Bulb Flowers
Amaryllis: A Great Choice for Indoors and Out
By
Jun 16, 2005 - 3:13:00 PM

Amaryllis is an excellent choice for both an indoor container plant and for your garden. This true bulb provides a large flower similar to the lily. Amaryllis is native to tropical South America. The flowers come in a range of colors including salmon, red, white, pink, orange, and bi-colored. You can expect your amaryllis to grow around six flowers on each stalk; two flowers on larger cultivars. The flower stalks can reach a height of up to three feet depending on the cultivar.

Growing amaryllis indoors is easy. First off, make sure you have a container that drains well and that is around two inches larger in diameter than the base of the bulb. Choose a potting soil mix that has a pH of around 6.0. You should actually plant the bulb a little out of the soil so that the base doesn’t get too wet. If your bulb stays wet, your amaryllis will be more susceptible to disease and rot. Wet amaryllis bulbs are especially likely to contract a virus called blotch infection.

Amaryllis grows best in full sun. Choose a spot that gets about 5 hours of sun a day. Once the flowers appear, you can move the plant out of direct sunlight to prolong flower growth. Your indoor temperature for amaryllis should be kept at around 75 degrees. Once the bulb has flowered, you can lower the temperatures as low as 65 degrees to help your amaryllis maintain its flowers for longer periods.

How you water your amaryllis is very important for producing flowers and maintaining plant health. When you first plant the bulb, keep the soil slightly moist. Using lukewarm water is a good idea to get the plant to generate growth initially. When the plant starts to flower, change the watering to around once a week or water each time the soil begins to feel dry to the touch. To avoid rot, it’s critical that the bulbs feet aren’t wet. Furthermore, Amaryllis will actually grow fine under slightly root-bound conditions, so don’t worry about repotting.

Once your plant finished flowering, it’s important to pluck off the faded blossoms to prevent seed formation. Also, you can trim off the stems just above the bulb. Keep the plant in a sunny spot so that the bulb continues to develop after you removed the initial set of leaves.

Amaryllis bulbs should be planted after their dormant period, which is roughly 2 to 3 months after they have flowered and been cut back. The dormant bulbs should be kept at a temperature of around 50 degrees to avoid flowering. This excellent site provided by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service has lots of information on how to force amaryllis bulbs indoors.

Growing Amaryllis outdoors is fairly easy but you’ll need to be on the lookout for pests and diseases. Amaryllis will do best in zones 8 to 10. In the rest of the country, it’s best to grow them indoors and then move them temporarily outdoors. To facilitate moving your amaryllis indoors when the weather changes, you can actually place the container directly in the ground and simply cover it with a little soil. Don’t let the bulb get too wet or too dry outdoors. Dormant bulbs can be planted directly in the garden during the fall months to provide spring blooms. Raised beds also work great for amaryllis as it’s easy to keep the soil well-drained.

Full sun is always recommended, but it’s best to have a little shade in the afternoon so the plants don’t overheat or dry out too quickly. Organic mulch is an excellent way to keep your plant cool and to retain soil moisture during the heat of the summer. Don’t forget to add organic compost to the soil before hand so that you have well-drained, nutrient rich soil ready to plant.

As the growing season progresses, watch out for the mosaic virus, which is transmitted by aphids. If you catch the aphids, you’re more likely to stop this virus in its tracks. Watch for light yellow streaks on the leaves to identify this common problem. Bulb rot is another problem but can easily be solved by proper watering. Red blotch is a fungus that causes spotting of the leaves. Look for the brownish spots and make sure to remove bulbs infected with this fungus to avoid having it spread to other bulbs in your garden. Bulb maggots, mealy bugs, thrips, and scale are other pests that may cause your bulbs problems. There are plenty of ways to treat pests organically, so first check your local nursery for citrus-based pesticides that are safe for indoor and outdoor use.


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