Amaryllis .... a gift that can keep on giving
At the start of the new year, Amaryllis begin to appear in the windows of homes throughout the country. People are showing them to the passing world – look what we’ve got; don’t you wish you had one?
They are the perfect gifts at Christmas for those people who are difficult when it comes to choosing the perfect gifts.
If you like them, you’ll have one or two. If you can live without them, you can still enjoy them (without the work of maintaining one) by looking in at the neighbours. But what do you do when the plants have finished blooming? Well, after the flowers have faded, cut them off to stop them producing seed. And leave the flower stalk until it has turned yellow because it is needed to help manufacture food that will be stored in the bulb.
Amaryllis is a plant of the light – it revels in the maximum amount of sunlight, so after it has finished blooming, pop it in the brightest possible location indoors.
Water the plant from the top of the container and continue to feed it to help it build up its strength, and ensure that the container sits proud of any excess water – an Amaryllis hates having soggy roots.
When all danger of frost is past, give the plant a taste of the outdoors by first placing it in shade or indirect light.
Gradually move it to a bright garden or bed where it will receive full sun for at least six hours daily.
Sink the pot into the soil and fertilize with a balanced houseplant fertilizer monthly to build up nutrients for flower production the next year.
Propagation by offsets will produce a flowering bulb in three to four years, which will be identical to the parent plant.
Separate offsets from the main bulb when repotting (now until March). Look out for offsets with their own roots and pot them in individual containers in a freedraining compost. Keep at a temperature of 21C (70F).