Expert: Kenneth Joergensen - 2/11/2005

Question
I have 4 amaryllis bulbs all of them bloomed over xmas and after i let the flower and leaves die and dry out i noticed new leaves growing now in all of them .Am i doing something wrong or is this what they are supposed to be doing? I live in n.e. pennsylvania where it is very cold, and want to know what to do so that they rebloom next xmas.Any info would help.

Answer
Hi Jo, nice to hear that you are growing amaryllis. Aren't they just fantastic ? They are among my favorites.

I will give you some advise below. There are not a lot of information available on the care and re-blooming of amaryllis, so the below I have learned from professional growers who specialize in the production of the plants.

Let me start by saying, that amaryllis plants should not be allowed to die back immediately after flowering as you just did. They must always be allowed to continue to grow (as green houseplants) after flowering. The new leaves which appear now ... just let them grow, please.

1) After flowering, you can cut the flower stem off (carefull it is full of a suckery water, so cut it over a sink). This is also called dead-heading.

2) Let the green leaves remain. An amaryllis plant need to be grown for 6-9 months (longer is no problem) in order to re-bloom. The leaves are the parts of the flower which harvest the sun's energy and turn it into plant energy in form of starch (carbohydrates). The starch is stored in the bulb, and is needed to rebloom.

3) The first 3-6 months after flowering are the most important for a healthy growing bulb. Give plenty of sun, water and fertilizer and keep growing the plant green indoors. A sunny window, or a fluorescent light fixture suspended a few inches above the plant is fine. You can also buy one of the "compact fluorescent" light bulbs (these new spirally thingies) which goes into a normal light socket and point it so it is right by the plant (almost touching). You may have to turn the plant every few days.

4) While the plant is growing, you should water regularily and never allow the soil to become real dry. I recommend buying a liquid houseplant fertilizer (available at garden centers, or the supermarkets, home depot, walmart, etc). Use the "full strength" setting and mix with every watering. Besides good sunlight / grow light, the water w/fertilizer is the most important.

5) In summer, after last chance of frost (say mid May) you can transplant the bulb outdoors. If you put it in the ground, then make sure 1/2 of the bulb is above ground. Plant it in full sun, and make sure you water every so often if no rain has fallen. Apply fertilizer on regular basis. Either mix liquid fertilizer with the water, or use a topdressing of good quality slow release fertilizer (such as OSMOCOTE 14-14-14) every 2 months.

6) In early fall, just before first frost (say October 15th) dig the bulbs and bring them into a cool garage, basement, etc (cool, not cold. do not refrigerate). Let the leaves die back. This may take 4-6 weeks. Once the leaves has withered and are crisp you can cut them off at nose level. Store the bulb for another 2-3 months checking it every 2-3 weeks.

7) when the bulb is ready, flower scapes or new leaves will appear at the nose of the bulb. At this time, you have two options: either you can pot it up and start it back into growth. If you wish to postpone growth, put it in the fridge (in a brown paper bag) where temperatures do not go above 40F. This is not a vernalization (cooling) period (the bulb does not need it... it is tropical) but a holding temperature. E.g. it will suspend growth until you are ready for flowers.

8) 4-6 weeks after being potted up the plant will flower. Therefore, when you take it out of the fridge, repot into a pot which is 2" wider (diameter) than the thickest part of the bulb. Repot with good potting soil so 1/2 of the bulb is above soil level. Water once really well and then put aside in a cool (not cold) room until growth starts.

9) when growth starts, bring into the living room and enjoy flowers. The process can start again.

Notes:
- the plant needs 6-9 months of active growing during which it is given plenty of sunlight (or grow light.. here fluorescent lights are very good; including the compact fluorescent light bulbs - you know.. the spirally thingies.. This is best I can describe them .. sorry).

- make sure to give adequate water and fertilizer. Never fertilize a plant without leaves. Wait until leaves appear, but then use the "regular strength" fertilizer dose on the package.

- Planting outdoors in summer and continuing with fertilizer/water will usually improve the size of the bulb. I buy my bulbs at walmart and 9 months later they are twice as big. This means buying new pots by the end of the year, but it is worth it. I have one blooming now which has just put out it's 3rd flower stem... FANTASTIC.

- dig before first frost (it is a tropical bulb). In PA this would be early to mid October. Let leaves die back. Put in storage (normal room temperatures or slightly cooler, but not cold) until flower scapes appear at nose of bulb. Then put in fridge to hold flowers until desired, or repot for immediate flower.

- flowers will come up 4-6 weeks after being repotted.

To rebloom for next christmas we must "count backwards":
- we need atleast 4 weeks for the flowers to come up. 6 to be safe. So we must restart the bulb November 10-15th. We need 10-13 weeks of storage and 4 weeks for leaves to die back. We better err on the side of being a bit too early, so lets say we count back 19-20 weeks. That means digging the bulb in N.E. PA on/about August 1st.

To have flowers for Christmas, we must pot the bulb mid November. If the flower scapes appear at the nose earlier than mid november, then keep it in the fridge until then to "suspend growth".

IN YOUR CASE:
If we count back from August 1st, you will see that we only have about 5 1/2 months until August 1st. In my opinion, your amaryllises will not flower for next Christmas .. we are just about out of time (uhh !!!). However, if you grow it (outdoors) until October 1st, and store it, it should flower for Valentines day 2006. That will give you very nice, large bulbs by then. Of course, you can also put the bulb in the fridge next February and keep them to Christmas 2006 (!!!!!)


* It is important to remember that the bulb need minimum 6-9 months of active green growth in order to flower again. If you want to run the plants on a christmas/christmas schedule, then you must continue to water/fertilize the bulbs on regular basis as soon as flowers die back in late december and dig/store the bulb mid July or latest August 1st. This year, you are a bit behind the curve.

* only if the bulb is capable of generating enough energy throughout the 6-9 months growing period, will it flower. If a bulb does not flower one year, keep it growing green and it will flower next year. Each bulb has two seasons of flowers inside them (they take 18 months to mature).

* Do remember to fertilize and water regularily. These bulbs have very healthy appetities and it really pays off.


I have a small picture presentation for you here:
Copy/paste the below link to the address bar of your browser:

http://photobucket.com/albums/v311/lilium/hippeastrum/

When you are in the album, click on the "slideshow" button.

I hope you get flowers for Christmas.

Kenneth