Page:The Amateur's Greenhouse and Conservatory.djvu/77

Rh It is not well to disturb the roots of amaryllis frequently; a fresh pot once in two or three years is enough, and will grow better plants than can be accomplished by the annual shift usually practised.

As the bulb should stand in the same pot two or three years, particular attention should be paid to the drainage, and a few pieces of rough turf placed over the crocks to prevent the soil running down amongst them. The crocks should be packed with care, and there should be no stint of them.

The spring is the best season for repotting, because the bulbs are then starting into growth and make their new roots in the new stuff, and have all the advantage of it from the first. It is a good plan to repot a portion every spring, and not to allow a single flower on the lot last potted, but to pinch out the flower-buds as soon as they appear. Always pot firm, and always give them a substantial loamy compost.

Amaryllis will stand forcing very well, but it is not advisable to start them too early if required for conservatory decoration, as that structure will be too cold for the tender growth and flowers. Generally speaking, forcing should begin about the end of February, and those which show the most prominent signs of activity should be started first. To keep up a succession, draft out a batch every three weeks, as long as they last, and place them in warmth to start, each time selecting the most forward for pushing on. It is a mistake to suppose that they require strong bottom-heat for starting them into growth, and, indeed, the common practice of putting them on a strong bottom-heat is injurious, and accounts for the alleged difficulty of growing them, and the fewness of those who make the attempt. In a plant-house, the temperature of which averages 60° in the spring, amaryllis will start into growth well and flower superbly, and may be thence drafted to the conservatory, and there remain until their glory is past. While in the conservatory they must be protected from cold draughts, and when done flowering should be returned to the greenhouse to finish their growth.

A decided season of rest is essential to the bulbs, but it is a serious mistake to suppose it to be necessary to place them contiguous to the heating apparatus, and hundreds, nay, thousands, of bulbs are injured annually from this cause. It is also worthy of observation that the drying off must be done in a gradual manner. When this is accomplished properly the