I’m not a resolution kinda gal. Perhaps a vow to initiate the dormant cycle on my growing collection of amaryllises in September instead of December is a good starting point. After all, they’re supposed to be holiday flowers. But I find I’m most in need of flower power in February when holiday magic seems a distant memory and Spring is Winter’s indefinite captive. That’s what I love about amaryllis. I decide when I want them to flower. I hold the magic wand. But all the abracadabra I can summon won’t change the fact that my pot-grown amaryllises are in need of a little attention.
Something’s Up
I rescued a forgotten red lion amaryllis bulb from the top of my work bench a few years ago and potted it up in a cobalt blue pot. Unsure how it would perform, I placed it on the patio with the rest of my collection for the summer. By July, it was throwing up a solitary stalk, sans leaves, and a rather anemic but determined-to-live flower. Success!
By the following year, the pot had become crowded with bulblets attached to the mother plant. The same was happening to my other amaryllis bulbs. Despite an otherwise healthy mother plant, her flowers were smaller and less robust. Damn kids. Talk about sucking the life out of you. Time to ween the offspring.
Bringing Back the Mojo
Despite their affinity for tight quarters, things were a little too close for comfort. The roots were a tangled mess and the entire dried-out clump was molded together. If I ripped them apart, I’d damage the bulbs.
A 15-minute soak made quick work of the roots and I was able to ease the bulblets away from the mother bulb with a gentle tug.
Despite having to endure several months exposed and alone on my work bench, she managed to produced eight little bulblets. Her exact clones. Which means I have some to share with friends and a plethora of Red Lion blossoms to adorn my windowsills in the years to come. Although, it may be several Februarys before the littlest guys flower.
I planted the largest bulbs in a terracotta planter, necks and shoulders exposed.
The littlest ones were nestled into small plastic containers, labeled and given to my daughters’ plant-loving friends. One of them, 13-year-old Emily, said she’d been looking for something pretty for her windowsill. Mission accomplished. Outfitted with care instructions and the promise of beautiful red blossoms in a few years, she carried her amaryllis to the warmth of her mom’s waiting car and I was left with that warm and fuzzy feeling gardeners get when they share a piece of their heart. You know the feeling.
Hot Tip: After the holidays, the garden centers are full of discounted amaryllis bulbs. So that $30 bulb you were eyeing is now probably close to $15 or less. What are you waiting for?
Not sure how to force an amaryllis into bloom? Click here.
Do you have a favorite amaryllis? Do tell. Mine is Aphrodite (pictured above).
I haven’t tried my hand at an amaryllis before, but Aldi had them for 99 cents. Not great looking, but not a bad investment if it grows.
99 cents?! Go for it! Nothing to lose and they’re so pretty. I may have to visit Aldi asap.
I fished a poor red amaryllis bulb out of the clearance bin at Home Depot two years ago after Christmas. I had little hope for it, but I couldn’t just leave it there. It bloomed last year very nicely, although after all my other bulbs. This year it hasn’t sent up a bud yet, but the bulb is firm and I’m thinking it will be a late bloomer like it was before. When it comes to amaryllis bulbs, my rule is that if you send up leaves over the summer you get wintered over. I’ve been gradually getting a higher percentage of blooms each year. Plenty of water, plenty of sun, plenty of fertilizer.
I’m awaiting blooms on all of mine too. I prefer the later blooms as I appreciate them so much more after the holidays and later in winter when a burst of color gives me a lift.
Thank you for such great information. The women in the family had an Amaryllis Christmas contest three years ago. (Non green thumb daughter Amber won🙄) Sad to say she suddenly died the next year. Her bulb lived outside on the downstairs slab sideways in a pot with no soil for two years and suddenly this past winter sent up green shoots. I potted it in January and brought it in and put it in a basement room in front of a southwest facing window. Four big red blooms! By Amber’s birthday, March 19. Now she has had about five babies and thanks to you we can start again. Amber never had children. True story. I wish I could send you a picture.
Hi Nina! Isn’t that always the way? Beginners luck! All kidding aside, I’m sorry for your loss and glad that her beautiful red flowers live on in her memory. Thank you for reading and have a nice evening!
What soil do I use to pot up amaryllis bulblets
Hi Ruth, any potting soil will do. I use Miracle Grow organic but whatever you find will work.
After blooming, my bulb sent up two bulbets this winter. I forced it inside for the second time (after keeping it on the porch all last summer.) It seems quite crowded in there. I would like to try to harvest the two daughters. When is the best time to do that? I would think in the spring when I bring them up from the basement. My concern is that they will suffer from being crowded all summer on the porch.
Hi Kathy! You could separate them from the mother plant anytime. The little guys likely won’t bloom for several years.
I live in Illinois and have many amaryllis and love them! But nowadays they are all blooming in the spring instead of winter. Every fall I bring them inside before frost and take them down to the basement and let them go dormant (I lay their pots on their sides) but every spring they start growing again even in the dark! Well, almost dark… there’s very little light down there. I brought one of them up this December hoping that I could fool it into blooming, but it only grew leaves, no bloom stalk. Do you know what I can do to get them back on track to where they will wait to bloom until winter?
Timing is everything and even then, the plant will do it in its own time. If you want it to bloom for the holidays, start withholding water in mid-August. The leaves will yellow then move it to a cool dark space where it should stay for at least eight weeks. Count back six to eight weeks from the time you’d like flowers and bring it into a space with bright indirect light. Begin watering sparingly and once you see growth, water more frequently.