What To Do For Amaryllis Bulb After Blooming

Question: Tell me what to do for an amaryllis bulb after it is through blooming.

Answer: After an amaryllis plant has bloomed, keep it growing as vigorously as possible. Removing the plant from the pot and planting it outdoors will usually produce a heavy, healthy growth. Choose an outdoor planting location that receives protection from strong winds. Keep the ground moist at all times. Early in the summer apply a complete fertilizer. In September the plant should be lifted and laid in a cool place for a three-month rest. Sometime in December, repot, leaving one-third of the bulb aboveground. A pot two inches larger across than the bulb is big enough. Place the potted bulb in a cool shaded place until the top growth is several inches high. This usually requires about four weeks. Then it may be brought into moderate light and heat for active growth.

Sometimes an amaryllis bulb that has been resting is slow to start new root growth. When this happens, the brown, tissue-like covering at the base of the bulb, and the old roots, may rot. This can be avoided by the removal of all damaged roots at planting time. It helps, also, to scrape away the old brown tissue at the base of the bulb. Leave the scraped and cleaned bulb on a table in the open air for a day, then plant in moist potting soil.

==>> Click Here to read Amaryllis – Queen of the Window Garden

More Questions and Answers on Caring For Amaryllis

Question: My hybrid amaryllis has bloomed several times and used up the soil so rapidly I’ve had to move it although I never moved the old-fashioned type more than once every two years or three. An offset I detached had a lot of long, flat roots. I don’t know what to do about the great assortment of roots. Should I prune them? RC, Maine

Answer: You seem to be very successful with your amaryllis. They do best when roots are somewhat crowded in a pot. They can stand good feeding while growth is active. Just before new growth begins, giving the soil a top dressing is beneficial. Sometimes, with an old bulb, all the old soil may be shaken out while the bulb is resting and then new soil worked in. I would not advise cutting any of the roots from the offset.

Question: Please tell me where I may obtain bulbs of Hardy Amaryllis. When should they be planted? – CC, Montgomery, Alabama

Answer: Bulbs of Hardy Amaryllis are obtainable from many sources, do a web search for “Amaryllis bulb suppliers”. September is a good time to plant them.

Question: How can I get amaryllis to flower indoors? Last year my bulbs made two large, weak leaves, but no flowering stalk.

Answer: Plant bulbs from November to February, using a soil enriched with bonemeal or well-rotted manure or a good bagged potting soil. A good potting mixture should contain equal parts of loam, leafmold and sand. Place bulb in a pot so that it is two-thirds above soil line, with about a half inch between edge of the bulb and rim of pot. Then water thoroughly, thereafter watering sparingly until leaves appear. When they start to grow, water regularly, and set plant where it will get plenty of light. It will take about 10 weeks for an amaryllis to bloom in a cool room at temperatures between 60-65 degrees F. If grown warmer, the flowering period is shorter. On the other hand, blooms last longer when plants are grown cool. Bulbs must have at least four leaves in order to produce a flowering stalk.

Question: What is the proper time to start amaryllis bulbs for indoor bloom?

Answer: Plant bulbs from December to March, using a soil enriched with bonemeal and well-rotted manure.

Related Articles Of Interest:

• Question and Answers on Amaryllis, Sprekelia and Lycoris Care?
• Daffodils – No Blooms, Planting, Replanting and Old Bulbs – Questions Answered
• Easter Lily – Questions Answers and FAQs
• Peruvian Daffodils – Winter Care, Buds Not Opening And More FAQs