Jasper County

How to Achieve Maximum Beauty From Your Amaryllis

Lucky you if Santa left a big amaryllis bulb or two under your Christmas tree. Six to eight weeks from receipt you're due for a spectacular bloom display that will chase mid-winter gloom.

To insure that colorful display, you must follow exactly the planting directions included with your bulb gift. Keep the amaryllis in a warm location -- about 70 degrees, never lower than 55 degrees. A sunny window is ideal. It will grow in direct or indirect sunlight. Check soil moisture daily, keep moist not soggy. Once leaves pop up and the flower stem appears, water demand will increase. When the blooms open, water every day or two as needed. A slender stake support may be required to keep the flower stalk upright. Moving the plant at night to a cooler room -- not below 55 degrees -- and returning it in the day to the warm site can extend bloom life.

Once the blooms have withered, cut the stem back to about two inches from the bulb. DO NOT CUT those long strappy leaves. These will manufacture the food your bulb needs to produce next year's flowers. Keep the amaryllis in a sunny window. If needed, support the leaves by tying them to a stake. Water as needed to keep soil barely moist.

When danger of frost has passed, move your potted amaryllis outdoors to a sunny porch or patio or sink the pot into the earth in a flowerbed or garden. Keep well watered, feeding monthly with a suitable fertilizer at rate recommended by its manufacturer.

Come mid-September stop watering the bulb and put it to rest in a dry, well-ventilated basement or cabinet for six to eight weeks. Let the foliage wither as the bulb prepares for its next blooming period. Even if your amaryllis fails to bloom for the holidays, the late flowers greatly cheer dreary February and March.

For directions on caring for other potted plant gifts you may have received, consult the Missouri University Guide 6511, Care of Flowering Potted Plants, available from your University of Missouri Extension, Courthouse Basement, Carthage.

		University of Missouri Extension Jasper County jasperco@missouri.edu Web site maintained by: Virginia Bryan bryanv@missouri.edu Last updated: 09/02/2009