If you are wondering what to do with your amaryllis now that it has bloomed, this post is for you. This post contains the tips that I use to encourage our amaryllis bulbs to bloom year after year.
Last week, I published a post about our living room updates. Several of you inquired about amaryllis care after seeing the amaryllis in some of the photos. I thought it would be helpful to share my tips with you today.
How they started
All of our amaryllis started as bulbs that I planted around the holidays. Once they bloomed and the blooms were beginning to fade, I cut the flowering stem back to the base. I continued to let them grow near a sunny window and provided water as needed when the pots were dry.
Let them summer outside
Amaryllis are tropical, native to Africa, and enjoy being outside when it’s warm. Once the weather was warm enough, I moved all of the pots outside to a partly shaded location. I watered them all summer.
Let them go dormant
At the end of August – beginning of September, I stopped watering the pots and let them go dormant. Once the foliage looked like it was fading, I cut it back to the base, removed the bulbs from the pots, and put in them basement. The main goal to keep them in a dark location while they go dormant. To store them during this phase, remove the bulbs from the pots. Shake any extra soil from the roots, and place on newspaper, a paper grocery bag, or in an open cardboard box. Air circulation is important to avoid rot. Don’t touch them for about two months.
Time to start again
I try to start them again in time for the holidays, so sometime in November, I plant the bulbs in good potting soil in a pot with drainage holes. (I use plastic pots and set them inside a decorative pot.) They don’t mind being crowded. Sometimes, I plant as many as three to one pot ( as seen below). I water them once and not again until I see the leaves begin to emerge. After that, I water as needed when the soil feels dry to the touch.
I hope you found this post helpful! Let me know if you have any questions.
