Amaryllis Care Instructions

Cherry Nymph Bulb

Taxonomic Name: Hippeastrum cultivated varieties Amaryllis Family Herbaceous, Bulb-bearing Plant Few other flowering indoor plants provide as much enjoyment as the amaryllis. Within a few weeks of buying the leafless bulb, the owner has a plant with long, strap-shaped foliage and robust flowers held aloft on a long stalk. All that is needed to produce such a dramatic result is to pot up your bulb (unless it was sold already potted) and water and feed the plant according to the simple directions below.

How to Care for Your Plant:

 LIGHT: During the plant's winter growth-and-flowering period, bright indirect sunlight is best. Also see "Special Considerations," below.

WATERING: During the plant's winter growth-and-flowering period, keep the soil moist but not sopping. Do not let the pot standing in saucer water. Also see "Special Considerations," below.  

FEEDING: During the winter growth-and-flowering period, feed with a high-phosphorous (high middle number) houseplant fertilizer. Apply the fertilizer at half the concentration and frequency listed in the product directions.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: Some amaryllis owners treat their plants as annuals, and discard them after the first winter flowering. However, if you'd like to keep your amaryllis and have it rebloom the following winter, cut back its flower stalk when it withers, but do not remove the leaves. In spring, when the danger of frost is past, repot the bulb in a larger pot and set it outdoors, where it will receive direct sunlight. Water the plant whenever its soil is dry. By summer's end, the leaves will die back; clip them off when they are fully withered. Bring the potted bulb back indoors; once again, place it in bright indirect sunlight and water when the soil surface is dry. The plant will remain dormant for up to three months; then it will sprout new foliage and flower buds, as its life cycle repeats itself.