My Amaryllis plants rebloomed

I know you have been wondering where I have been. It always takes me longer these posts than I imagine. These flowers actually bloomed in May, and this is my first opportunity to write about them. I know. I’m bad for taking so long, but as they say, better late than never. Below are the latest photographs of my Amaryllis flowers. I hope you enjoy them.

How to get your Amaryllis to rebloom.

1. Remove each flower after it dies. Once a flower has died, cut the flower where it meets the main stalk with a clean knife or scissors. Make sure to remove the green lump and thin green stem attaching the flower to the stalk. This stops the plant from making seeds, which requires a lot of energy that could be going into survival and growth instead.

2. Cut the flower stalks once they are yellow or sag. The main stalks contain food and water the plant can use, but they will likely begin to droop or turn yellow shortly after the flowers fade] They are no longer useful at this point, and should be cut back to within 2 inches (5 cm) of the bulb.

3. Put them in a sunny spot, and just keep watering them making sure that they never dry out completely. A lot of people suggest that you put them out during the summertime in the ground, but I have no place to put them outside, so they just stay in my apartment all year round
4. At the end of the fall, take the bold side of their pots, and store them in the cool dry place for the winter. I find that storage, and repotting process is key in order to get reblooming to occur.

Amaryllis Bulbs Dipped In Wax

About two weeks ago, I purchased an Amaryllis bulb that had been dipped in wax. This is a new product that I haven’t seen until recently. They advertise that it’s a flower that will bloom without watering. I bought one just to see what would happen. Mine has been growing, but there are some problems. The first flower stalk that came up bloomed, but it had only two flowers, and usually there are four. The second stalk is now coming up, so I will let you know how things go later.

If you are someone who enjoys growing flowers, there is a disturbing aspect to this. Because the bulb is dipped in a wax coating, it does not need to be watered, but it is being sold as a one-shot deal where it will not bloom again, and you are expected to just throw it out after it blooms. Most people who like to grow flowers view this as plant abuse because you’re just using it as a decoration, and then throwing it away. However, someone who do not have a green thumb may view this as a nice gift. There are a lot of people who would like to have a flowering plant but do not want to have to water it. For those people, this type of Amaryllis might actually make a nice gift, so it depends on one’s point of view.

I have read on the Internet that some people are trying to save their wax dipped Amaryllis bulbs by cutting off the wax coat. I am planning on trying this after the flowers have died on mine, and I will let you know what the result is of the experiment. Here is a link to a thread about rescuing these bulbs if you have one, and you want to try to do it yourself.

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2808938/the-horror-that-is-wax-encased-bulbs

When I searched, I even saw website about someone who has dipped the bulbs in the wax herself. It sounded like she was very successful at it, but personally, I find this sickening, and I would never do it myself, but I guess to each her own.

My mother’s Ster van Holland Amaryllis

This is a photograph of the Ster van Holland Amaryllis that I gave to my mother. She is enjoying it very much. I know I should be saying more today, but that’s all I have for today. I just wanted to show you that they do make great gifts.

A close up of my Ster Van Holland Amaryllis

Below, is a close up of my Ster Van Holland amaryllis. This one is nice because the photographer was able to do it in such a way that the background is not visible. This photograph was taken yesterday. The blooms on the plant are still there, but the blooms on the Pink Surprise have died. The blooms on my on my amaryllis plants do not last long at all. This one has lasted longer than usual. I heard that if you cut the stems, and put them in water, the blooms last longer, but I’ve never tried it.

The Amaryllises that I got at the flower show are blooming!

My amaryllises are blooming!  The orange one  is called  is called a Ster Van Holland, and the pink one is called Pink Surprise. These photographs were taken about two weeks ago.

The Chicago Flower and Garden Show

I went to the Chicago Flower and Garden Show yesterday, and bought three new amaryllises! Unfortunately, they’re just bulbs at the moment so I won’t have anything to show you until they bloom, but I will post pictures when they bloom. The show runs until Sunday. The tickets cost $20, and I paid $30 for parking, and $40 for the bulbs, so it was quite an expensive trip altogether. I bought the bulbs from Doornbosch Bros. They only sell wholesale to people who want to do fundraising for most of the year. The flower show is the only time that they sell directly to individuals. I really wish that they would sell to individuals more often. I really like their bulbs very much. I’ve been buying bulbs from them since 2015. It’s really hard for me to understand their business model. It seems to me that they could make much more money selling directly to individuals, but I guess not. I’m not really set up to be able to sell bulbs directly to people, so the whole wholesale thing doesn’t work for me at all. I have no use for buying bulbs wholesale at the moment. In any case, I think their bulbs are really great, so if you live anywhere near Chicago, you should definitely check out the show! It runs every year in March, so if you miss it this year, definitely check it out next year.

How to care for an Amaryllis

I really like Amaryllis because they are beautiful, and easy to grow, and they are one of the few houseplants that will produce beautiful blooms indoors! Also, they will bloom year after year if taking care of properly.

Choose the largest that you can find. They will produce more stocks and blooms than smaller bulbs. The larger the bulb, the more flowers it will produce. Bulbs should be firm and dry with no signs of mold, decay or injury. Very often you will see leaves, or buds growing from unplanted or planted bulbs. Select bulbs with bright green new growth and without visible damage. Some bulbs may have an offshoot growing from its base. This will eventually grow into a new bulb and can be removed and planted separately.

Amaryllis grow best in narrow containers. Containers may be made of plastic, metal, ceramic or terracotta.  Bulbs should be firm and dry with no signs of mold, decay or injury. Select a container that has one or more holes in the bottom and drains easily. Good drainage will minimize the chance of bulb or root rot (rotting from excess moisture).

The diameter of the pot should be about 1 inch wider than the widest part of the bulb and twice as tall as the bulb to allow space for good root development.

Fill the pot about half full with sterile, new potting soil high in organic matter such as peat moss. Set the bulb in the pot so the roots rest on the potting soil. The bulb should sit up above the edge of the container.  Add more soil, tapping it down around the bulb, until one-third to one-half of the bulb remains visible. Firm the potting medium around the bulb. Set the pot in a sink where it can drain freely and water until the potting soil is thoroughly moist. Allow to drain completely. Set the pot on a trade that will catch water, and find a sunny window for it.

Water the plant when the top 2 inches of soil feels dry, allowing the container to drain freely each time.

Do not let the plant to sit in water as wet soil can promote bulb and root rot and attract pests.

Fertilize amaryllis each time you water at half the recommended strength when new growth is visible (including on newly purchased bulbs). To promote blooming, use a houseplant fertilizer with a high phosphorus content. Fertilizer packaging always provides an analysis shown in three numbers such as 10-20-15. These numbers represent the percentage of each of three important macronutrients for plant growth: N (nitrogen) – P (phosphorous) – K (potassium). In this example, the fertilizer contains 10 percent nitrogen, 20 percent phosphorous, and 15 percent potassium.  Move the plant out of direct sunlight when the flower buds have begun to open.

The key to keeping Amaryllis alive for years is keeping the plant actively growing after they have finished blooming. After the flowers have died, cut them off to prevent seed formation. It will rob the plant of energy it needs to bloom the next year. Do not remove the flower stock until it has turned yellow. A green stem will continue to promote photosynthesis, which creates energy that is stored in the bulb for future leaf growth and flowers. If the bulb does not produce a flowering stalk in the next year, it is probable that the plant has not stored enough nutrients during the post-blooming period. Keeping the plant healthy and growing will promote blooming. After your plant has finished blooming, place it in a window that gets the most sun possible. It will continue to grow long, slender leaves. These leaves will aid the process of photosynthesis. Continue to water and fertilize the plant regularly with an all-purpose houseplant plant fertilizer. Most websites recommend placing the Amaryllis outdoors during summer, but I have no place toput it, and I have found that they will rebloom without being placed outside.

This information has been taken from the University of Minnesota Extension website. There is

more information on that website about repotting, and pests.

For more information, click the link below.

https://extension.umn.edu/house-plants/amaryllis