Amaryllis Bulbs Care

The Amaryllis plant scientific name is Hippeastrum and the plant is also known as Barbados Lily. The Amaryllis plant is available year-round, and it has textured, large bell-shaped flowers that make excellent cut flowers and container plants, most especially around Christmas. The Amaryllis plants come in a wide variety of colors and color combinations, with tall varieties and hybrid varieties that bloom quickly on short stems. One of the most common practices is to grow the amaryllis plant in containers for winter blooming. Make sure you start with a quality bulb. If the Amaryllis is properly cared for, the bulbs will produce for decades and may bear up to 6 flowers on a single stalk; each flower of the plant is capable of becoming six inches in diameter. 2 stalks per bulb are typical. Potting the Amaryllis bulb can be easily done any time after a 2 month dormant or rest period. The Amaryllis bulb generally becomes dormant in late summer. 

The Amaryllis bulb and soil should be dry at the time of planting, and the offshoots can be easily removed and potted separately if desired. You can use a small container, with only an inch between the Amaryllis bulb and the pot. Enough room for your thumb is a good rule. You can use a well-drained potting soil, and then plant the bulb so that ½ to 2/3 of the bulb neck is above the soil line. Make sure you leave about ½ inch of space between the soil the pot rim to facilitate watering. Thoroughly water after potting and then keep the soil slightly moist until flowering. When flowering begins you can increase the watering frequency. The Amaryllis plant prefers bright sunlight and temperatures between seventy and seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit. After flowering begins, cooler temperatures (sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit to as low as forty degrees Fahrenheit) will prolong the life of the flowers. As the Amaryllis plant grows, you can rotate the pot to keep the flower stalk straight because it will want to grow toward the light. Staking may be necessary if the Amaryllis variety is tall or the plant stretches due to too much nitrogen or too little light. Plants will bloom six to eight weeks after potting. You can apply a water soluble, liquid all-purpose fertilizer at half rate after the Amaryllis bulb has sprouted and at 6 week intervals thereafter. After each stalk of the flowers has peaked and begun to fade you can carefully cut the stalk off two inches from the base. The Amaryllis plant can be grown indoors for the rest of the winter and then set outdoors in a sunny location in the spring after any chance of frost. As the Amaryllis plant begins to decline during the summer you can allow the foliage to droop and yellow so the Amaryllis bulb will mature. You can also restrict watering as the Amaryllis bulb begins its resting period. Bring the Amaryllis bulbs indoors in September and then store them for at least 2 months in a cool dark location. You can cut off the foliage after it has wilted and died. After the Amaryllis bulb rest period, the process can begin again. If needed, the Amaryllis bulb can be repotted, or a small amount of soil can be added to replace soil that washed away or settled out. Used as cut flowers, amaryllis will last for six to twelve days. Cut the Amaryllis plant stem neatly with a good sharp knife and place into a tall container filled with water almost hot to the touch. Let the water cool for a few hours and then arrange. The Amaryllis plant does best if not arranged in floral foam. Re-cut the stems every 2 to 3 days and then repeat the hot water treatment. Keep the Amaryllis flowers in a cool location at night.

Amaryllis varieties

There are different varieties of Amaryllis. The following are some of the varieties of Amaryllis:

Temptation Amaryllis: The Temptation Amaryllis actually has a seven-inch white trumpets that are edged in red with crimson streaks and speckles on each of the petal, centered in a red throat. Actually the blooms appear to change their patterns each time you look at the plants. The Temptation Amaryllis stems reach about 2 feet tall.

Amaryllis 'Dancing Queen': This particular variety of Amaryllis produces so many petals, the flowers look extra full. The Amaryllis 'Dancing Queen' also tends to bloom a little sooner than single amaryllis varieties, so impatient gardeners won't have to wait as long to see the plant flowers. In fact the multitude of the red-and-white-striped petals makes for a stunning flower on two-foot-tall stems.

Amaryllis Double Dream: The blooms of the Amaryllis Double Dream can be as large as 7 inches across atop eighteen inch stems. The Amaryllis Double Dream has deep pink petals tinged with white at the tips, and resembles an old-fashioned rose or peony when fully open. The Amaryllis Double Dream has romantic petals that can fit right in for the holidays; although they will work equally well for Valentine's Day.

Amaryllis 'Monaco': The Amaryllis 'Monaco' has huge red flowers that can instantly make a room feel warmer, even on the coldest winter day. A few streaks of white along the petals and a pale yellow-green center provide an eye-catching contrast. The Amaryllis 'Monaco' can grow up to twenty-eight inches tall.

Amaryllis Samba: The Amaryllis Samba is a beautiful amaryllis that has bold red flowers with a white star in the center and crisp white-edged petals. Each of the bloom can span 7 to 8 inches across on two-foot-tall stems.

Amaryllis Popov: If you think of ' Amaryllis Samba ' in reverse and you'll get ' Amaryllis Popov.' Each spectacular bloom of Amaryllis Popov has white petals speckled and streaked with rosy red. The candy cane effect makes it a perfect fit for holiday decor. The Amaryllis Popov stems reach about 2 feet tall.

Amaryllis Exposure: The Amaryllis Exposure can be ten inches across, with stems to 2 feet. Actually each of the petals has a white stripe down the middle, so that from a distance, the flower looks like a star.

Amaryllis 'Fantasy: You can add spirit to your holiday decor with bold, beautiful ' Amaryllis Fantasy.' The Amaryllis Fantasy is an amazing amaryllis that has white blooms streaked with red and pink, somewhat like a candy cane. No two blooms are exactly alike, but each of them is spectacular. The plant stems can reach about 2 feet tall.

Amaryllis 'Stargazer': The Amaryllis 'Stargazer' has a captivating bloom that can expand to 8 inches across on stems that reach as much as thirty inches tall.

Amaryllis 'Magic Green': Actually the blooms of the Amaryllis 'Magic Green' have an unusual pale green color tinged with rusty red. The Amaryllis 'Magic Green' variety also has pointed, narrower petals that give it a striking, star-like appearance. The plant stems reach about twenty inches tall.

Amaryllis 'Marilyn': The Amaryllis 'Marilyn' has a classic beauty. The Amaryllis 'Marilyn' double blooms are almost pure white, with just a touch of green at the center, atop eighteen inch stems. The Amaryllis 'Marilyn' will bring elegance to any decor.

Amaryllis Aphrodite: The Amaryllis Aphrodite is a double amaryllis that has large, frilly blooms that are impossible to overlook. The layers of white, ruffled petals would be enough to make the Amaryllis Aphrodite stand out, but the reddish streaks and yellowish green centers add to its beauty even more.

How to grow Amaryllis Bulb

Amaryllis plant is actually one of the most wonderful bulb plants you can grow indoors. The plant colorful, dinner plate-sized flowers are held high above the strap-like foliage on sturdy stems that grow up to twenty-four inches high.

When to plant Amaryllis Bulb

You can easily pot Amaryllis bulbs in mid-November for bloom during the Christmas holidays.

Where to plant Amaryllis Bulb

Plant your Amaryllis bulbs in a well-draining pot which are approximately one to two inches wider than the diameter of the bulb.

How to plant Amaryllis Bulb

Start by adding a small amount of potting soil to the bottom of the pot. Center the Amaryllis bulb in the middle of the pot, and then add extra potting soil, firming it around the roots and bulb. Allow two inches between the Amaryllis bulb and the edge of the pot. The upper ½ of the Amaryllis bulb should be above the surface of the soil.

Tamp the potted Amaryllis bulb gently to settle it into the pot and to firm the soil. The mature Amaryllis plants are heavy and it will topple if not properly seated in the soil. Water the plant very well and place them in a cool (sixty degree Fahrenheit) location. Water the plant sparingly until the growth appears.

Caring for Amaryllis plant

When the growth of the plant begins, water the plant more frequently, move the Amaryllis plant to a warm, sunny window and then apply a water-soluble fertilizer every to two to four weeks. When the plant flower bud appears, you can turn the pot daily so that the flower-bearing stalk will grow straight.

When blooms fade you can easily cut off the tubular plant flower stem near the top of the bulb, leaving the foliage to continue growing. Water the plant as usual and then apply a water-soluble fertilizer every 4 weeks. Immediately the danger of frost has passed, you can carefully move your Amaryllis bulb outdoors to your garden where it can enjoy the summer sun. Be sure to continue your fertilizer program every 4 weeks as this is required for the next round of indoor forcing.

In early autumn you can easily bring your Amaryllis plant bulb inside and then allow it to completely dry out and rest for six weeks. Then repot your Amaryllis plant bulb in a new soil and start the process all over again. 

Pest and disease control

Make sure you keep an eye for mealybugs and spider mites, which can actually be treated with horticultural oil. The outdoor Amaryllis plants might be feasted upon by slugs and snails.

Also the Amaryllis plant can be infected with what is known as red blotch and mosaic virus. The Red blotch spreads rapidly from the bulb to bulb and it looks like reddish brown spots on the Amaryllis plant leaves, bulb, and scape.

Any plants with the mosaic virus will actually show less blooming and less growth, and the plant leaves will have a yellow streaking on them. The unfortunately aspect is that there is nothing you can do about these diseases. 

Getting Amaryllis plant to bloom

If the Amaryllis bulb is grown in a frost-free garden (USDA hardiness zones eight to ten), the plant will naturally bloom in March, April, and May with a fall re-bloom possible. But Amaryllis plant bulbs are often purchased to grow as potted plants for holiday bloom, which is only possible if you plant the dormant Amaryllis bulbs at precisely the right time: about ten to twelve weeks before desired bloom time. When you purchase commercial Amaryllis bulbs from a grower for holiday bloom, these are dormant Amaryllis bulbs that should be kept in a cool, dark, dry spot until the right planting time.

Furthermore, If you already have potted amaryllis plants, re-blooms can be controlled by setting the Amaryllis plant outdoors to grow through the summer and then bringing the plant indoors, forcing the plant into a short period of dormancy by withholding water and fertilizer for some weeks, and then restarting the bulbs.

If your amaryllis plant doesn't bloom, it is often because the Amaryllis plant received no rest period after the last bloom or because the plant is not actually receiving adequate light.