How to Care for Amaryllis

How to care for amaryllis, start to finish

An amaryllis is a big bulb from a warm climate, and it runs on a simple yearly cycle: bloom in winter, grow leaves in spring and summer, rest in fall. Care for amaryllis means helping it through each part of that cycle, in order.

The flowers get all the attention. The leaves do the real work. Every bit of next year's bloom is built by the leaves this summer and stored in the bulb, which is why the after-flowering part of this page is longer than the planting part.

Here's the year at a glance, pulled from the extension services I read:

Stage	When	Temperature	What to do
Pot and start	Early to mid-November for winter bloom	70–75°F	Water once, then keep the mix barely moist
Bloom	3–8 weeks after potting	65–70°F, out of direct sun	Turn the pot daily so the stalk grows straight
Leaf growth	After bloom through summer	Sunny window, then outdoors after frost	Feed every 2–4 weeks at half strength
Rest	Late September onward	50–55°F	Stop watering; rest at least 8–10 weeks
Restart	After the rest	70–75°F	Water and move to bright light

Sources: Iowa State University Extension, University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension and Clemson's Home & Garden Information Center. Their temperatures differ by a few degrees. Where they did, I went with the ones two of them shared, which is a librarian's version of a tiebreak.

How to plant amaryllis bulbs in a pot

Amaryllis likes a snug pot. Iowa State says to pick one about 1 to 2 inches wider than the bulb, with drainage holes, and Wisconsin says the bulb prefers being slightly pot-bound.

1. Fill with well-drained potting mix. Clemson suggests equal parts peat and perlite as an option.
2. Set the bulb high. The top half of the bulb stays above the soil. Clemson allows one-third to one-half.
3. Leave a gap at the rim. About an inch between soil and rim keeps water from spilling over.
4. Water once, thoroughly. Then keep the mix barely moist until you see growth. Clemson waits a week before the second watering.
5. Keep it warm. 70–75°F while roots and the stalk get going.

The bulb will look like it's sitting on the pot instead of in it. That's correct. It looked wrong to me the first time too, and I had read three pages telling me it would.

When to plant amaryllis bulbs for Christmas

For Christmas flowers, pot the bulb in early to mid-November. Iowa State and Clemson both give that window.

How fast it blooms depends partly on where the bulb was grown. Iowa State says South African bulbs often flower 3 to 5 weeks after potting and Dutch bulbs 6 to 8 weeks. If a listing says where its bulbs were grown, that's worth reading. If it doesn't, plan on the longer count.

My one firm rule for bulbs applies here in a new way: time it from the bloom date you want, not from when the boxes show up. Count back from Christmas, mark the potting date on the calendar, and let the bulb sit in its box until then if you have to.

Amaryllis bloom time: helping the flowers last

Once the bud shows color, move the pot somewhere a little cooler. Iowa State says 65–70°F and out of direct sun keeps the flowers going longer. Wisconsin gives 60–65°F. Either way, cooler is longer.

The stalk leans toward the window as it grows, so turn the pot a little every day. NC State Extension's Beaufort County office says the blooms typically last several weeks. I keep ours on the kitchen windowsill, where Dell can't miss it and can't complain about the noise. (That's a chime joke. He'll get it.)

Growing amaryllis in water

You can force an amaryllis in water, as long as you treat it as a one-season plant. Clemson's Home & Garden Information Center gives two ways to set it up:

• Forcing vase. Fill to 1 inch below the vase's narrow middle, set the bulb in the wide top, and refill as needed.
• Clear container with pebbles. Pebbles or marbles 3 inches deep, the bulb on top with its upper third showing, and water 1 inch below the bulb.

The base of the bulb should never sit in the water. The roots reach down; the bulb stays dry. Clemson is plain that bulbs won't rebloom in water. When the flowers are done, pot the bulb in soil or let it go.

Waxed bulbs: how long they last and what comes after

Waxed amaryllis bulbs are sealed in wax with everything they need for one bloom, so they need no water. That's also their limit. Iowa State says that with no water or soil, the bulb can't replace the food it spends on flowering, and saving one isn't recommended.

If you want to try anyway:

• Peel the wax off after the last flower fades, gently, to protect the small roots.
• Expect a smaller bulb than the wax shell suggested.
• Throw out any bulb with sunken, soft or dark spots.
• Pot the rest like a regular bulb and feed it well all summer.

Think of a waxed bulb as a long-lasting cut flower with a small chance of a second act.

What to do with amaryllis bulbs after flowering

This is the part that decides whether you get a bloom next year.

• Cut the stalk. Once the flowers fade, cut it 1 to 2 inches above the bulb, without nicking the leaves.
• Keep every leaf. They make the food the bulb stores.
• Give it sun. A sunny window. Clemson asks for at least 4 hours of direct sun a day.
• Water when the surface is nearly dry.
• Feed it. Iowa State says every 2 to 4 weeks with a half-strength balanced fertilizer.

In late May, the pot can go outside. Iowa State says to start it in shade for 2 or 3 days and then give it more sun a little at a time. NC State's Beaufort office waits until nights stay above 50°F. Ours summers on the porch steps, next to the feeder pole, where the Admiral has looked it over and decided it isn't food.

How to get amaryllis to rebloom

Rebloom needs a rest. Iowa State gives two ways to do it.

• Dry rest. In late September, bring the pot in, move it somewhere cool and dim, and stop watering. When the leaves turn brown, cut them off. Keep the bulb at 50–55°F for at least 8 to 10 weeks.
• Green rest. Keep the plant growing in a bright spot at 50–55°F from fall into early or mid-winter.

Then bring it back to 70–75°F, water it, and start the cycle again. Wisconsin says a bulb coming out of rest takes about 4 to 6 weeks to bloom.

Our unheated basement does the job for ours, on the shelf by the stairs. I write the start date on a card tucked into the pot. Field note: a bulb with no date on it is a bulb I will forget, and the card catalog in my head is full.

Amaryllis leaves but no flower

If yours grew a fine set of leaves and no stalk, Iowa State points to two usual causes:

1. Not enough stored food. Too little light or feeding over spring and summer. Feed more often and give it more sun next year.
2. Not enough cool rest. The bulb needs 8 to 10 weeks at 50–55°F in fall to set a flower.

Neither is permanent. A bulb that missed one season can bloom the next one if it gets both.

Replanting amaryllis bulbs, indoors and out

Wisconsin's extension says amaryllis prefers to be slightly pot-bound, so a replanted bulb goes back into a snug pot: the same 1-to-2-inch rule, fresh well-drained mix and the top half of the bulb above the soil. Do it while the bulb is resting, before you start it growing again.

In warm places it can live in the garden. Wisconsin says amaryllis is typically hardy in zones 8 to 10, and Clemson gives zone 8 as its cold limit in South Carolina, with bulbs set about a foot apart and half the bulb's nose above ground. Look up your zone before you try it. Here on Haw River Road, ours stays in its pot.

Write the potting date somewhere you'll find it. Next November, you'll be glad you did.

Happy watching.