Care

Caring for amaryllis

Everything about caring for your amaryllis and getting it to bloom

Would you like to care for an amaryllis (Hippeastrum)? Read all our tips for optimal amaryllis care. Depending on the temperature and variety, the amaryllis bulb will generally bloom 7 to 10 weeks after planting. The most important thing is a warm, bright location.

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Step-by-step guide

All the steps for caring for your amaryllis in one overview

  1. Planting the amaryllis
  2. The right location for the amaryllis
  3. Watering the amaryllis
  4. Feeding the amaryllis
  5. Letting the amaryllis flower and getting it to bloom again
Step 1

Planting the amaryllis

  1. Your amaryllis bulb can be planted immediately after receipt.
  2. If the bulb is planted later, store it between 7 and 10°C to prevent premature sprouting.
  3. Before planting, preferably place the bulb with its roots in water for half a day to ‘soak’, which helps the bulb develop new roots more easily.
  4. Use regular potting soil or our special Amaranth coconut coir potting mix and a sturdy stable pot or plant bowl that can properly support the weight of the stem with flowers.
  5. Plant the bulb with approximately 2/3 of it in the soil; the neck of the bulb should remain above the soil.
  6. The potting soil from the bag is generally sufficiently moist as long as no leaves or flower stalk is visible. Do not add any extra water now.
  7. Because the bulb gradually shrinks until flowering, press the potting soil around the bulb down occasionally.
Caring for amaryllis step 1: planting the amaryllis
Video

Also watch this video about planting the amaryllis

This video clearly explains how to plant an amaryllis and when to water it for the first time. Tip: You can turn on the video's subtitles if desired. They are available in 3 additional languages.

Step 2

The right location for the amaryllis

Amaryllis likes a light, warm climate of 18 to 25° C and tolerates sunlight well. A spot right by the window is therefore ideal. Make sure the amaryllis is not placed somewhere too cold. How quickly the flower stalk appears depends on the temperature, location, and variety. In a cool room at 18 °C, it can take considerably longer than in a warmer room at 25 °C. Some varieties also flower faster than others. A little patience may therefore be needed.

Caring for the amaryllis's location
Step 3

Watering the amaryllis

  1. After planting, no additional water is needed during the first week, until the leaves and flower stalks appear. The bulb is also producing new roots now, so you can begin watering carefully.
  2. Wait until the surface of the soil is dry again before watering it. The bulb cannot tolerate too much water and will then rot.
Watering the amaryllis
Step 4

Feeding the amaryllis

  1. Until flowering has finished, there is no need to provide additional plant food, as the bulb contains sufficient nutrients.
  2. Only start feeding it after flowering, once the leaves have developed.
Feeding the amaryllis
Step 5

Letting the amaryllis flower and getting it to bloom again

  1. The amaryllis blooms after 7 to 10 weeks, depending on the temperature.
  2. Remove faded flowers, and after all the flowers have finished blooming, cut off the flower stalk with a sharp knife 10 cm above the bulb.
  3. Do not throw away the bulb after flowering. With proper care, the bulb can flower again next year. To do so, it needs to regain strength and increase in size.
  4. The bulb can remain in the same pot (option 1) or be transplanted into a larger pot (option 2) if necessary.
Cut amaryllis bulb

A cut bulb with 3 flower buds

Option 1: Your amaryllis bulb remains in the same pot

  1. After flowering, remove the spent stems; do not cut off the leaves
  2. Leave the bulb at room temperature and water it regularly. Do not give plant food more than once every 6-8 weeks.
  3. The leaves continue to grow after flowering and ensure that your bulb can grow and that new flower buds are formed in the bulb.
  4. Your amaryllis bulb needs a cold period to bloom again. Approximately six months after flowering, you can place the pot with the bulb and leaves in a cooler spot for at least 8 to 10 weeks at a temperature of 7-10° C.
  5. During the first few weeks of this cool period, continue to water it occasionally.
  6. At the end of this cool period, remove any remaining leaves from the plant and return it to room temperature.
  7. Now wait to water until the new leaves and flower stems appear.
  8. After 7 to 10 weeks (depending on the temperature), the amaryllis will bloom again.
  9. The bulbs that remain in place and are not transplanted into another or larger pot produce longer stems!

Option 2: Your amaryllis bulb is planted in another (larger) pot

  1. After flowering, remove the spent stems; do not cut off the leaves
  2. Leave the bulb at room temperature and water it regularly. Do not give plant food more than once every 6-8 weeks.
  3. The leaves continue to grow after flowering and ensure that your bulb can grow and that new flower buds are formed in the bulb.
  4. Approximately 6 months after the last bloom, remove the bulb from the pot and cut the foliage about 5 cm above the bulb.
  5. Store the bulb in a warm, dry place for 2 weeks so that the cut wound can dry properly.
  6. Clean the roots and remove old roots, young offsets (bulblets), and old bulb parts. You can also plant the bulb with its offsets (bulblets) whole in a larger pot. These offsets will develop into full-grown bulbs and will also bloom normally later.
  7. Then store the bulb in a cool place between 7 and 15° C
  8. After a cool period of 8 to 10 weeks, the bulb can be planted again.
  9. After 7 to 10 weeks (depending on the temperature), the amaryllis will bloom again.

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