Caring for Amaryllis: Water and fertilize at flowering time

The magnificent, star-shaped flowers always create a pre-Christmas mood. We look at what needs to be considered when caring for amaryllis.

The different types of amaryllis (Hippeastrum) are also known as delphiniums. Botanically they belong to the Amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae) assigned. The designation as amaryllis for the red, white or pink flowering and onion-forming plants that we are familiar with is not entirely correct. Formerly they were namely of the genus amaryllis assigned. However, this is now reserved for a single species. You can tell whether it's a real amaryllis or the knight's star that we often see here easy to find out: the star star develops its magnificent flower first and only then the elongated ones Leaves. The real amaryllis, on the other hand, only flowers after the leaves have formed. Nevertheless, the much represented Hippeastrumspecies mostly referred to as Amaryllis. Here you can find out what care the knight star needs and how it can be safely brought into bloom.

Buy Amaryllis: In a pot or as a bulb

Amaryllis are offered in two ways. Either you decide for the gardener pre-cultivated amaryllis in the pot. A budding of the onion can often be observed here. However, you can also buy amaryllis bulbs loose and plant them in a pot yourself.

A short and sweet summary of what to look out for when buying a knight's star in a pot or as a loose onion:

Buy potted amaryllis

• Healthy appearance.
• Substrate not too moist, as waterlogging can be deadly for the bulb
• Strong bud, because the thicker the bud, the more flowers are likely to be formed.
• If necessary, protect against excessively low temperatures during transport - below 10 °C it can already be critical.

Buy amaryllis bulbs

• Loose bulbs can be self-planted from October to December.
• Do not choose a pot that is too large – there should only be 1 to 2 cm of space between the onion and the edge of the pot on all sides.
• Commercial potting soil based on compost or peat with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 is suitable as a substrate.
• Cover the bottom half to two-thirds of the onion in the pot with soil.
• Leave the top third to half of the bulb sticking out of the soil.
• Water lightly after planting so that the substrate settles a little.
• Keep the onion warm to sprout (room temperature around 20 °C).

Caring for Amaryllis: The Different Growth Cycles

When is which care for the amaryllis best? This essentially depends on the phase in which the knight star is currently located. After all, the amaryllis is a perennial plant and its life cycle does not end when flowering is complete in February.

The following phases determine the life and needs of an amaryllis:

1. heyday from December to February
2. growth from March to August
3. rest period August to December

In this article we will focus exclusively on the preferences of the amaryllis during the flowering period. If the plant should not give way after flowering and should continue to bloom for years to come, you can read the article about the Caring for amaryllis after flowering Read how you can coax the impressive blossoms out of the onion again.

Amaryllis: care during the flowering period

So that the amaryllis feels good and it blooms as magnificently as possible, you have to pay attention to a few things for optimal care.

The right location

The right place for a flowering amaryllis is indoors. It doesn't even matter whether this place is flooded with light on the shelf of a bright window or on a chest of drawers in a rather dark place in the hallway. It is essentially important that the room temperature (around 20 °C) is given. That's why you have to be careful when you ventilate the house during the cold season to let fresh air into the house: In any case, the amaryllis should be kept out of the line of the frosty, fresh draft to avoid cold damage avoid.

the right temperature

Amaryllis is very sensitive to cold. Therefore, the temperatures in their environment should not be below 15 °C. Nevertheless, different temperatures in the culture of the amaryllis can be optimal.
If the amaryllis is still in the bud stage and therefore needs to be driven until it blooms, temperatures of around 20 °C will accelerate this process. Thus, the time until the appearance of the flower can be shortened.
If the amaryllis is already showing its impressive flowers, you want to keep them alive for as long as possible. Slightly lower temperatures between 15 and 20 °C are ideal for this.

Water and fertilize flowering amaryllis properly

When watering the flowering amaryllis, less is definitely more! The water requirement is rather low and it can quickly happen that the substrate contains too much water. Since the onion quickly tends to develop mold if it is waterlogged, a small amount of water should only be given when the substrate visibly begins to dry out. It is best to put the water in the repot or trivet. This avoids water getting directly onto the bulb and provoking mold.

Amaryllis does not need to be fertilized during flowering. The supply is ensured by the nutrient-storing onion. If the amaryllis is well supplied with nutrients during its growth phase in spring and summer, it can still draw on these during flowering. Fertilize regularly between April and August. For optimal nutrient supply, we recommend an organic liquid fertilizer such as our Plantura Organic flower & balcony fertilizer, which is simply administered over the irrigation water.

The right care for a blooming amaryllis at a glance

• Warm location, does not necessarily have to be bright.
• Forcing tends to be warmer than during bloom to reduce time to bloom and increase bloom duration.
• Protect from temperatures below 15 °C (draughts, during transport).
• Only give small amounts of water when the substrate has dried out in order to avoid waterlogging.
• Fertilize between April and August.

Amaryllis: life after flowering

Once the amaryllis has withered, it shouldn't have to give up its place forever. With relatively little maintenance, it can easily be made to flower next winter. After flowering, the withered inflorescences are cut off. If there is no longer a threat of frost, the amaryllis can even be planted in the bed. The main growing season lasts until August, when the amaryllis has the highest water and nutrient requirements. Therefore, it must then be fertilized regularly (every one to two weeks).

The rest period begins at the end of August. Fertilizers are stopped and watering reduced. After the foliage has dried, it is cut off. Ultimately, the onion must be protected from the first early frosts. Therefore, it is planted again in fresh substrate in a pot and placed in a cool place for ten to 12 weeks. Then, from December, the game starts all over again and the amaryllis is placed indoors in a warm place. The forcing has started and after a few weeks the first flowers will be visible.

If one amaryllis is not enough for you, you can propagate it in various ways. Here you will find all the information you need to Propagating Amaryllis require.