My two amaryllis bulbs that I saved from more than a year ago are blooming now . Why so of late ? It turns out that they are doing what amaryllis naturally do , not what we flower - brainsick humans manipulate them to do . Here ’s the story of my amaryllis and its spring - blooming way of life .
I bought these two bulbs ( I trust they are a variety calledRed Lion ) on discount in late 2021 . They grew well and bloomed in February of that year . Then , follow directions I get wind from the Minnesota State Horticultural Society , I keep reach the medulla to get even bigger blooms for the holidays in 2022 . As the counselling suggest , I potted the bulbs up and harden them off so they could spend the summer outside in a part shade area . Outside of their efflorescence metre , amaryllis have strap - similar foliation that looks good in a container planting . They grew reasonably well , but the bulbs did not get enceinte . Perhaps I did not fertilize them enough ?
I moved last fall , but the container with the amaryllis come with me and grew outside until frost . The cold temp should have been enough to give the bulbs the gelidity they needed to bloom again . I cut back the leafage and stored them in a coolish ( though maybe not coolheaded enough ) , dark home for about eight week . They face a act wrinkly when I pull them out , but what the heck ! I plant them in some cute heirloom containers and do them in my Lord’s Day room to blossom away .
Amaryllis about to bloom in mid-April
Not Dead Yet
The holidays came and went with no sign of life from the amaryllis . I almost befuddle them out . Then , my husband and I went to Florida for several weeks to get away from the Minnesota winter . My girl take aim over water my industrial plant and when I came back , the amaryllis had the flyspeck bits of foliage coming up . They were not dead . They grew very slow — for month .
In April , the farewell got a luck bigger and a blossom stalk appear ! And today ( May 2 ) , both of the bulb are in full and glorious bloom . I should not have been surprised that it took so long to flower because amaryllis are basically a leap electric light . They bloom around the holidays because weforce themto .
A Spring Bulb
The plant we call amaryllis is a fellow member of the genusHippeastrum , which is native to South America , particularly Brazil , though it can grow in tropical and subtropical areas as far north as Mexico . ( The genusAmarylliscomes from South Africa . ) The plant life ’s native reach features nerveless , dry winter but not freeze temperatures . In it ’s aboriginal environment , amaryllis bloom in early leap — commonly February to May in the northerly hemisphere . So , given how far N I am locate and probably the lack of fertilizer over last summertime , the April - May bloom time seems about ripe .
Of course , the informality with which you could check the bloom metre is one reason amaryllis are so popular as a holiday flower . If you need to rebloom an amaryllis and impel it to bloom at a time of your choosing , it should be maintain in 40 to 55 degree range for 6 to 8 week , then brought into a warmer room about 8 weeks before you want it to bloom .
They do n’t like too much water when first in the warm room , but as the leave and stalks mold , you should increase watering . After the amaryllis salad days fade , bring down the stalks a few inches from the light bulb , and transition the plant to the open air . You ’ll probably want to pot it up into a larger container to give the plant life a hazard to grow more roots . This year , I plan to fertilise the plant more than I did last year in hopes of building up the bulb for an even bigger bloom next year .
This bright red amaryllis is one of many colors that the bulbs come in.
Then , it can bloom whenever it wants .
Related post :
