By Staff
Can we get our Amaryllis to bloom again? Some have tried and failed, others say this can be easily done.
Because of the way I was raised (you have probably heard the saying 'use it up, make it do, do without,' and there's more), I have tried to get mine to bloom again (as I just couldn't bring myself to throw it out), but I have had no luck in doing so. So I buy a new one.
Here are several helpful growing tips:
After your Amaryllis is done blooming, cut off all faded flowers. This helps all the energy to go to the foliage and bulb, and not into making seeds.
Keep in a sunny, south-facing window, water.
When the temps are no lower than 50 degrees, place them outside, water and fertilize, give them lots of sun (May, June).
Early July, stop watering. If outside, lay the pot on its side so that it gets no water. Green leaves should be starting to turn yellow and wither.
In August, cut off all the withered, dead leaves. Bring inside, no water.
Early October, repot, water. This awakens the bulb and breaks dormancy, but water lightly (if they sit in water, this can encourage rot) just enough to keep the soil from drying out.
Late October, hopefully, if all goes right, new leaves and a flowerstalk is starting to emerge. Place in a sunny, south-facing window, increase watering and fertilize (half-strength with a liquid fertilizer; I would use Miracle-Gro). This will encourage healthy flowers and leaves and build up the bulb.
Once the flowers start to open, move the Amaryllis from the sunny window to a spot with less light and stop fertilizing, as this will prolong its flowering.
If your bulb begins to shrink in size, or becomes soft and mushy, I don't want to say this, but it's probably exhausted. Throw it out and buy a new one.
When repotting, pick a heavy flowerpot, as all those leaves and flowerstalks can get very top-heavy and fall over. Also, don't plant too deeply. Only two-thirds of the bulb should be below the surface. "The neck" is very susceptible to rot if left sitting in wet soil or water. Also, choose a flowerpot that is only one to two inches wider than the bulb and only deep enough to fit all those brittle roots. I guess you can say to pot it up like it's "pot bound."
An Amaryllis is very different from other bulbs. They do not need a period of cold to trigger flower formation. But like other bulbs they do need a period of dormancy. A resting period, if you will.