The popular amaryllis is available commercially as a ready-potted flowering plant, but also just as a tuber. You have to pot it and take good care of it so that it blooms on time for the Christmas season. We'll tell you what you should pay attention to.
How and when should you pot an amaryllis bulb?
To pot an amaryllis bulb, you need a suitable pot with drainage holes, loose and nutrient-rich soil, and expanded clay for permeability. The bulb should be planted to the thickest part and planted between mid-October and early November.
What do you have to consider when potting amaryllis?
To pot the amaryllis - also known as knight's star - you need a suitable plant pot and loose, nutrient-rich soil. Mix the substrate from high-quality potting soil (if possible without peat) and some expanded clay to increase water permeability.
A suitable container is a plastic pot with several drainage holes that you can place in a heavy ceramic or clay planter. The pot should also be only slightly larger than the flower bulb itself. Insert the bulb into the soil up to its thickest part, with the top half sticking out. Dried roots should be cut off first.
When should you plant the amaryllis bulb?
You should pot the amaryllis bulb between mid-October and early November so that the plant blooms in time for Christmas. The tuber usually takes around six to eight weeks until it breaks open and the first buds appear. The flowering period is between December and February, after which the growth phase begins and lasts until the beginning of August.
You can also make the amaryllis bloom at any other time of the year. The only important thing is that the tuber first experiences a resting phase in the dark that lasts around six to eight weeks. The amaryllis even blooms in summer!
What substrate do you use to plant amaryllis?
It is best to plant the amaryllis in a well-drained and nutrient-rich substrate, as it needs a good supply of all important nutrients to bloom magnificently. A mixture of high-quality potting soil and cactus or coconut soil in a ratio of 1:1, to which you add some perlite or expanded clay, works very well. The planting substrate must be well-drained to prevent waterlogging - this would only cause the tuber to rot.
Can the amaryllis also be grown hydroponically?
Alternatively, you can also cultivate the amaryllis without soil, which of course does not require the tuber to be potted. Flowering amaryllis is available commercially in a glass, which you can leave in during the flowering period. Just make sure that the water doesn't touch the tuber directly. After flowering, however, you should plant the tuber in soil and fertilize it so that it gains enough strength for a new flowering phase. The plant can also be grown entirely in hydroponics or in clay granules.
Tip
Can you plant amaryllis in the garden?
For the garden there is the garden amaryllis, also known as the hook lily, which blooms in the summer months. However, this species is not winter hardy either, so it is best to cultivate the plants in pots or dig up the tubers - like dahlia tubers - in autumn and overwinter frost-free.
