January 29, 2004

Hortiscope

Ronald C. Smith, Horticulturist
NDSU Extension Service

Q: I am researching the amaryllis plant for a school project but I can’t seem to find anything about its life cycle. Can you help? (E-mail reference)

A: The amaryllis is a tropical bulb native to the Peruvian Andes. Botanically, it is known as hippeastrum spp. of which there are many hybrids. To brighten the interior of our homes, we like to have them come into bloom around the Christmas holidays or sometime during our long winter months. The bulb is ready to bloom when it’s purchased. Simply adding a little water will usually do the trick. A single bulb can produce as many as three flowers at one time. Once pollinated, seedpods form rapidly. They mature within four or five weeks. The pods should be picked as soon as they turn yellow and begin splitting open. Remove the seed from the pod and allow it to dry for a few days before planting. In three or four years you may have a bulb that will produce a flower. The mother bulb should then be allowed to produce the strap-like leaves that produce carbohydrates for the next flowering sequence. To help the process, place the bulb outdoors during the summer in a semi-shady location. Bring the plant inside in the fall before frost and allow the leaves to die down by withholding water. New growth should appear a few months later. If enough carbohydrates were stored the previous summer, it will flower. Repeat the cycle if it doesn’t flower. In its native habitat, this cycle occurs naturally, which is rainy periods followed by dry periods.

Q: I have a crown of thorns that is about 30 years old but has never bloomed. The plant is about 10 feet tall with very tight branches and lots of little branches growing with leaves. It's in a sunny southern window and also gets indirect light from the west. I live at about 7,000 feet so we get cold winters and hot summers. We do not heat our house during the day while we're at work (we use a set-back thermometer and it comes on at about 55 degrees to provide some heat if needed). I water it about once a month and fertilize every few months. As far as I can see, it's been in a continual growth stage for the last 20 years. I think I overwatered it so now it’s droopy. The major branches are not as bright green and the littler branches are droopy. Is there anything I can do to save it? Should I cut back the droopy branches and hope it survives? I haven't watered it in over a month but I don't see any progress. (E-mail reference)

A: A 30-year-old plant has got to be close to a record! You probably have been overwatering it. Since it’s a euphorbia, it should go through a wet/dry cycle. The drooping leaves are attempting to tell you that so allow them to defoliate. Water only sparingly during the remaining winter months. Pick up on the watering around late March or early-April and you should see some blooms next year.

Q: I noticed your reply in the newspaper on how to crack walnuts. The crows have figured out how to do it the easy way. They drop them on the highway so cars run over and crush them and then they eat the pieces. Thought you would like to know how smart crows are. (Hendricks, Minn.)

A: Yet another way to crack a hard walnut shell! I used to have a small farm in my youth, attempting to grow berries and sweet corn, and have always been impressed with the crows’ intelligence. We should be studying their intelligence levels in addition to those of lab mice.

Q: I have had a goldfish plant for about 1 1/2 years. The only time that it bloomed was when I first purchased it. I found out that I am supposed to mist the plant every day with distilled water. I’ve been doing for about a month. The plant gets watered once a week and is in indirect light. The room is in a public building so the temperature does not get cold. Since I’ve started misting, the plant is getting rust spots and its leaves are starting to drop. What am I doing wrong? (E-mail reference)

A: You are probably overwatering it. I would back off on both the watering and the daily misting. The presence of rust is an indication that you are doing too good a job of keeping the humidity high. Your building probably has a humidity control system built into it. Try backing off on the watering to every 10 to 12 days and misting two to three times a week to see if that improves the situation. If you can, move the plant to a cooler location at night.

Q: I am looking for seed or plant sources of a double-flowered type of gloxinia or primula. (E-mail reference)

A: Sorry, I don't know of any sources. Perhaps one of my readers will know and get back to me with the information.

Q: Last summer I purchased a phalaenopsis orchid (moth orchid). It seemed to be doing great and has bloomed twice with up to five flowers (from the same spike). However the last set of blooms has been very wilted looking for a couple of months but are not falling off. It’s also sending out another set of buds from the end of the same flower spike. The leaves are wrinkled and have become limp, giving them a leathery appearance. There is only one good thick root while the others look somewhat decayed. I have it on a humidity tray and gets bright, indirect light from an east window. It is potted in loose sphagnum moss and I fertilize it with a weak orchid fertilizer twice a month or when the moss has dried out. I thought I was overwatering because of the root decay but the leaves still look leathery and have started to dry and brown down the middle. It still hasn't lost its buds and seems to want to produce more. Am I using too much fertilizer or overwatering? Should I cut off the flower stem and give the rest of the plant time to catch up? (Aberdeen, S.D.)

A: I admit that I am light years away from being anything resembling an expert on orchids. I do know that they need strong, indirect light for about 15 hours a day. Since it doesn't sound like you are depriving it of heat, humidity or improper watering, I would suggest giving it some artificial light with a grow-bulb for 15 hours a day until the sun returns to our region in about 90 days or so. I would also remove the spent flower blossoms.

Do you have a gardening or houseplant question? Write to Hortiscope, Box 5051, NDSU Extension Service, Fargo, ND 58105 or e-mail to Ron Smith at ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu. Note to e-mail correspondents: please identify your location (city and state) for most accurate recommendations.

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Source: Ron Smith, (701) 231-8161, ronsmith@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, richard.mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu

North Dakota State University
NDSU Agriculture Communication
NDSU Extension Service
ND Agricultural Experiment Station