Amaryllis Bulb Growth Update - Late November 2019

Here's a current look at our four Amaryllis bulbs.  One of them - the Star of Holland - is out in front in terms of growth as it has two buds that have emerged and are starting to gain some height.  You can see that one on the left of this photo above.  At center - near the bottom of the photo - is the Cherry Nymph bulb that cost almost 3x the other ones.  If you look closely, you'll see a little leaf emerging from the bulb, so things are moving on it.

As for the other two, you can see them in the background of the photo above, but for a closer view, check out the photo below.  The bulb at the bottom of the photo is the Apple Blossom Amaryllis and is a little bit further ahead than the one in the back - the Red Lion Amaryllis.

I've switched over now to watering these all with a alcohol-blended water mixture to try to limit the height/leggy-ness of the stems. 

What is most striking is that all three of the Menards bulbs have taken off.  The last time I tried one of those bulbs was in 2017 when it failed to take off during the Christmas season.  There are a couple of big differences this year:  I used actual potting soil vs. the peat that comes with the bulbs.  And I also used clay pot (with drainage) vs. a plastic pot that I'm not sure drained.

Comparing these to last year, the three Menards bulbs are well ahead of pace, while the one Wannemaker's large bulb is a tiny bit ahead of pace - here's a November 29th 2018 post showing a real lack of growth.  It seems we might end up with a staggered set of flowers with high hopes for a close-to-Christmas bloom for at least one of them.