This is the first year I’ve had an amaryllis bulb blooming already on Thanksgiving. In fact ‘Rapido’ was so anxious to sprout that one of my two bulbs sent out 10-inch stalks before I got around to planting it. I’ve since learned that if you’re not going to plant your amaryllis bulbs right away, you should store them in the same direction they’ll go when you pot them up (roots down). That way if stalks do poke up prematurely, they’ll grow straight instead of twisting or curling.
To fix this bulb, I planted it with the roots facing the bottom of my flowerpot like normal. The flower stalks were sticking out at at 45 degree angle, and it looked goofy. But I put the pot in a south-facing window with those flower stalks leaning away from the sun. It took about 5 days, but eventually those stalks stood up straight as they continued to reach for the sun.
I’ve never had an amaryllis sprout so quickly like that on me before, but with my past experience with ‘Rapido’ I should’ve expected it. This amaryllis is always eager to get on with the blooming!
‘Rapido’ grows 18 inches tall with rich-red 4.5-inch blooms. This cultivar is notorious for sending up 3 or more stalks during the blooming season, and each of those each flower stalk comes loaded with flowers. My first one has nine!