Amaryllis Red Lion

Plant your amaryllis bulbs between six and eight weeks before you’d like them to bloom. Use a pot only a slightly bigger than the bulb, cover two thirds of the bulb with good multi-purpose compost, leaving the top of the bulb showing above the compost. Water your amaryllis from the top, keeping it just moist  continually.

As a tender bulb, amaryllis need to be kept at a steady 20 – 22° to trigger them to begin to grow. At this stage it doesn’t matter if they’re kept in the dark – it is the temperature that is important.

Once the bulbs have started to sprout, move them to a warm, light location to continue growing. Turn them regularly to stop the stems bending towards the window or other light source.

As soon as the flowers have faded, it’s best to cut the whole stem off as close to the base as possible. The plant may now grow and when blooming is complete, will produce foliage. Feeding is particularly important at this stage in order to nourish the bulb ready for next year’s flowering.

As long as there’s no risk of frost, you can put your amaryllis outside for the spring and summer months. Place it in a sheltered spot where the sunlight isn’t too strong and water enough so that the soil does not dry out completely, making sure it is also not really wet. Once the foliage start to die down, reduce watering until the compost is only just moist, allowing the amaryllis bulbs to become dormant.

Then move your amaryllis back inside, and begin the cycle again.Move your plant or bare bulb to a cool location, ideally around 10-12°C, for eight to ten weeks. Any old foliage can be cut back to the neck of the bulb. After this time, move amaryllis bulbs to a warm position and resume watering as per the growing instructions above. Once amaryllis plants are actively growing again, they can be fed with a balanced fertiliser every few weeks to encourage flower production.

Amaryllis don’t like their roots being disturbed, so re-pot sparingly. They grow best in small pots so don’t be tempted to choose one that’s too large.