Everything you need to know about potted amaryllis

The big dilemma of whether or not to heat a greenhouse during the winter... We've always been adamant that we shouldn't here at Floramama. But very early in spring 2021, when even the spring bulbs hadn't flowered yet, I had to place our large orders of bulbs for the fall and I let myself be taken in by the easy game. I told myself that it would be sooo beautiful and it would be sooo good to have fresh amaryllis at Christmas!

And just like that, with a simple sentence in an email, I added 400 amaryllis bulbs that we would have to grow in November and December, when Lena would normally be ready to close the greenhouses for the season and Raphaëlle would be ready to welcome a slightly less frenetic pace on the sales side. Adding the amaryllis to the order was a small gesture at first, but it had a big impact on the energy still available at the end of the season and also on the equipment needed to heat a greenhouse for 5 to 6 weeks.

In October when the autumn bulbs arrived I had almost forgotten to add amaryllis to our order... I found (and my team too) my idea a lot less sexy than in the spring!
Yes, it's like that sometimes at Floramama, a little chaotic. But never boring!

So we motivated ourselves and did what was necessary to make it happen.

To our pleasant surprise, they required very little attention and we were completely charmed by them. Several are still in bloom after 3 weeks and those we treated as cut flowers have 4 weeks in a vase under their belt. The flowering is truly abundant with an average of 3 stems per bulb and between 5 and 8 flowers per stem!

When we receive the amaryllis bulbs from our suppliers at the farm, they are ready to bloom, almost in any conditions.

These are subtropical bulbs (zone 8) that, in their natural habitat, bloom annually between January and April on average. The bulbs that are offered for sale for flowering during the holiday season have been specially treated to accelerate their flowering. They will therefore only bloom once for the holiday season. In subsequent years, they will flower between January and April.

Here are some principles to observe for annual flowering of amaryllis, but first just a little reminder concerning the cycle of a flower bulb .

The flower bulb is like a battery, and the sun is the energy source. The bulb is either full, empty, charging, or dormant.

The bulb is full : a full bulb contains all the energy it needs for the upcoming flowering.

The bulb is empty : A flowering bulb has transferred all its energy to the growth of roots, flowers, and leaves. It is now empty of energy.

Charging : the leaves are like solar panels and through photosynthesis capture light and transform it into energy which will be stored again in the bulb for the next flowering.

Dormancy : The bulb is full again and it's time for another cycle. But before flowering again, most flower bulbs need a period of dry rest or vernalization.

Everything you need to know to successfully make an amaryllis bloom again:

1. The sun
   Preparation for the next flowering takes place in winter while the plant is still growing. During flowering, lighting is of little importance, but as soon as the foliage appears, it is essential to place your plant in direct sunlight (south-facing if possible). Amaryllis need a lot of light! And remember, flowering drains the battery (the bulb), to recharge it, you must give it maximum exposure to the sun. To know if the exposure is sufficient, simply observe the foliage. If the leaves are long, narrow, rather pale, and very curved, it means that the light is insufficient and your amaryllis will not have enough energy to bloom again. If the foliage is rather squat, dark green, straight at the base and slightly curved in the middle, everything is fine.
   
   
2. Irrigation
   Amaryllis is no different from any other houseplant and should be watered regularly during its growing period, so as soon as it has leaves! Normally, watering between 1 and 2 times a week depending on sun exposure and ambient temperature is sufficient. The main thing is that the soil is generally moist, but not soggy. During the period when the flower stems (also called candles because of their candle-like shapes) are growing and there are no leaves yet, water a little less regularly, either once a week or every 10 days, to avoid stimulating the growth of mold on the bulb.
   
   
3. Fertilization
   Amaryllis should be fed with an organic bulb fertilizer at the manufacturer's recommended rate once the leaves have emerged from the bulb. It's best not to fertilize until the leaves are visible. The combination of sunlight and fertilization will cause the bulb to grow larger. And the larger the bulb, the more abundant the blooms will be!
   
   
4. Dormancy
   Depending on the amaryllis variety, the foliage may eventually turn yellow once the battery (the bulb) is fully recharged. This means that growth is complete and the bulb is ready to fall into a dormant period of between 2 and 4 months. So if the leaves turn completely yellow, you will need to cut them back and stop watering until green growth begins again. It is also possible that the foliage will remain green, in which case growth continues; it does not need to go dormant. You should therefore continue to care for it as explained above.
   The room temperature during the dormant period is not important. Leave your amaryllis where you want it, at room temperature or cool (never frost, however), it will not make a difference. If you decide to move your amaryllis, be sure to check for new green shoots. As soon as green appears, you will then need to put it back in the sun and give it the care above for a new flowering cycle.

When it comes to flowers in particular, you'll probably need to stake the stems, as they can sometimes be too heavy due to the abundance of flowers. If the stems fall over and break, no problem! Simply cut the stem at its base and place it in a vase with fresh water!

For those of you who are visual, here's the average annual cycle of an amaryllis. Obviously, it can vary from one specimen to another!