Growing Eucomis Indoors
I am very fortunate to have large greenhouses where I can force many bulbs and enjoy their blooms earlier than their time.
Forcing is the process of tricking bulbs to bloom out of season indoors by providing them with favorable growing conditions. Last month, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, potted up amaryllis bulbs in soil, which will erupt with large trumpet-shaped blooms later this season. He also potted up a collection of Eucomis, commonly known as the pineapple lily. This South African native has a very interesting flower stalk that is reminiscent of the delicious fruit. These plants will show off a beautiful indoor display in weeks.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Eucomis, or pineapple lily, is a bulbous species of flowering plant in the family Asparagaceae. Eucomis grow wonderfully in containers and can easily be potted up and forced indoors as long as they have ample light.
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- These bulbs can be separated and planted in smaller groups in their pots.
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- For these bulbs, Ryan chose to use these clay pots made by master potter, Guy Wolff. Guy makes all of them himself – they are just stunning.
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- He stamps the year the pot was made on the side. And, usually he stamps my name, or Cantitoe, the name of my farm above it.
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- We store many of the empty pots underneath the greenhouse tables where they can be accessed quickly. Clay and terra cotta containers can be stored anywhere where the temperatures will not fall below freezing. Stack pots upside down so that water doesn’t pool in them.
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- As with all our pots, the drainage holes are covered with shards on the inside to help drainage and to keep the soil from leaking out. We save all the shards from broken clay pots for this purpose.
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- Ryan uses a potting mix that includes perlite and vermiculite for good drainage. Any all-purpose potting mix blends can be used, as long as it drains well.
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- We also add Scott’s Osmocote fertilizer – small, round coated prills filled with nutrients. One can find Osmocote on Martha.com.
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- Here, Ryan mixes it right into the soil – they are the yellow prills. These prills coat a core of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The resin-coating is made from linseed oil and as the plant’s root system takes-up nutrition from the soil, it also takes up the needed nutrients from the Osmocote.
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- Ryan fills the pot with soil leaving a hole a few inches deep for the bulb.
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- Ryan fills several pots at a time – this mix is very light and easy to scoop in a production line process.
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- Pineapple lilies growing in pots don’t need to be planted as deeply as those in the ground; they need to sink only about three inches.
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- The right amount of light will urge this tropical beauty to bloom. And when it does, several flower stems will send up spikes of star-shaped blossoms. The flowers that grow should last about two months.
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- Flower, stem, and leaf colors vary. Sometimes leaves and stems have spots or edging of a darker color.
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- Eucomis feature a basal rosette of strap-shaped, linear, wavy-edged, dark green leaves which spread upward and outward up to to 24-inches.
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- Here is one Eucomis potted up with its long green leaves.
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- Here they are this week – already growing quite nicely. When choosing a location, try to find a spot that gets about six hours of sunlight each day.
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- The warmer the temperature the faster Eucomis will flower. Planting bulbs in the greenhouse to be forced in January should produce spring flowers. Outdoors, Eucomis usually bloom July to September.
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- As the flower stalks form the blooms will open from the bottom up. The upright flower stems will be sturdy enough to hold up heavy flower heads and won’t need staking.
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- And remember all the potted amaryllis bulbs in this corner of the greenhouse? A few are already starting to show off their gorgeous colors. I will be sure to share more photos of these plants once in full bloom.
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