How to make your amaryllis bloom year after year.

Amaryllis are truly impressive flowers. We love the beauty and life they bring during the holiday season. 

When we receive the bulbs from our suppliers, they are ready to be planted and bloom, regardless of the conditions, or almost. 

These are subtropical bulbs (zone 8) that, in their natural habitat, bloom every year between January and April. The bulbs that are put on sale for holiday blooming have been specially treated to speed up their blooming. They will therefore only bloom once for the holidays. In the following years, they will bloom between January and April.

Here are a few principles to follow for an annual amaryllis bloom, but first just a quick reminder regarding the 4-step cycle of a flowering bulb. 

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

1. The full bulb: a full bulb contains all the energy it needs for the upcoming bloom (the stage where we buy and plant bulbs). 
   
2. The empty bulb: a blooming bulb has transferred all its energy to the growth of roots, flowers, and leaves. It is now empty of energy.
3. Charging: the leaves are like solar panels and through photosynthesis they capture light and transform it into energy that will go back into the bulb for the next bloom. 
4. Dormancy: the bulb is full again, the leaves and flowers have faded and dried, and it's off for another cycle. But before blooming again, most flowering bulbs need a rest period.

Everything you need to know to successfully make an amaryllis bloom every year:

1. The sun
   The preparation for the next bloom takes place in winter while the plant is in full growth. During blooming, lighting matters little, but as soon as the foliage appears, it is essential to place your plant in direct sunlight (south if possible). Amaryllis need a lot of light! And remember, blooming empties the bulb of its energy; to recharge it, we must give it maximum sun exposure. To know if the exposure is sufficient, simply observe the foliage. If the leaves are long, narrow, rather pale, and very fragile, it means the light is insufficient and your amaryllis will not have enough energy to bloom again. If the foliage is rather stocky, dark green, solid, straight at the base, and slightly curved in the middle, it means everything is fine.
   

2. Irrigation
   The amaryllis is no different from any other houseplant and must be watered regularly during its growth period, so as soon as there are leaves! Normally, watering 1 to 2 times a week depending on sun exposure and ambient temperature is sufficient. The main thing is that the potting soil is generally moist, but not soaked. During the period when the flower stalks (which we also call candles because of their candle shapes) grow and there are no leaves yet, we water a little less regularly, so once a week or every 10 days, so as not to stimulate the growth of mold on the bulb.
   

3. Fertilization
   You must feed the amaryllis with an organic fertilizer for bulb plants according to the dose recommended by the manufacturer once the leaves have emerged from the bulb. It is preferable not to fertilize before the leaves are visible. It is the combination of sun and fertilization that will make the bulb grow. And the bigger the bulb, the more abundant the bloom will be!
   

4. Dormancy
   Depending on the amaryllis variety, the foliage may eventually turn yellow once the bulb is fully recharged. This means that growth is finished and the bulb is ready to enter a dormant period between 2 to 4 months. So if the leaves turn completely yellow, you will need to cut them and stop watering until green grows again. The foliage may also remain green, and in this case, growth continues; it does not need dormancy. You must therefore continue to care for it as explained above.
   The ambient temperature during the dormancy period is not important. Leave your amaryllis where you want it, at room temperature or cool (never freezing, however), it will not change anything. If you decide to move your amaryllis, make sure to check for the emergence of new green shoots. As soon as green shows its face, you will then need to put it back in the sun and give it the care mentioned above for a new blooming cycle.

As for the flowers in particular, you will probably need to stake the stems, because they are sometimes too heavy because the flowers are so large. If the stems ever fall and break, no problem! Simply cut the stem at its base and put it in a vase with fresh water!

For the visuals like me, here is the average cycle of the amaryllis over one year. Obviously, it can vary from one specimen to another!