(First paragraphs are carried over from last week’s column.
Amaryllis are the drama plants for winter. They grow from a bulb, and like a tulip, the flower buds form in the bulb prior to its going dormant.
Your job as the plant keeper is to persuade that flower to come out of the bulb and bless you with its beauty.
In recent years “waxed” bulbs are the easy route because you don’t have to plant the bulb in soil. Looks easy and is easy, but I have yet to see a real success story. The flower stem gets pretty heavy so if it actually gets to that stage, it is difficult to keep it standing upright. And when it’s done or you’re tired of it, you pitch it … end of story.
On the other hand, I believe that when I purchase a bulb like this, I am making an investment it its future, and my plan is to have the joy of a repeat performance year after year.
So now I’ll tell you how to make that happen.
Amaryllis originate in south Africa. The environment they grow in has a rainy season and a dry season, but no cold season. The bulb grows at soil level and the dry season causes the bulb to go dormant, which it will remain until the rainy season begins.
When the bulb resumes growing, it may produce a flower stalk before the leaves, or they might grow simultaneously.
The drama is the fact of how fast that flower stalk grows and the spectacular flowers they produce … three to five blooms per stalk. We want to replicate those growing conditions to insure the blooms for the next season.
So, if you bought an unpotted bulb, plant it with the widest part of the bulb at soil level. Water the potting mix lightly and keep it just moist until growth begins.
It is imperative to place the potted bulb where it will receive bright sunlight. If the light is too low, the leaves will stretch toward the light source and their weight often causes them to break at the base.
After the blooms have finished, cut the flower stalk off at the base, but allow the leaves to remain. The recipe for success in getting that bulb to bloom again is to allow those leaves that give the energy for the bulb to develop its flower buds for the next bloom season.
Use a water-soluble plant food once per month and in spring after danger of frost, you can plant it in the garden for the summer.
Remember that this is a frost-sensitive bulb, so be sure to bring it back indoors prior to freezing temperature in the fall.
When you bring it back indoors, cut off the leaves at the top of the bulb and store it dry until new growth resumes.
They often remain dormant for a couple of months. The growing season from the time of blooming until fall is when the flower buds develop.
Planting outdoors is not required but bright sunlight indoors is essential for success.