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Wanted to share the steps that my husband and I have taken to plant an indoor outdoor Hippeastrum in a clay pot. You can choose any kind of pot..it does not have to be clay. However, size does matter!
Here are the 3 Hippies that we potted today. Lemon Lime, Clown and Unknown.
Step two: Inspecting the bulb ~ At this point we are making sure that we have a healthy bulb without bruising, discolorations, signs of rot or disease.
Step three: Potting the bulb. Place the bulb in the pot in an upright position just above where you want the bulb to sit in the pot. Allow the roots to dangle straight down to the bottom of the pot. While still holding the bulb add a good draining potting mix around the bulb letting the soil rise to the bulb. Once in place set the bulb in the soil and press lightly to secure the bulb. Then gently compact the soil around the bulb making sure the bulb has a good secure fit. At this point you can add a little more soil around the bulb leaving about an inch from the top for watering. Make sure the top half of the bulb is on top of the soil.
Step four: Display your newly potted plant ~ Dust off the excess soil and enjoy!
Now that you are finished ......you can give it a tiny drink of water...water closer to the edges....making sure that no water gets inside the bulb. Many people lose there Hippeastrums by giving them too much water and causing bulb rot. Only re-water when the 1st couple of inches of soil become dry. Water only to moisten the soil...not to get wet. Using a good draining potting soil is a must.
Wanted to share the steps that my husband and I have taken to plant an indoor outdoor Hippeastrum in a clay pot. You can choose any kind of pot..it does not have to be clay. However, size does matter!
Here are the 3 Hippies that we potted today. Lemon Lime, Clown and Unknown.
After reading many articles we decided to go with this method....and here are our starting tools which will be explained as we go.
Step one: Choosing our pot ~ We went with a clay pot that is 7 inches in diameter and 6 inches tall. All of our bulbs are mature size bulbs and this will give them between 1 and 2 inches from the rim of the pot...which is what you want. We chose this depth to give our roots plenty of room and to be able to grow snuggly in the pot. We chose smooth rocks for the bottom of the pot to help weight the pot down for a top heavy flower and also to help with drainage. The rocks were rinsed thoroughly and placed in the pot about an inch deep.
Step two: Inspecting the bulb ~ At this point we are making sure that we have a healthy bulb without bruising, discolorations, signs of rot or disease.
Step three: Potting the bulb. Place the bulb in the pot in an upright position just above where you want the bulb to sit in the pot. Allow the roots to dangle straight down to the bottom of the pot. While still holding the bulb add a good draining potting mix around the bulb letting the soil rise to the bulb. Once in place set the bulb in the soil and press lightly to secure the bulb. Then gently compact the soil around the bulb making sure the bulb has a good secure fit. At this point you can add a little more soil around the bulb leaving about an inch from the top for watering. Make sure the top half of the bulb is on top of the soil.
Step four: Display your newly potted plant ~ Dust off the excess soil and enjoy!
Now that you are finished ......you can give it a tiny drink of water...water closer to the edges....making sure that no water gets inside the bulb. Many people lose there Hippeastrums by giving them too much water and causing bulb rot. Only re-water when the 1st couple of inches of soil become dry. Water only to moisten the soil...not to get wet. Using a good draining potting soil is a must.
Please feel free to comment below with any suggestions or tips...we would love to hear them.
Joe and Sandra :)
