The following are recommendations from K-State and other research sites. AMARYLLIS: The main thing to remember about buying an Amaryllis bulb is the bigger the better. Once an Amaryllis flowers, you can set the plant most anywhere in the house. Just remember, the warmer the room, the faster the bulb grows. Thus, you have a little control here: To coax plants into blooming quickly, put the pot in a sunny window. To delay flowering, keep it in a cooler spot. When blooms appear, keep the plant away from heat sources such as wood stoves, vents and registers. When it stops blooming, make sure it gets four hours of sunlight, because the leaves need to collect solar energy to nourish the following year's blooms. Water when the soil is slightly dry to the touch. Too soggy, and the bulb will rot.
When the flowers have faded, don't get too anxious. Water and care for your amaryllis as long as it has green leaves. Trim off the flower stems. As to the leaves, allow them to wilt naturally, but do not cut them off. Give the bulb as much light as possible and fertilize it monthly with a balanced, organic fertilizer. Do all this until July or August. At that point, your Amaryllis needs rest and a much-needed vacation. Let the soil dry completely and store the pot in a dark, cool place (but not less than 50 degrees). In 2 or 3 months, retrieve the plants and cut off any lingering leaves. Return the plants to a sunny window and resume watering, but not soaking. Amaryllis bulbs don't like wet, soggy feet. Flower stalks should appear from 3 to 8 weeks later, depending on the variety and conditions.
CHRISTMAS CACTUS: Christmas cacti prefer bright indirect light. Too much sun can result in the leaves turning yellow. Common household temperatures are fine. Soil should be kept constantly moist but not waterlogged. Give them a light fertilization every other week. Blooming will normally cease in late winter to early spring, but continue to keep them moist and fertilized until fall.
During the fall, stop fertilizing, and give the plants only enough water so the stems do not shrivel in order to encourage flower bud formation. Though these plants seem to flower best if kept a little pot bound, flowers will diminish if they are too crowded.
If you haven't repotted in several years, or if you notice a decrease in flowering from the previous year, move the plant to a larger pot in the spring. If possible, move the plants outside for the summer. Choose a shady spot because these plants will not tolerate full sun. Leave the plants outside until frost threatens. Normally, the plants will have received enough cool nights in the 50- to 55-degree range that flower buds will have formed. However, if they haven't, subjecting the plants to nights greater than 12 hours long and temperatures between 59 and 69 degrees can also generate flowers. Twenty-five consecutive long nights is enough for flower initiation. Place the plants in an unused room or cover them with a dark cloth or cardboard box to insure that they receive uninterrupted darkness. After the flower buds have formed, it takes an additional nine to 10 weeks for flowers to complete development and bloom.
Do the Master Gardeners have favorite Gardening Magazines that they like; I would like to give a subscription as a gift for a friend that loves gardening.
I asked our group and came up with some great suggestions: Garden Gate Magazine, Fine Gardening, Horticulture Magazine and also The Kansas City Garden Magazine. This last one can be picked up free at the Extension Office and in area nurseries or you can buy a monthly subscription. You cannot go wrong with any of those choices.
Any special item that is the “perfect” gardener gift?
That is a scary question to ask a gardener. What don’t we like? A gift certificate to a nursery or gardening center is pretty hard to beat but a lot of people want something more personal. Another suggestion is a durable garden bucket with a liner with numerous pockets. The pockets hold an assortment of gloves and gardening tools such as trowels, prong for weed extraction, and cultivators, you can tote it along when doing almost any gardening chore. Also, a combo kneeling pad and sitting bench is a great gift.
For the elderly gardener in your life, an IOU for garden work is a personal and priceless gift.
Happy Holidays to all and it is approximately 100 days until spring!
The Master Gardeners are KSU trained volunteers that work through-out the County on gardening projects along with a Speakers Bureau and information booths at local events as well as maintaining a hotline at the Leavenworth County Extension office.
The Master Gardeners Mission is to provide research-based horticulture education to county residents.