Amaryllis
- Botanical Name
- Hippeastrum
- Min Zone
- 8
- Max Zone
- 10
- Height
- 1 to 2 feet
- Width
- 9 to 12 inches
- Flowers
- Seasonal: trumpet-shaped, white, pink, red, salmon, rose, apricot, bicolor; 6 to 10 inches
- Light
- Bright, indirect light when growing indoors, dappled shade or bright shade when growing outdoors
- Soil
- Moist, well-drained, rich
- Planting & Care
- Bulbs should be firm and dry with no signs of injury, mold or decay
- Select a container with good drainage to avoid bulb or root rot from excess moisture
- Diameter of pot should be about 1 inch wider than the wides part and twice as tall as the bulb to allow for good root development
- Amaryllis prefer to be slightly potbound
- Potting mix should be sterile and rich in organic matter
- Plant the bulb so that 1/3 to 1/2 remains above the soil surface
- Plan to have a 1-inch gap from the soil surface to the rim of your pot to accomodate watering
- Water when the top 2 inches of soil feels dry
- Bulbs should begin to produce a flower stalk and begin blooming 6 to 8 weeks after planting
- To prolong bloom period, keep your plant out of direct sunlight
- After the flowers fade, carefully prune them off, taking care not to damage the main flower stem
- Seed formation depletes the energy reserves in the bulb and will reduce future blooms
- Remove the flower stalk only once it has turned yellow, as long as it is still green, it is producing energy for the bulb
- Once the plant has finished blooming, move it to the sunniest location possible to allow the leaves to continue to grow and produce energy to store in the bulb
- Continue watering regularly and fertilize monthly with an all-purpose houseplant fertilizer
- When all danger of frost has passed in spring, you can move your plant outdoors, first in shade to acclimate it to the outside then gradually move it to a sunny location where it should receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight dialy
- Grow as a container plant on your deck or patio, or sink the entire container into the ground for the summer, removing from the pot is not recommended
- By mid to late summer the foliage may die back as the bulb enters dormancy
- Bring the pot indoors before the first frost and store in a dark location at a cool 50° to 60° and do not water
- Allow the leaves to dry and turn brown before removing them
- Leave the pot in the dark for 8 to 12 weeks
- Periodically inspect the bulb for mold or mildew
- When plants begin to grow again, move plant to a sunny window, water and fertilize as above
- Flowers usually develop in about 4 to 6 weeks from dormant bulbs
- Problems
- Mealybugs, red blotch, narcissus bulb fly
- Varieties
- Apple Blossom - white with red lines, pink blush, single type
- Beautiful Lady - pale mandarin red, single
- Valentine - white with pink veins, single
- Susan - soft pink, single
- Spotty - red-brown with greenish lines, small single flowers
- Best Seller - cherry red on a short stem
- Bouquet - salmon pink, single large flower
- Byjou - soft burnt apricot, single
- Cantate - milky deep red, single
- Scarlet Baby - red, small single flower
- Rilona - peach pink, single
- Red Lion - dark red, single
- Picotee - white, fine red border, single
- Christmas Gift - white, single
- Dazzler - white, single
- Double Picotee - white, fine red border, double type
- Dutch Belle - opal rose, single
- Pasadena - red with white bands, double
- Orange Sovereign - red-orange, single
- Minerva - red with white bands and green throat, single
- Germa - yellow, single
- Lady Jane - rose pink with faint white bands, double
- Ludwig's Goliath - bright scarlet, single
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