First time growing amaryllis: help clear some doubts

11 years ago

Hi all the expert-amaryllis-growers,

You guys are so experienced that I feel like a dumb to ask these basic questions. Yet I need to ask as even after going through all the materials I could find on internet I'm not really sure of a few things.

I've been saving my amaryllis since December and do not want to kill it after coming this far.

I bought a hybrid red amaryllis from my local grocery store last December. It had two budding stems (the stems never grew taller than a foot) and flowered beautifully. I followed the basic care steps and cut the stocks back after it was done blooming and placed on my SE facing windowsill where it received atleast 6 hours of direct sun. The plant is healthy and set out many leaves. 3 days ago I placed it outside as the night temperature is finally consistently above 60 degrees. The plant is loving the outdoor humidity it seems.

Now I'm a bit clueless about the next steps. As I understand the amaryllis needs a period of dormancy before it starts blooming again. I live in northern NJ (close to Manhattan) where the weather starts cooling down starting somewhere in September.

My first question is how and when do I send it to dormancy? Also how long should the bulb be dormant and what is the temperature to be maintained during that time?

Secondly I live in an apartment and don't have access to any unheated basement or garage to store the bulb (which seems to be the ideal location for storing the bulb in North). Can I keep it in my SE facing balcony while dormant (I'm thinking of putting it in a small container inside a big one with some kind of packing between the walls to make it insulated)?

Finally what is the lowest night time temperature that the bulb can take?

This plant has done beautifully so far. And the gorgeous big red flowers it produced were simply breathtaking for me (never saw an amaryllis before). I do not want to lose it. Attaching a picture of my plant that I clicked today.

Your advice would be much appreciated.

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Comments (5)

kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
11 years ago
These FAQ will spell it all out for you. Plant looks great!
natureinspiredM_ 6B NJ thanked kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
natureinspiredM_ 6B NJ
Original Author
11 years ago
Wow that's a lot of info. Thanks for posting the link kaboehm. Hopefully I'll be able to extract the info I need from there.
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dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
11 years ago
I leave my bulbs outside until the temps get down to the mid 40s F or if it is a continually wet fall, I bring them in sooner; the combination of cold and wet will make them rot. If you just have the one bulb and have the room, you can bring it in and most likely it will continue to grow during the winter if you put it in a well lighted window and even better with a few hours of sun. If you choose to grow it as an evergreen it may loose a few leaves but just water it less but don't let it dry out for too long or it will go dormant. I have many pots that stay in all year in a sunny window and grow as evergreen. Growing as an evergreen may interfere with its blooming cycle and it may bloom again in the middle of next summer for you.

Donna
natureinspiredM_ 6B NJ thanked dondeldux z6b South Shore Massachusetts
kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
11 years ago
Here are some quick responses to your specific questions. I always like to point out that we do have an FAQ that answers most questions, but can be overwhelming!!

Re: dormancy - they don't have to be cold, but dry and cooler, so bring it in in Sept when it starts to cool down, and stop watering it. Let the leaves yellow and dry out, then cut them down (or grow as evergreen per Donna...but you asked about dormancy, so I'm telling you what my pal in NH does). You can cut the neck straight across where the leaves came out just to keep in clean. Dust it with cinnamon (a good antifungal) and set the pot in the coolest part of your apt out of sunlight. Wait 6-8 weeks and bring the pot out. Give it a good watering and set it in a sunny window and it should bloom again for you. Keep in mind this summer you should be giving it a good all purpose fertilizer on a regular basis. Several here us 1/2 strength MiracleGro or similar.

I wouldn't do any packing to insulate it as you suggest, as it needs to "breathe" and you don't want rot or fungus!

My bulbs in the greenhouse never get cooler than 45F. The bulbs on the heated enclosed porch never go below 40F. The bulbs in the ground get covered with leaves and they do fine with the occasional freeze we get here.

I am so glad you love the blooms! Makes it easy to understand why many of us are so passionate about our bulbs! (and we cringe when we hear some of the horror stories posted!)

Kristi
natureinspiredM_ 6B NJ thanked kaboehm (zone 9a, TX USA)
natureinspiredM_ 6B NJ
Original Author
11 years ago
dondeldux and kaboehm, thank you so much for clarifying my doubts. These are extremely valuable information.

The material I found gave an impression that these bulbs need a cooler temperature (like in low 50s or high 40s) during dormancy to bloom. Thanks for the clarification. I applied slow release fertilizer and a 1/2" thick layer of compost at the beginning of summer. I also water with a diluted bloom booster once a month.

@kaboehm, yes I love the blooms. Infact when it started blooming many days I would sit beside the plant and stare at the gorgeous blooms for a long stretch at a time (behaved like someone deep in love who couldn't stop looking into his/her beloved's eyes, LOL). Could hardly take my eyes off. Guess you understand what I mean