Posted by steven on September 09, 19100 at 21:33:35:
In Reply to: Amaryllis posted by LonaLee on September 09, 19100 at 20:26:46:
: Happy Fall,
My question is do I cut my Amaryllis plant back and let it dry up for a month even if the leaves are not dying? It is very hard to do!
Lona Lee,
Keep your amaryllis growing over the summer. The plant needs some time to grow a new flower and store it in the bulb for next winter. Continue
watering and treating them as you would your houseplants.
Fertilize your amaryllis every couple of weeks with a fertilizer high in phosphorus. I like to use shultz bloom plus or peters blossom booster.
As temperatures start warming up, feel free to move your plant
outdoors. If you want it to bloom next year, pull it out of the pot
or the ground by Labor Day. If it is sprouting baby bulbs, cut these
off and put them in a pot.
The big bulb, however, must go into rest in order to get blooms. Put
this in a cool dark location. Some say you'll get the best flowers by laying the pot on it's side. Eventually the foliage will dry up, and
can be cut off. After 2 months your bulb looks
like the bulb your original amaryllis flower bloomed from.
Replant the bulb in a pot with good drainage. To get it to bloom
again, don't water it right away. This drought will trigger growth.
When you see green sprouts, begin watering as usual and get ready for
another round of perfect blooms.
Follow this process every year for a beautiful holiday flower.
http://www.madaboutamaryllis.com/maa/default.asp
(Mad About Amaryllis)
http://www.bulb.com/springguide98/amaryllis.html (North Carolina Extension Service, How to force Amaryllis)
http://www.bulb.com/springguide98/amaryllis.html (Flowering Bulb Information Center, Amaryllis Page)
http://www.amaryllis.com/pac.htm
(Amaryllis Bulb Company, planting and care page
http://www.organicgardening.com/articles/article2_a.html
(SUCCESS WITH AMARYLLIS, Organic Gardening Magazine)
http://www.studyweb.com/Home__Garden/
(Study Web, Four Links To Amaryllis Care Websites)
http://www.madaboutamaryllis.com/maa/default.asp (Mad About Amaryllis)
http://www.bulb.com/springguide98/amaryllis.html (North Carolina Extension Service, How to force Amaryllis)
http://www.bulb.com/springguide98/amaryllis.html (Flowering Bulb Information Center, Amaryllis Page)
http://www.amaryllis.com/pac.htm (Amaryllis Bulb Company, planting and care page
http://www.studyweb.com/Home__Garden/ ( Study Web, Four Links To Amaryllis Care Websites)
best wishes,
steven