Enter to Win $50 from SJN!

ENTER TO WIN $50 from San Juan Nurseries, Inc.

DO WE GIVE SATISFACTION?

We know the Rolling Stones couldn’t get any – but that’s probably because they weren’t shopping at San Juan Nurseries, Inc.

We’d really love to know what you think of our buzztown page at http://www.buzztown.com/business/115802/san-juan-nurseries-inc.html . Please connect with us, and help us improve our service by giving us your review of SJN (click on reviews on the left).

And as a thank you we’ll enter you into a free prize draw to win $50 gift card from SJN. The free prize draw will take place on Dec. 16, 2011.

Thanks very much for your time.

San Juan Nurseries, Inc. 

Amaryllis for the Holiday

Amaryllis

Amaryllis plants are among the most spectacular of all flowering bulbs you can grow. They are attractive, easy to grow, and can produce several stems of giant trumpet shaped flowers in one season! They are available in a wide variety of color including white, pink, salmon, red, and yellow-green!

 Amaryllis can bloom for extended periods of time and add amazing color to a home for months. There are different quality bulbs; the older larger bulbs will normally produce 3 to 4 flower stalks, smaller ones producing only 2 to 3. Each stalk will normally produce 4 flowers approximately 4 to 7 inches wide.

What you will need:

• Amaryllis Bulb
• A pot slightly larger than the bulb (1/2-2” around the side of the bulb)
• Well-draining Potting Mix
• Bamboo Stake
• Patience

 Planting a new Amaryllis Bulb

1. Choose bulb(s) that is plump and still has some roots at the base.
2. Make sure the pot you choose is large enough for the bulb.  Generally a 5-7” pot will work fine.  The bulb needs to feel crowded to bloom.
3. Partially fill the pot with potting mix and place the bulb so the top third of it will be exposed when you fill in potting soils around the sides of the pot.
4. Place the bamboo stake along side the bulb.  The flowers can get top heavy and inserting the stake now will help you avoid damaging the bulb and roots later.
5. Water well.
6. Place the pot in bright, indirect light and keep the soil moist, but not wet.
7. A thick flower stalk should shoot up within a few weeks.  The flat leaves will follow as the flower stalk matures.
8. Turn the pot every few days, so the flower stalk gets uniform exposure on all sides and grows straight.
9. You can feed the Amaryllis every other week with a good liquid fertilizer at about half the recommended rate.
10. When the flowers fade, cut the flower stalk back to just above the bulb.  Keep watering the plant until it goes dormant in the fall.  You can move or plant the Amaryllis outdoors for the summer, in partial shade.

Forcing Amaryllis to Bloom Again

1. The key to getting the bulb to bloom again is to leave the leaves, and continue to fertilize your plant for the rest of the winter.
2. Once the chance of frost is over, plant the bulb in a partially shaded area, primarily morning sun.
3. Fertilize and water the plant until about August, then stop watering and remove the leaves.
4. Allow for 10 to 12 weeks of rest in a cool (55-65 degree) dry spot.
5. After the rest period is over, replant the bulb and watch it bloom again.

Now that’s ‘advice you can grow with’!