Amaryllis Question

Can anyone tell me what to do with my amaryllis bulb now that it is done blooming? I live in zone 6 and the bulb bloomed while sitting on my kitchen window and is finished now. I also have one that never did bloom, but just has nice green leaves. Is it destined to never bloom? I just don't know anything about these flowers, except that they are beautiful and make me smile :)

Thanks!

Just thought I'd pass on all the below info for you...I have successfully overwintered them in a dark cool closet when they go dormant and they've made it back and bloomed too....it's not difficult!

Description:
Hippeastrum hybrids, commonly called amaryllis, bear flamboyant 4"-12" wide, trumpet-shaped blooms in white, pink, red, and salmon, usually in clusters of four on leafless stems normally rising 1'-3'. Arching fans of broad, straplike leaves appear during or after flowering. Hardy only in Zones 9-10, amaryllis are great indoors as flowering, container-grown plants.

How to grow:
Choose a pot that will allow about 1" of growing space between the bulb and the rim. Plant with 1/3-1/2 of the bulb above the soil line. Water slightly until growth starts, then water more often. Grow in a warm (65°-70°F) spot in a sunny window, especially after the leaves develop. Most bloom 4-8 weeks after growth begins. Once the flowers open, moving the plant to a cool spot out of direct sun will lengthen the life of the flowers.

When the flowers fade, cut off the flower stalk close to the bulb. Return the plant to a sunny window and water regularly. You may keep the plant inside all year, feeding every 2-3 weeks with liquid seaweed, fish emulsion, or other organic fertilizer. You can put your amaryllis outside after frost in a spot with morning sun or under the shade of tall trees, or knock them out of their pots and grow them in the open ground. Gradually reduce water in late summer to encourage dormancy. After a few months’ rest, replace the top few inches of soil or repot and begin again.

The bulb that has not yet bloomed, may bloom yet. I can't remember the name of the amaryllis, but there was one I was reading about that said it may take up to 6 months to bloom.

If you don't want to keep your bulbs, some people just chuck them and buy new every year. But check around and see if someone wants them first.

If you do want to try to rebloom them, follow edder's advice, but make sure they get at least an eight week rest. I'm planning a three month span on mine. The first month, I will withhold water and let the foliage die back. Month 2, they will go into a cool, dark spot for eight weeks.

Thanks to both of you! Would the fridge work for a cool dark place?

Some people just throw them in a closet! I have four bulbs in my frig right now that I'm going to pot next weekend. They've been there since November. Two days before I pot, I take the bulbs out to warm up. One day before, I cut off any really dried up roots and then soak the remaining fleshy roots in tepid water. I've done it both ways; with and without soaking. Bulbs seem to start growing faster if I soak. Next fall, I'm just going to try keeping them potted in the basement on the floor.

You're not suppose to store apples near amaryllis bulbs. Can't remember why, but I haven't had an apple in my frig since last October!

When storing in the fridge you have to be careful that they don't end up rotting due to excess moisture. I've never had any luck storing any bulbs in the fridge here.

The thing with the apples is they give off ethetheen - however it's spelled - gas and cause an adverse effect on a lot of things, because of close quarters and no major air flow....

The bulbs I had in the frig were in netted bags and I put them in the veg bin. I started with 29 bulbs last October and I have 4 left to pot. They've all been OK.

I store my bulbs in their pots on the floor of my unheated basement. Been doing it this way for decades, never a problem. I re-pot with fresh soil after 8 weeks of rest.
The bulbs you buy almost always send up the flower stalk first. The following years those same bulbs may send up leaves with the flower.
Andy P

Although many have success with keeping Amaryllis bulbs in the fridge, keep in mind that this can be dicey.

Amaryllis are essentially a tropical plant, so not only does it not require cold temps for its rest period, they can actually be harmful.

Now again, I know that folks have had success storing them this way, but depending on the temp & humidity level of your fridge it's neither necessary nor particularly desirable. All that's really needed is a dark, cool (as in cool room temp), dry place. I store mine in mesh bags in a spare bedroom closet for a couple of months & they come back beautifully.

So, in a nutshell - I need to water them and keep them alive ( I can put the pots outside in the summer) and then put them somewhere cool, dry and dark for 8 weeks in October or November? Does that sound about right?

In a nutshell, yes. I cut the foliage down, which has usually begun to yellow already anyway, to a couple of inches from the bulb top.

It's also important to fertilize regularly during the growing season - Amaryllis are heavy feeders. Any houseplant fertilizer will do.

But remember - there are many different ways to grow Amaryllis. Some people feel that the bulb doesn't require a rest period at all & grow them year-round, but I've never had any luck with that method.

Do not store your amaryllis (hippeastrum) in the fridge. DO NOT.

This bulb does not require chilling, and should just be stored at room temperature, or slightly below (say basement temperatures 60-65F). You can also use a dark closet, etc.

DO NOT REFRIGERATE.

You can take a look at a step-by-step instructions on reblooming your amaryllis here:
http://photobucket.com/albums/v345/kdjoergensen/gardening/bulbs/hippeastrum/Reblooming%20instructions/

You can also follow below:
- in summer grow the amaryllis outdoors in full sun and fertilize frequently.
- in fall, before first frost, dig up the amaryllis and put it somewhere dry (no frost)
- you can cut the leaves off at nose level. I like to do this after the leaves have died back naturally (to avoid regrowth of the leaves) but some people cut the leaves off when lifting from the ground
- store dry and moderately warm (definitely NOT cold). 60-70F is fine.
- when leaves and/or flower scapes show at the nose of the bulb, it is time to replant. This typically takes 13-18 weeks. If no progress (leaves/scapes) by 18 weeks, then plant anyway
- after planting, do not fertilize, but water regularily (a little bit to beging with.. more later).
- when leaves show, start fertilizing.

Generally, if the bulb has been given plenty of fertilizer and the size of the bulb has increased, it should reflower. Provided it has been growing actively in spring/summer and been given fertilizer and water, plenty of leaves would have grown (see the pictures). More leaves means more flowers next year.

This is a bulb which is an extremely heavy feeder. It requires a lot of "annual plant flower fertilizer" on regular basis throughout the summer.

If you click on the above link, and click the blue "slideshow" button (also follow the instructions on this page) and it will hopefully make more sence.

Just remember that Amaryllis (Hippeastrum) are not bulbs which need to be precooled. In fact, you can destroy them. If they freeze, they die. Low temperatures also dramatically increase chance of rot; especially with moisture. It is not necerssary to cool it so why chance it ?? You should instead keep at regular room temperatures, or a somewhat cooler (but not cold) room if available.

Note: hippeastrum do not need a rest period (they can continue to grow as houseplants given plenty of light, water and fertilizer) but if you live in an area with cold winters, it is easier to dig in fall and store dry and dormant until planting in early spring indoors.

I hope the above was of any help.

kdjoergensen (nice Scandinavian name!),

I don't know if you are still following this thread, since its been a few months, but since it seems you know so much about hippeastrum, I hope you can help me.

I live in South Florida, and I was just given a bunch of hippeastrum plants (large ones). I planted them in the ground yesterday and their leaves looked floppy/droopy. I work in a botanical garden, so I decided to cut the leaves off, so that they wouldn't look so bad (if it were my own garden, I might have been more patient and just left them). I thought this might also encourage new growth. But as I was doing this, I started having second thoughts, since I didn't really know if it was the right thing to do. So I ended up leaving at least one sad, droopy leaf, per plant, in case it needed the leaves for chlorophyll and food production.

My question is, can I go ahead and cut off the rest of the leaves? For a couple of the bulbs, there was already new leaf growth, but for the rest of them...? Living in South Florida, I don't know what kind of dormancy period these bulbs go through, but even if they do go dormant, we still have at least three months of the growing the season left.

Thanks for your help.

Heather

They don't need to go dormant at all. In your climate I would not force dormancy. But the leaves are not considered attractive, so you need to get beyond that if you are going to use them as a garden plant. They don't bother me, but some people don't like them.

The leaves are what feed the bulb, so you are reducing the quality and frequency of the blooms by removing the leaves. You should only remove leaves if you are forcing dormancy, which you don't need to do, ever. If you don't like the appearance, I suggest putting them into pots and leaving them outdoors in an area that is out of sight, and then bringing them into view when they start to bloom. With your climate, you will get frequent blooms and very nice bulbs if you never force dormancy. They will put energy into putting new leaves up now if you just leave one leaf, so I think you might as well remove the remaining one leaf if they have already been outside all summer , and put them away to go dormant.

Amaryllis dont need to be put in the refrig. just rest and then they will Bloom.
I leave mine in the ground and next spring the pop up again and bloom all over again. spread like wildfire also. I chopped the tops off and darn if the things didnt grow new tops again. I think the best thing is just to let them grow till it gets cold and then dig them up and store in a dry place. This is for people who have freezing weather only... Fran

kdjoergensen - Thanks for your photos of how you handle your amaryllis (hippeastrum). This year I have planted my 'AppleBlossum' outside directly in the garden. It is doing so nicely and has shot up some new leaves while growing outside. I had a question about when I should bring it in. I had read a book that recommends early September. It has been cold here in Massachusetts with a lot of rain. It is doing so well outside I hate to take it in early. Do you think I can wait until early October when our first frost is usually not earlier than first or second week of October? Also how long does it take to dry out the amaryllis on your basement floor? Do you cover them or put them in darkness when drying them out?

Thanks!
Sue

I never did fertilize mine but it's thriving outside and I wondered if it's worth giving it a second chance or do you think it's hopeless without fertilizer?

It never needs to go dormant, so it's not too late to fertilize. Give it plenty of water and fertilizer. Don't bother with dormancy. Just keep it outside until it gets cold and then treat it as a houseplant indoors. Buy some fertilizer and feed it all year at least once a month.

Can I use miracle gro or should I use something special? Should I trim the leaves back when I bring it into the house? Thanks for your advice, andidandi!

Allie88-
No special treatment is required, really. When you bring it inside, treat it like any other houseplant, but you can fertilize more frequently. Leave the leaves on it, don't cut them off. Place it where it will get maximum light, and it will rebloom when it's ready. They will often bloom more than once a year if kept green. People make them go dormant in order to manipulate the bloom time, but I think you get a nicer and more frequently blooming plant if you keep it green. And MG is fine as your fertilizer. You might repot in fresh soil (MG mix is fine) if you've been neglecting it.

This message was edited Aug 31, 2006 3:41 PM

This is good to know, andidandi. I have always thought I had to chill the bulbs for awhile. This year I'm just going to bring them back inside, not cut off the leaves and see if they want to bloom. Do they need any particular light exposure, or just light?

Thanks for posting your comments.

nutmegnana-
No chilling is needed. These are not like other "forced" bulbs that require chilling. These are plants from warm climates, and even dormant plants don't need to be chilled. On the few occaissions I force dormancy to save space, I just put them in an area that's dark and not directly heated like a coat closet. That's to prevent the bulb from drying out rather than any need for it to be cold. That said, if you are determined to force dormancy you should cut off the leaves to avoid drying out the bulb as the leaves die. But there is no reason to force dormancy.

If you are keeping it green all year, as I suggest, give it as much light as you can. Mine are happy inside on a windowsill in Winter. I have amaryllis that bloom three times per year kept in a sunny window as houseplants all year round. I give them a weak solution of a bloom-promoting fertilizer each week when I water. In Summer, I water more than once a week when the soil dries. Most go outside in Summer, and a few stay inside if they are in sunny indoor areas.

I'll add a clarifying comment to what I've said :

People force their amaryllis into dormancy because they are marketed dormant as "holiday" bulbs to bloom indoors in Winter. My suggestion is that you buy new bulbs in the Fall/Winter if you want blooms at that specific time, and let your existing plants remain green. They will bloom when they are ready. My experience is that frequent watering and fertilizing, along with avoiding dormancy, promotes blooming. But you can't control the date using this method, so there's a tradeoff. As I've said, they seem to bloom about every 4-5 months this way. And an added bonus is that they produce offsets, so you are getting new bulbs free.

This message was edited Aug 31, 2006 4:58 PM

That's what I'm going to do -- they are all outside right now. I'll just bring them in, maybe repot one or two that need it. Give them sun and food and see what they do. I haven't had good luck with chilling them anyway. They either rot or take a really long time to "wake up" when I do repot them.

Thanks, again!

I have what is called a "perennial amaryllis" i.e it doesn't take a rest like the others. I can't remember where I ordered it from ( wish I did). It grows LOTS of big strappy leaves and is very attractive. You aren't supposed to remove the bulblets it grows out from its sides. Mine is huge and beautiful, but no signs of a flower forming. Does anyone have one of these? How long before a bloom? Janet in Kansas

mubbs55-
There is nothing special about that. All amaryllis may be treated that way. How long have you had it green without it flowering? Are you feeding and watering it regularly?