I think I need to find my boyfriend a hobby.
In November I bought an amarylis bulb and planted it indoors. It bloomed right after Christmas and had two gorgeous red and white striped blooms.
I know after it blooms and the blooms die you're supposed to cut it back so it can regenerate the nutrients and bloom the following year.
But I was lazy. I kept forgetting to cut it even though it sits in the living room and I saw it every day. Almost two weeks went past and then I noticed something odd. Underneath one of the dead blooms (that fell off a few days later) was a large bulbous growth.
I noticed this while we w
ere watching tv and mentioned it to J. "Oh yeah, I got bored and tried pollinating it one day."
"What? Can you be charged with forcible sex act with a flower for that? So you're a bee now, is that it? What made you decide to try that?"
"I was bored and curious."
In retrospect, I'm glad he tried it. Google revealed that an amarylis doesn't take well to pollinating itself, but if it does work you get this bulbous growth which is actua
lly several flat black seeds. The pod will eventually crack open so you can get at the seeds.
I intend to watch this thing until it cracks and then plant the seeds under my over-zealous grow lights and start my own amarylis farm. So thanks for your boredom J!!
So I took matters into my own hands and ripped it open. I was pleasantly surprised to actually find seeds! While rather large, they were paper thin and totally black.
I sorted through them; the only ones that are viable are those with a slight bump in the center, indicating a fertilized seed. There's so many seeds within the pod that not all are going to sprout.
After sorting through I planted several of them. I don't have high hopes for them, but it would be neat if some grew into baby bulbs.
