One certain signal that the vacations are right here is the looks of amaryllis bulbs on the cabinets of your native supermarkets and grocery shops. These tropical vegetation have turn out to be basic vacation houseplants alongside poinsettias, Christmas cacti, and Norfolk pines. They’re favored for the splash of festive shade their massive blooms add.
Whereas many individuals deal with amaryllis bulbs as annuals and throw them away as soon as they end blooming after the vacations, these vegetation might be cultivated and compelled to rebloom for years.
Right here’s all the things you want to learn about find out how to get amaryllis to rebloom, plus knowledgeable suggestions for maintaining this tropical plant completely happy indoors year-round.
Meet the Knowledgeable
Kelly Funk is the president and CEO of Jackson & Perkins, a full-service nursery primarily based in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
What to Do With Amaryllis Bulbs After They Bloom
As soon as they’re completed blooming, amaryllis bulbs might be grown year-round like some other houseplant. As soon as the flowers start to wilt and die, chopping them off instantly is greatest to stop them from going to seed, which might unnecessarily deplete the plant’s vitality and assets.
Don’t take away the foliage. Like some other bulb, the amaryllis wants its foliage for photosynthesis, which helps it construct its vitality reserves for the following blooming interval, says Kelly Funk, president and CEO of Jackson & Perkins.
As soon as the outdated blooms are eliminated, place the plant in a heat, vibrant location and water it commonly all through the spring and summer season. Since amaryllis bulbs solely bloom a couple of times a yr, you’ll must maintain the plant alive till the next winter to take pleasure in its attractive flowers once more.
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What to Do With Waxed Amaryllis Bulbs After They Bloom
Waxed amaryllis bulbs are a bit tougher to handle long-term, however attainable. The wax coating implies that they don’t require planting or watering throughout the first blooming interval, however if you happen to hope to maintain the plant alive till the next yr, you will have to take away the wax and try to plant the bulb and encourage root progress.
As soon as the bulb has completed blooming, take away the wax coating and any wires that will have been inserted into the underside of the bulb. Then, verify the general well being of the bulb. So long as it is nonetheless agency (slightly than comfortable, browning, or mushy), there’s an opportunity it would develop roots and survive long-term.
Don’t take away any foliage that’s nonetheless rising from the bulb. Simply as with non-waxed bulbs, it’s greatest to permit the foliage to die off naturally because it’s nonetheless offering the bulb with vitality so long as it is inexperienced and wholesome.
Subsequent, put together a pot with a well-draining soilless potting combine and plant the bulb in it, leaving the highest third of the bulb uncovered above the soil. Moisten the soil barely to encourage root improvement, however don’t soak it. As soon as the bulb has began to develop roots, you possibly can start watering the potting combine commonly.
How one can Get Amaryllis Bulbs to Rebloom
Amaryllis bulbs require a short interval of dormancy to rebloom in cool, dry circumstances. Observe that this dormancy interval isn’t technically chilly stratification.
“Chilly stratification isn’t required for amaryllis to rebloom as a result of they’re tropical vegetation that don’t naturally expertise chilly winters of their native surroundings,” Funk says. “They as an alternative depend on a dormancy interval of six to eight weeks.”
This era of dormancy ought to happen two months earlier than you need the plant to bloom once more. Since Christmas is a well-liked time for amaryllis blooms, the autumn season is good for forcing dormancy in your bulb.
As fall approaches, cut back the quantity of water you give your amaryllis. You’ll then discover the leaves getting leggy, turning yellow, and dying off. It is a constructive signal that the bulb is getting into dormancy. So long as the bulb is agency and wholesome, your plant is doing what it ought to.
Amaryllis bulbs are usually not frost-tolerant, so they need to be uncovered to chill, delicate circumstances throughout dormancy. Temperatures between 45 and 55 levels Fahrenheit (7 to 13 levels Celsius) are very best.
Don’t water the bulb throughout this two-month dormancy interval. When you see inexperienced sprouting from the highest of the bulb, the plant might be watered commonly and introduced out of its cool circumstances. Blooms will observe quickly after.