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Amaryllis Planting and Care

balcony

By balcony

12 comments


I may have done a similar blog to this one over the years but as many people get Amaryllis for Christmas I thought this would be a good time to remind people of how to look after them & get them to flower the following year – straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, as I’ve copied this text from

http://www.amaryllis.com/planting-and-care

the photos are of my Amaryllis from last year.

Amaryllis Planting and Care

Amaryllis Quick Tips:

Planting Period: October until the end of April. Flowering Period: Late December until the end of June. Flowering time is 7-10 weeks. Larger bulbs produce more flowers. Always store un-planted bulbs in a cool place between 40-50 deg. F.

Amaryllis-One of a Kind

Of all flowering bulbs, amaryllis are the easiest to bring to bloom. This can be accomplished indoors or out, and over an extended period of time. The amaryllis originated in South America’s tropical regions and has the botanical name Hippeastrum. The large flowers and ease with which they can be brought to bloom make amaryllis popular and in demand worldwide. The amaryllis comes in many beautiful varieties including various shades of red, white, pink, salmon and orange. There are also many striped and multicolored varieties, usually combining shades of pink or red with white.

Preparation for Planting

The base and roots of the bulb should be placed in lukewarm water for a few hours. Remember, if you cannot plant the bulbs immediately after receiving them, store them at a cool temperature between 40-50 degrees F.

Planting

Plant bulbs in a nutritious potting compost, many are available pre-mixed. Plant the bulb up to its neck in the potting compost, being careful not to damage the roots. Press the soil down firmly to set the bulb securely in place after planting.

Placement and Watering

Plant the bulb, or place the potted bulb in a warm place with direct light since heat is necessary for the development of the stems. The ideal temperature is 68 to 70 degrees F. Water sparingly until the stem appears, then, as the bud and leaves appear, gradually water more. At this point, the stem will grow rapidly and flowers will develop after it has reached full growth.

Flowering Period

Bulbs will flower in 7-10 weeks as a general rule. In winter the flowering time will be longer than in spring. Set up your planting schedule between October and April with this in mind. To achieve continuous bloom, plant at intervals of 2 weeks for stunning color in your home or garden.

After-Bloom Care

After-Flowering

After the amaryllis has stopped flowering, it can be made to flower again. Cut the old flowers from the stem after flowering, and when the stem starts to sag, cut it back to the top of the bulb.

Leaf Growth and Development

Continue to water and fertilize as normal all summer, or for at least 5-6 months, allowing the leaves to fully develop and grow. When the leaves begin to yellow, which normally occurs in the early fall, cut the leaves back to about 2 inches from the top of the bulb and remove the bulb from the soil.

Bulb Storage

Clean the bulb and place it in a cool (40-50 deg. F), dark place such as the crisper of your refrigerator for a minimum of 6 weeks. Caution: Do not store amaryllis bulbs in a refrigerator that contains apples, this will sterilize the bulbs Store the bulbs for a minimum of 6 weeks.

Plant Again

After 6 weeks you may remove bulbs whenever you would like to plant them. Plant bulbs 8 weeks before you would like them to bloom.

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Comments

 

Thank you Balcony. Seems a bit cruel making mine bloom again. Think I will let it have a cool rest for a year.

31 Jan, 2018

 

Thanks so much for this Balc, I'm just enjoying the second stem full of flowers of mine.. Now I know exactly how to look after it for next winter, and it's such a beauty, I do want to nurture it..:))

1 Feb, 2018

 

Balcony I think you have given me my answer as to why I don't ever get repeat flowers, its the apples, I've always rested my bulbs in the bottom g'house under the shelving, trouble is I have other years stored trays of apples in the same place for feeding the birds..Guess its time to give up on my bulbs and buy new ones, thankyou for the tip....

1 Feb, 2018

 

I'm glad this blog has helped people once again!

Diane, there is no need to worry about your bulbs I get mine to flower year in year out! You'd expect Daffodils, for example, to flower year after year, wouldn't you? Well then why not get your Amaryllis to do the same! If you treat them right then they will flower for you every year, just like Daffs!

Glad to be of help, Janey! ??

Lincslass, I seem to remember you have commented other times about your Amaryllis not flowering & you had me stumped! I'm glad now you have discovered that storing them with apples will make them sterile! I hope in the future your Amaryllis will flower - year after year! ?

1 Feb, 2018

 

Thanks. They are beautiful aren't they. We didn't get any this year.

4 Feb, 2018

 

You're welcome, Hywel. Don't you keep the bulbs after flowering? They are as easy as Daffodils to look after! They need very little fuss & can flower year after year, they are not at all difficult to grow & get to flower year after year! I'm sure if you can get your Fuchsias to live & flower for years you would have no trouble getting Amaryllis to do the same!

5 Feb, 2018

 

Can't ever get them to flower nicely after the first year. The one I had died last summer.

5 Feb, 2018

 

That's right Balcony, I will purchase new ones for next year and make sure they go nowhere near any apples in the future...

7 Feb, 2018

 

Sorry to hear about your Amaryllis dying on you last summer, Hywel ? Did you perhaps overwater it? They are difficult to kill any other way!

The bulbs have very thick roots & so hate being in waterlogged conditions which cause them to rot quite quickly. Even I've lost a couple over the years due to overwatering! They resist drought far, far better than overwatering. I stop all water for my plants at the end of September but to look at them a couple of months later you'd hardly notice the difference!

7 Feb, 2018

 

I don't know what I did to it. It just grew a few weedy leaves and then died. They always do the same - they just shrivel up.

9 Feb, 2018

 

I've grown them ever since a sister of mine gave me my very first one for Christmas - in 1981!

I can only think of one possible explanation for that happening & that is your bulb may have Narcissus Fly grubs eating their insides!

These flies lay their eggs at the base of the bulbs & then the lava tunnel inside the bulbs & feed on the interior of the bulbs which probably explains why your bulbs are shriveling up & dying on you.

It happened to me for the very first time back in 2010. That was the first year I joined Gerry on his allotments. In May 2010 I took all my Amaryllis down to the allotment & planted them all in the ground. Unfortunately I chose to plant them near Gerry's Daffodils which were dying down (it was May) but I didn't realize that they had Narcissus Fly & neither did I know at that time that the grubs could eat out the heart of my Amaryllis!

During the summer I noticed that some of the bulbs didn't seem to be growing very well - if at all! Some of them had yellow, stunted or twisted leaves but as I was always busy on the allotment I didn't take much notice. When I went to dig them up in October to take home I discovered some of them had a small hole near the basal plate. These were the bulbs that looked bad & so I threw them away. It never occurred to me to cut one or two open or I would have found the grubs.

I commented on these poor looking bulbs & the holes in the bulbs & someone suggested Narcissus Fly could be the culprit. It may have been someone in an Amaryllis group I joined on Facebook, I'm not sure. Anyway the following years I took them down to the allotment again but left them in their pots & put the pots on shelving way above ground level & I have never had a repeat of the incident.

That might be what happened to your bulb, Hywel.

9 Feb, 2018

 

That could be it, I also have poor success with daffodils.

10 Feb, 2018

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