Amaryllis
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It's The Berries!
Desert Willow

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Amaryllis

If you didn’t get an amaryllis bulb for Christmas, you might want to go buy one for yourself. The large hybrid amaryllis (Hippeastrum) are tender bulbs that generally originates in Holland or Africa. Although most amaryllis will grow outdoors in many parts of Texas, the large hybrids are especially enjoyable as house plants during the winter months.

The huge showy flowers range in color from bright red to white with every shade in between. Some have orange colors, others yellow, many are striped or mottled. The usual flowering season for these amaryllis is February to April.

The large amaryllis bulbs are wonders of nature. They sit quietly contained within themselves until you tell them it’s time to bloom, then they begin their process like moths working themselves free of their cocoon.

The preferred soil mix is high in organic matter. A mix of two parts loam to one part perlite to one part of well-rotted manure is ideal. You can also get a high-quality potting soil with organic material such as manure or compost already mixed in.

Select your pot after you have your flower bulbs in hand. The pot should allow space of about two inches on either side of the bulb. When you place your bulb in the pot, fill the pot with soil so that only half of the bulb is below the soil, with the upper part (the pointed end) exposed above the top of the pot. It doesn’t matter how deep the pot is as long as the bulb is placed half in and half out.

Press the soil firmly around the pot and water thoroughly to make sure there are no air pockets. After this initial watering, do not water again until roots are well established. Too much water in the beginning can cause the bulb to rot.

Once the bulb has been planted, ignore it for a while. Leaves will appear and after a time a flower stalk will start growing from the center of the plant. When that happens, apply an organic fertilizer, either liquid or dry, every 10 days or so. Fertilize as you would any houseplant, making sure not to overwater.

Amaryllis will flower six to eight weeks after being planted. You can stagger your planting times to have a constant show of flowers if you purchase several bulbs. Give your plants bright indirect light and turn them regularly to keep the stalk straight. Blooms will last longer if the plants are kept in a cool location. A temperature below 75° is preferable.

When the flowers wither, cut the stem off about two inches above the bulb. Keep watering and fertilizing your bulb because it is now storing energy for next year’s growth. You can put your plant outdoors when danger of frost is past or you can continue to grow it as a foliage plant indoors.

Gradually decrease watering late in summer when the leaves begin to turn yellow. Allow the soil to become completely dry when the foliage has died back. If your bulb is in a pot, store it in a cool dry place. Do not water during this dormant period.

The plant will be ready to start up again in December or January of next year. If you have large Dutch bulbs, you might want to refrigerate them for a few weeks before starting the growing process.

Before applying water to start next year’s growth, check to see if the bulb needs repotting. If the bulb crowds the edge of the pot or has side shoots, it should be repotted. Offsets or small bulbs can be removed from the main bulb and potted by themselves to create new plants that will flower in two or three years.

Amaryllis can be propagated by seed, offsets or cuttings. It might be fun to try planting seeds of your amaryllis but don’t expect the new plant to look like the old one. Hybrid seeds don’t produce plants similar to the parents. If you want to try the seeds, pick the pods as soon as they turn yellow and begin to break open. Seeds should be removed from the pod, allowed to air dry for a few days and planted immediately. Plant the seeds in a well-drained potting soil and place them in a partially shaded spot. As plants germinate, increase the light.

Removing offset or small bulbs that develop on the side of the original bulb is the easiest way to propagate amaryllis. You can also cut a bulb vertically into as many as 60 pieces. Each piece must have a portion of the stem tissue or basal plate of the bulb attached to the scales. The bulb is cut into wedges and planted immediately in a mixture of peat and sand. The best time to do this is from August to November when the bulb is dormant.

Many stores sell amaryllis bulbs for flowering at Christmas. These bulbs have been specially forced to bloom on that schedule. After their first year of bloom, they will return to their natural cycle of blooming between February and April.

Amaryllis is subject to only a few diseases, but they are not uncommon. The best control is to discard diseased bulbs whenever they occur. You will recognize a problem if flowers or leaves are mottled, discolored, or otherwise the plant does not produce well or look healthy. Insects are rarely a problem.

These lovely bulbs will brighten your home during cold days. Enjoy them now!