Bloom Thyme: Growing Amaryllis

I love Amaryllis and love to give Amaryllis bulbs as gifts. A couple of years ago, Mr. G and I gave away 30 or so. Many of the recipients had never grown an Amaryllis or even knew what one was! It was a lot of fun hearing their stories. Even those with brown thumbs had success! If you’ve never grown an Amaryllis, it really is very easy and very rewarding!

I found these Red Lion Amaryllis at Lowe’s. Such cute packaging! Excellent for gift giving!

 

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GETTING STARTED
You will need: Healthy Bulb (It has been my experience that bigger is better.), Light Potting Soil, Pot 2 – 4″ inches wider than bulb. Or, buy a “kit” that comes with everything you need, making it super easy to get started!

The first thing I do with all indoor bulbs is soak them in Annie’s Moo Poo tea. If you have followed The Garden Diary for a while you know that all plants get their start with me this way. For more on moo poo tea, CLICK HERE. She’s also on Facebook, follow along here.

NOTES:

  • The top of the bulb should show (about a third of it’s height).
  • Soil line should be 1” below rim of the pot to make watering easier.
  • Place in sunny, warm room (65 – 75 degrees)
  • When new growth shows, begin watering whenever the soil is dry.
    • When you water, be careful not to get the part of the bulb that sticks above the soil wet.
  • Turn the pot often toward light to promote balanced growth.
  • When buds are about to open, move to a cooler, darker room to prolong the bloom time.
  • Amaryllis take 6 – 8 weeks to bloom.
  • Tall amaryllis may need staking; we use dowel rods for support.

REBLOOMING

You can keep your amaryllis indefinitely. Here is an article on the “rest and restoration” of your bulb.

ADDING SUPPORT

Most grow very tall and need some support.

Here are the trellises I made last year with sticks and twine to add some decor and support. Confession: I am somewhat of a twine junky.

http://thegardendiary.com/2012/01/01/confessions-of-a-twine-junkie/.

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WHAT ABOUT YOU?

What do you grow in the winter? Maybe you are great at house plants. Me, not so much. For house plants, I go for the bullet proof varieties! Amaryllis are perfect for me. Easy. Rewarding.

Would love to hear about your inside gardening experiences.

10 thoughts on “Bloom Thyme: Growing Amaryllis

  1. Thanks, Teresa, for the heads up on the amaryllis at Lowes. Wonderful wintertime gifts for those you may not exchange Christmas gifts with, but want to remember. Winter gardening around here consists of browsing spring catalogs, making lists, and keeping my potted roses moist that I bring into the garage for the duration. I will own up to buying a few African violets, but confess they rarely make it to spring. My first order of Moo Poo teas recently arrived. Can’t wait to try them on my roses and other perennials. If you make up a batch for your amaryllis, what do you do with what you don’t use? You don’t pour it on your garden plants this time of year, do you? My ground isn’t frozen yet, but temps are below freezing at night. We’re both zone 5.

  2. I enjoyed this post very much and hope to do some bulbs this winter! I have bookmarked this post for my step by step tutorial!

  3. I missed getting Amaryllis bulbs in time to bloom for Christmas, which were a staple of my childhood Christmases in Belgium. I do have hyacinths though, and am hoping they will bloom in time.

  4. Just as a heads up, you might find some of these guys marked clearance to around 5 bucks [bulbs only a dollar] right now. At least ours were at the Lowes I work at – didn’t notice until a customer of mine pointed out they were marked down and I ended up taking a couple home with me after work. Pretty sure the reason why they were marked down is because they were starting to grow on us without watering!

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