Planting and Care

Amaryllis bulbs can be purchased in the fall or spring. If you plant them at home in September, they will bloom by winter. In the cold season, the flowers will especially delight you with their beauty. And by planting hippeastrum in late spring in open ground, you can enjoy flowering in early summer.

Planting

In order to grow amaryllis at home, you just have to imitate conditions close to natural ones. Planting should be done in the fall and winter when the plant is resting.

▪️ Place in pots so that 2/3 of the bulb is in the soil mixture.
▪️ The ideal mixture for planting is sod land, humus, peat.
▪️ Water the plants once, and then keep the soil constantly slightly moist.
▪️ And in the summer, you can successfully plant amaryllis in the garden.

Care

Proper care is crucial for thriving Amaryllis:

We recommend placing the pot in a heavy planter during the flowering period for stability. The peduncles of the amaryllis are 40-50 cm high, sometimes reaching 60 cm. The flowers are large and heavy, a light pot can tip over under their weight.

▪️ It is best to pour water into a saucer or tray under the container so that the substrate absorbs water from below. In this way, the water will reach the roots and the bulb will not become soggy.
▪️ Keep the blooming amaryllis cool, in a place with diffused light and temperatures between 15-16 ° C.
▪️ As soon as the weather is warm outside and there is no threat of frost, it is better to take the flower outdoors.
▪️ Like all bulbs, hippeastrum has a dormant period after flowering.

How to make Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) bloom twice a year?

The dormant period is very important for the subsequent flowering of amaryllis. In order to achieve repeated flowering in a year, artificially create two dormant periods for the plant. For amaryllis, winter is when it is dry and cool, and summer is humid and warm. This means that after flowering, you can cut off the leaves and reduce watering without waiting for the leaves to completely wilt. After that, the dug and dried bulbs (or bulbs directly in pots) are put away in the cellar or refrigerator for a month and a half.

The optimal dormant period for amaryllis is 3 months. Bulbs should be stored at a temperature of 10 to 12°C. After that, the bulbs are removed, warmed up at room temperature for several days and planted again as described above.

Remember: an artificial dormant period can only be carried out on adult bulbs with a diameter of 6 cm or more that have grown and bloomed in excellent conditions.

Post-Bloom Care

Continue caring for the foliage after the blooms have faded, as the leaves are essential for photosynthesis, which recharges the bulb for the next blooming season. Once the leaves start to yellow, reduce watering and stop fertilizing to allow the plant to enter dormancy. Store the bulb in a cool, dry place for a few months before restarting the growth cycle.

This detailed care regimen will help ensure that your Amaryllis not only blooms but also returns year after year with stunning flowers.