Do you place your Amaryllis outside with some shelter from the afternoon sun? Do you fertilize it? Do you plant it in a larger pot after the winter? I have been pleased with the blooming of the A. during the winter, but was surprised when one started blooming a week ago.

I plant mine outside with only half the bulb in the ground, mulch in the winter. They bloom every year. I'm sure you have colder winters there than I do, but try planting the bulb half way and see it it helps when planting time is right for your area. trudyjean

I will try this suggestion again. I have read and it is how I grow mine and they bloom every year from Jan-March depending on their schedule.

Outside in their pots all summer about Sept when it gets cool in my area I bring the pots inside. Place them in a sunny window and I reduce watering to about once a month. If a leaf or two dies I cut it off.

They bloom when they think it is time during the winter.

If i want my amaryllis to flower around xmas time would now be the time to allow them to dry out then put them in the fridge until say, beginning of december?

Cheers
Rowan

Hello Rowan,

Mine take 7-8 weeks to flower once woken up...so back tracking from Christmas, yours would need to be woken up (watered and placed in a warm place) between Halloween and the first few days of November.

To give them 3 months rest, then they needed to be in the fridge August 1. If you get them in the fridge right now, you'll barely get two months rest.

However, I believe we can push the envelope and get you to succeed!

So...put it in a paper sack, fold up the top and use a few staples to staple it shut. Stick it in the fridge by tomorrow (hopefully it is not soaked). Damp will be fine as most fridge's are frost free types now and will dehumidify, even through the paper sack.

If it is pretty wet, then stick it in the fridge without the paper sack it for a week and check...it will dry out quicker without the sack. If it seems mostly dry, the sack it.

Pull out on November 6th. Put it in the sink and thoroughly water it with warm water (not hot or cold). Then place they pot by a heating duct (or radiator) so hot air warms it up.

Warmth awakens the bulb so if we do this right you have a flower by Christmas!

The warmer you keep it, the faster it will grow.

Always water with warm water.

Move to warm sunny location when leaves come out.

Good luck!

Wildcat

Could it be that they are not getting enough energy stored for blooming again? I like to plant mine out in the garden in full sun...they increase is bulb size and thrive. Once frost knocks the tops down you can dig them and pot up for storage. I have them planted deep next to a foundation and just leave them there...so far, so good. They are been out there for two winters so far, but I am in a warmer zone.

I think your problem is that the plant is not getting enough sunshine when it needs it most. If grown in the ground in warmer climates that experience frost it goes fully dormant, and then grows and flowers the following spring. During the growth cycle it is important to give it at least very bright light. Sun is preferable. In your climate, which never gets terribly warm, I would plant it outside in full sun, and mulch it in winter if you're concerned about frosts. In summer don't spare the water and fertilizer. I've grown these successfully in the ground in north Florida (zone 8b) and here in southern Japan (zone 9a).

I bought a bulb here in the North country in Nov.
I followed the directions, got lots of long green stems, but no flower shoots..
I had in at work, and my theory for no bloom is that it didn't have enough light.
My question is: what do I do now to get a bloom, sometime in the future.

I received an amaryllis bulb for Christmas this past year and I have been waiting for it to bloom. It has several two foot leaFs, but no flower. I decided to do some research ( first time amaryllis 'caretaker' [or any plant for that matter])and have read a lot about ppl trying to get theirs to bloom more than once. Upon reading this I also noticed several ppl talking about removing the flowers and storing the bulb for the winter months. I can't help but wonder if maybe timing of the year has anything to do with the blooming process. I planted it DEC 28th of '08 and from what I am reading I am doing everything else right. Am I being too impatient?? :>

I followed growing instructions and sixteen weeks later I have two long stems and no flowers and did not have flower buds to begin with. Now what can I do with the bulb? Thank you.

Oh MY GOD, stop telling people to cut back leaves and put their amaryllis in a dark cool space. Mis-information!! Every year I read people posting this untruth and quite frankly, I'm tired of it!! Here's my blog post. NEVER cut back the foliage or put them in closets! http://wallflowerstudioseeds.blogspot.ca/2015/02/diy-indoor-gardening-tips-pollinating.html My amaryllis is 140 years old. That's right. It blooms every year. Visit my post and find out how to get it to flower again.

Thanks

Hi Karen, I read your blog. Pretty cool that you have a 140 year old amaryllis. I was given one this past December and it never bloomed. I bought a bulb vase from a garden shop...no soil...and maybe that caused the problem. Unfortunately I cut the 2' stalks down because they were too heavy to stand up anymore, before I read your blog. Now it's February and I have a chopped off bulb with roots that never flowered and I don't know what I'm supposed to do at this point, due to the conflicting info I've gotten online and at the garden shop. Can you give me some advice? You seem to have a handle on keeping it blooming for 140 years!

Hi Susan,

Great question! Thank you.
First off, I do have a blog post on amaryllis care that you're welcome to visit. Here is the link to it on my blog at: https://wallflowerstudio.wordpress.com/2016/11/30/grow-amaryllis/

It'll take a year to revive the bulb. Plant it in good soil, (I use triplemix, which is a combination of compost, peat moss and top soil) up to the bulb's shoulders, (half way up the bulb.) They like to be pot bound, so a 6" clay pot is usually a good choice, and offers just enough room for the bulb, with approx. an inch of space for soil between the bulb and pot.

Water it every couple weeks.. a good drink and let it dry out a bit between drinks. You'll soon start to see leaves grow. That's a good sign!
I recommend putting it outside all summer, but not in full sun as the leaves will burn. Bring it back in before frost in autumn and ease up on watering once again. Water well during warmer months, March thru Sept.
Every other watering, I add a bit of coffee (dilluted in the watering can). That's the only thing I ever feed them.
In late November, let it dry out completely for a couple weeks. Then give it a good drink again mid December. That should shock it into blooming in January. Once it does and the flower is finished, as you know, let the stalk and any leaves die back naturally. This feeds the bulb for future flowers!
So, I hope that helps! If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch. By the way, mine is blooming as I type! If you're interested in viewing some photos, I have many on my Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/karensloan/albums/72157648590190333

Thanks for getting touch, and best of luck to you!

Karen

Thank you for your advice Karen! I will plant the bulb today. I live in San Francisco and it's raining cats & dogs so it's probably best I leave it inside right now. As the picture shows, there are long roots. Do I just dig a deep enough hole in my potting soil to accommodate so I won't crush or break them? And as the leaves grow long... do you just let them fall were they may? Or do I buy a stake to lightly tie them to? Without a bloom they were growing on 2'. Perhaps I didn't get a bloom because of this sort of watering system, suggested by my local nursery. No wonder they were left over from last year...

As for coffee... how much in a smallish watering can?

~Susan