a problem with amaryllis can follow above, the plant lived!!! yay
Re:Please Help with Amaryllis Minerva - 2010/10/09 01:42 I'm so glad that it worked out well for you, minervafan! Congrats. It's great to have a rescue go well *lol* Thanks for leaving this message to let us know.
Re:Please Help with Amaryllis Minerva - 2010/10/09 01:43 I'm so glad that it worked out well for you, minervafan! Congrats. It's great to have a rescue go well *lol* Thanks for leaving this message to let us know.
Re:Please Help with Amaryllis Minerva - 2010/11/24 02:46minervafan wrote: ...Also, there are tiny little black and yellow bugs on it. The dead flower bulbs on top of stem seemed to have white dry crust I'm guessing from the bugs. How can I get rid of the bugs? I did not read all the responses, so maybe this has been covered already...
I have had some small bugs when growing foliage plants. Usually they appear in plants that prefer moist soil, in my case (fruit flies). The way I have gotten rid of them in the past was to put rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle (just a couple ounces). Water the plant, at a normal time, and when the bugs are visible, spray a mist of the rubbing alcohol over the plant. It will kill off the bugs and then evaporate from the plant, leaving your plant unharmed.
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Welcome.
good old cinnamon, straight from the kitchen spice rack - which has pretty effective anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties) and then set the dusted bulb aside to "rest" in a cool, dark place for a couple of weeks.
Any tips on that?
