Amaryllis blooming for Christmas
Planting, Growing, and Caring for Amaryllis
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Did you grow amaryllis bulbs over Christmas? How do you care for this plant after it finishes blooming? See our plant guide on caring for amaryllis and what to do after the flowers fade.
About Amaryllis
Like daffodils or tulips, the amaryllis plant starts out as a bulb—often sold as part of a kit containing the bulb, a heavy pot, and some growing medium (ideally, a sterile, soilless planting mix). They are naturally spring-blooming bulbs, producing flowers at some point between late winter and mid-spring (February to April in the Northern Hemisphere). However, amaryllis are commonly forced to bloom earlier in winter, in time for the winter holidays.
After the flowers die back, the plant’s large leaves soak up sunlight for the rest of spring and summer, providing them with the energy they’ll need to bloom again in the following spring. With the arrival of autumn, the leaves die back, and the bulb goes dormant until later winter when the blooming process begins anew.
Amaryllis … or Not?
Historically, there has been some confusion regarding the name of this plant. Most amaryllis varieties grown today are hybrids and are not “true amaryllis”; they are instead part of the genus Hippeastrum, which is native to tropical parts of South America, from Brazil to the Andes. The true amaryllis—members of the genus Amaryllis—are native to South Africa and are also known as belladonna lilies (despite not being true lilies). That being said, both Hippeastrum and Amaryllis are part of the amaryllis family, so they are all amaryllis in some sense!
The name “amaryllis” comes from the Greek word amarysso, which means “to sparkle.”
Planting
Buying Amaryllis Bulbs
When shopping for amaryllis bulbs, you can buy the boxed kits that contain a bulb, a pot, and some soil. These make a nice gift, though there are usually not a lot of color choices—generally, they offer red, pink, and white. The flowers are usually the smaller variety, though they should bloom just fine if you follow directions.
Some garden centers offer larger bare bulbs that give you more choices of variety and larger sizes, and each one usually produces two or more flower spikes. Each spike will produce two to four large, trumpet-shaped blossoms.
Amaryllis bulbs are classified by size, which is determined by measuring around the outside of the bulb at its widest point. Generally, the larger the bulb, the more flowers the plant is capable of producing.
Another good reason for choosing a bare bulb is that you can see the condition of the bulb without having to rummage around in a box. Ensure it is heavy and firm—not moldy, squishy, or injured. It should have some fairly long fleshy roots attached, too.
How to Plant Amaryllis Bulbs
- If you can’t put the bulb in a pot right away, store it in a cool, dry, dark place until you can.
- Amaryllis bulbs may not bloom if they are in too large a pot. There should be no more than 1 inch of space on each side of the bulb, and 1/3 of the bulb should be above the soil line. They prefer to be a bit cramped (pot-bound).
- Use a well-draining potting mix.
- Before planting, soak the bulb’s roots in lukewarm water for a few hours to rehydrate them.
- Put a layer of soil in the bottom of the pot and position the bulb so the top sticks up above the rim of the pot. Firm the soil around the edge, exposing the top third of the bulb. If planted too deeply, the bulb may rot.
- Place the pot in a bright spot and water, but be wary of overwatering. Allow the soil to dry a bit between waterings.
- Expect beautiful, lily-like blooms in 6 to 8 weeks.
Tip: For a continuous display, start a few bulbs at 2-week intervals. As one finishes blooming, the next will be reaching its peak.
Growing
How to Care for Amaryllis Bulbs
- Display the amaryllis away from drafts in a bright room, but not in direct sunlight.
- Amaryllis plants prefer temperatures in the range of 60° to 70°F (15.5° to 21°C). Keep them away from freezing windows and drying radiators.
- Water sparingly. Only water when the top inch of potting mix is dry, taking care not to get water on the neck of the bulb.
- To promote blooming, use a houseplant fertilizer with high phosphorus content.
- When the flower stalk appears, move the amaryllis into brighter sunlight. Turn the pot every several days for even lighting and to prevent leaning.
- If the stalk starts to lean, insert a stake next to it, taking care not to disturb the bulb. Amaryllis flowers tend to be top-heavy, so stake proactively.
- Once your amaryllis is blooming, you can move it to a cooler location out of direct sunlight to make the blossoms last longer.
- After the flowers have faded, cut them off to prevent seed formation. Cut the stem off at the top of the bulb.
- Grow the amaryllis as a foliage plant through the spring and summer until the leaves turn yellow. Then, store the potted bulb on its side in a cool, dark room or basement to rest for 8 to 10 weeks. See more “post-bloom” tips below.
How to Care for Amaryllis After Flowering
One of the most frequently asked questions after the holidays is, “Now that my amaryllis has finished flowering, how can I get it to bloom again?” Those bulbs can take center stage again next Christmas if given proper care!
After blossoming, the bulb must grow and store food for the next season’s bloom. Often, the bulbs actually shrink in size from the stress of blooming and will need time to recover lost nutrients.
Once the blossoms have faded, cut off the flower stalk, but keep the leaves growing by placing the pot in a warm, sunny spot. Water regularly and fertilize weekly with a balanced houseplant fertilizer. This is when next year’s buds are formed within the bulb.
It takes a minimum of four leaves to produce one flower stalk because the buds form in the axils of every fourth bulb scale. Keep the plant growing all summer long; you can even move it outside for the summer. Bring it in at the end of August and cut OFF the watering. Let it dry out to induce a period of dormancy. Put the pot in a cool (around 50°F), dark place. Pull off any dried-up leaves.
To induce flowering in time for Christmas, bring the plant into a warm, sunny location and resume watering around in early to mid-November.
We would recommend repotting at this time to give the bulb better soil. Or, if you don’t feel like it, just scrape off the top 2 inches or so of loose soil and replace it with fresh soil. In about 6 to 8 weeks, the amaryllis should be in full bloom again.
What About Waxed Amaryllis Bulbs?
Waxed bulbs are intended for single use. They have all they need to bloom, but after that, they are meant to be discarded. However, you can and should remove blooms on a stalk once they have faded. Also, if a flower stalk itself is fading, often one or two more will start to grow; if desired, you can cut off the fading flower stalk to encourage more growth. (Leave any leaves, though.)
Once flowering has completed, instead of discarding the bulb, you can try to gently remove the wax (avoid disturbing the brown outer layer of the bulb as best you can). Sometimes, the bulb will have plastic wrap underneath the wax, and/or a wire base inserted into the bottom of the bulb; if so, then you want to carefully remove these also. Then, plant the bulb in a pot (not too large—about 1 to 2 inches wider than the bulb, and with drainage holes) filled with potting soil and set in bright indirect light in a warm area; water sparingly. Make sure that the top 1/3 of the bulb sticks above the soil. Follow care instructions as you would for a regular bulb (as mentioned in the article above).
Catherine Boeckmann
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Hi, Jamie,
Waxed bulbs are intended for single use. They have all they need to bloom, but after that, they are meant to be discarded. You can remove blooms on a stalk once they have faded. Also, if a flower stalk itself is fading, often one or two more will start to grow; if desired, you can cut off the fading flower stalk to encourage more growth. (Leave any leaves, though.)
Once flowering has completed, instead of discarding the bulb, you can try to gently remove the wax (avoid disturbing the brown outer layer of the bulb as best you can). Sometimes the bulb will have plastic wrap underneath the wax, and/or a wire base inserted into the bottom of the bulb; if so, then you want to carefully remove these also. Then, plant the bulb in a pot (not too large—about 1 to 2 inches wider than the bulb, and one with drainage holes) filled with potting soil and set in bright indirect light in a warm area; water sparingly. Make sure that the top 1/3 of the bulb sticks above the soil. Follow care instructions as you would for a regular bulb (as mentioned in the article above).
Hope this helps!
My amaryllis bloomed in May and is putting up a new stalk to bloom again. Definitely very pleased to see the new stalk so soon. My question is about the ball at the top of the first stalk that bloomed, what should I do with it?
Hi, Wynelle,
It sounds like the ball on top of the stalk is not a flower bud but a seed pod. If so, and you do not want to save seed, then you should remove the seed pod so that the bulb’s energy can go into growing more flowers and leaves. If the flower stalk itself is fading, then you can cut the stalk off about an inch above the base. If there are other flowers on the stalk still blooming, then you can remove the seed pod close to where it attaches to the stalk.
Hope this helps!
Hi! I am in the southern most part is South Carolina, zone 8B. I was recently, in March, gifted a amaryllis with 3 blooms. Not knowing any better I planted it in the ground. Should I replant it in a pot and if so when is the best time to do so? Thanks!
Hi Lynn,
In your area, you can certainly grow and keep your amaryllis outdoors year round. If you plan to leave it in the garden, you will want to give it some added protection for colder temperatures by adding a couple inches of mulch in the fall. If you want to bring it indoors for the winter, you will want to wait until the foliage dies back naturally toward the end of the growing season and then dig it up in fall before any threat of frost and plant in a container and bring indoors (see instructions and care tips above for container planting).
Hope this helps!
My Amaryllis plant produced a bulb stem but then died off before flowering. Why?
My plant has two multi stems and no sign of flowers. It was a Christmas gift. Can I still expect it to flower.
Hi, Paul. An amaryllis not blooming indicates that it did not store up enough energy to produce flowers.
I have one which has been growing a pot for years. it never rebloomed but has new plants around the base of it. what now ? lol
I'll take better care of the current ones and reregerate carefully in the fall.
thanks for your help
Hi Carol,
Healthy, mature amaryllis bulbs will produce “offset” bulbs, which you can remove and repot, giving you a new set of plants.
The best time to divide the offsets is after flowering, when the foliage has died back naturally and the plants are dormant. It’s important not to cut off the leaves until they have died back because the plant will create and store energy through its foliage.
It is also important to remember that while amaryllis like to be pot bound they will do best when repotted every 3 or 4 years.
