Amaryllis Plants

Amaryllis plants look tropical and exotic with large, lily-like blossoms on tall stems and have a base with robust leaves. Amaryllis plants have colors that range from white to a beautiful deep red; some blooms may be the stripped variety. You can grow amaryllis indoors or outdoors depending on where you live.

Amaryllis is well known for producing large, colorful blooms indoors during fall such as the South African Amaryllis or the Dutch Amaryllis during the winter months. Gardeners living in areas where the outdoor temperatures stay above 10 degrees F. are able to plant these beautiful bulbs in the ground. If you are able to plant them outdoors you will need to choose an area that receives full sun, at least 6 to 8 hours each day, and a soil that is well-drained. In areas that are frost free the neck of the bulb can be at ground level or a little above but if you live in areas that may get frost the bulb should be 5 to 6 inches below ground level. You will need to completely water them after you plant the bulbs but once they begin to grow only water them if you do not receive enough rain and the top couple inches of the soil has become dry. Once the leaves appear, you can fertilize with a balanced 10-10-10 fertilizer and once a month after through the month of April. During the time between the months of June through September keep the area dry. If any leaves turn yellow you can cut off at the base.

For planting your Amaryllis bulbs indoors you want to place individual bulbs in a 6 to 7 inch container or you can plant a group of 3 bulbs in a 10 to 12 inch container. You want to prepare a well-drained potting soil mix by placing in a medium sized tub; warm water needs to be added slowly and mixed with your hands until the potting mixture is just moist, not soggy. Now you can fill a decorative container half full with the soil mixture, place the bulb on the top and fill with more soil mix around the bulb. You can re-adjust the bulb's position if needed to make sure you expose the top one-third of the bulb. Continue filling the container to 1/2 inch below the top of the container for ease in watering. Gently pat down the mixture and lightly water so it settles around the bulb or bulbs.

Next place the container in an area where the temperature will stay above 60 degrees F., the ideal would be between 70 and 80 degrees F. for night and day. Your bulbs will sprout and grow faster the warmer the temperature. Water your plants only if the top inch of soil is dry when touched. If you water too often, especially right after potting might provoke bulb rot. If your container has Spanish moss on top of the potting mix just lift the moss and directly water the potting mix. Generally speaking your plant should begin to grow anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks but some varieties of Amaryllis may need more time before sprouting. You will need to be a little patient and not over-water the plant; give it enough sunshine such as from a sun-room or south-facing window once the bulb begins to sprout. In order to prevent the flower stalks from reaching for the light, rotate the container often. The flower stalks of your Amaryllis plants may need to have some support so they will not topple over.

If you want your bulbs to flower again next year you will need to let them rejuvenate. Once the final bloom fades out, remove the flower stalk by cutting and leaving about 3 - 5 inches higher that the top of the bulb. You do not want to cut off the leaves because they are producing the food that gets stored by the bulb. Place your plant in a south-facing window, water once the top inch of soil becomes dry to the touch and start fertilizing once a month. In the spring, once the danger of frost is over, you can place your container outside in the full sun. In the fall usually when the frost has darkened the leaves you can bring the bulb container back indoors, cut off the foliage just above the bulb, and store the bulb dry in a dark, cool area for about 8 - 10 weeks. After that time you can re-pot the bulb, water it and follow the instructions in the previous paragraph.

Amaryllis, when you cut the flower stems and display them in a tall vase, makes a beautiful flower arrangement. The best time for cutting the flower stems is after the first flower bud has color and is about ready to open. When you cut after this happens you can rest assured that the remainder of the buds on that stem have formed properly and will open completely. When you cut the stem be sure to cut straight across at the bottom; this way the stem will sit evenly when it is in the vase. Since the flower stems are hollow the bottom could split and curl but the flowers will not be affected. If you change the water often and add a floral preservative it will help to prevent the stem from rolling and your flowers will last longer. Once a flower has faded you can remove that flower and your flowers could last up to ten days if the room temperature stays between 60 - 70 degrees F. Any time of the year is a good time to enjoy those beautiful Amaryllis plants.