Bringing in Amaryllis Bulbs for Dormancy Period - September 2022

Every Christmas season, I have usually planted a few Amaryllis bulbs with the kids in different-sized containers as a little winter-time project.  That has meant - historically - that we've bought a series of Amaryllis bulbs each November and planted them in hopes that they'd bloom near Christmas.  This past season, we had five planted in three pots.  Normally, I toss these bulbs and don't get them to re-bloom.  But this year, I'm trying something new:  trying to get them to re-bloom after spending the Summer out on our patio taking in sun and water.  

What do they look like today?  They're full of green, strap-y foliage.  Here, below, are a few photos of the bulbs in their containers:

After watching a few YouTube videos and rooting around on the Web, I think I've figured out that I need to remove these from their soil, shake free all the debris and put them in a dark, cool spot for 60ish days to try to send them into dormancy.  I have about 75 or so days before mid-November, so the time is right to take on the project.  

After shaking all the dirt off the roots, I've come to realize that the root growth has been immense.  There's conflicting information about trimming roots, but for now, I've decided to leave them as-is.  

Here, below, are a few photos showing the roots and what they look like naked, out of their soil:




I've tucked all of these bulbs into cardboard boxes with plenty of space (and air flow) and stashed them in my shop in the basement with the door closed.  It is the coolest/darkest spot we have in the house, so I'm hoping that the plants will sense dormancy is coming and start to go into decline.  The leaves/shoots are supposed to begin to turn yellow and then brown and brittle.  Once that happens, I'll trim them off and get them ready for this growing season.  

I have no idea how these will turn out, so I'll very likely hedge my bet a little and buy a new set of amaryllis bulbs this season and plant them, too.  Worst case scenario, I'll have more Christmas flowers than I know what to do with this season, right?

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