Withered flowers and green leaves on your Ritterstern signal that the subtropical onion plant is in transition from the winter flowering period to the summer growth phase. Find out here how you can care for your amaryllis and get it ready for another flower festival.
How do I care for an amaryllis after flowering?
When the amaryllis has bloomed, cut off the flower stalk, leave the green leaves untouched, fertilize every 14 days, water regularly and place the plant in a sunny location from mid-May. Reduce the water supply in August and stop it completely in September before moving the amaryllis to a cool, dark resting place.
How to cut a spent amaryllis correctly
If a flower stalk has completely bloomed, please do not hesitate to cut it back. Individual wilted flowers can be cleaned out in advance so that they do not waste unnecessary energy on the growth of a fruit. Only cut the main stem when there are no more flowers on it and it has yellowed. The green leaves remain untouched by these measures.
End of flowering marks the beginning of summer care
Once a knight's star has bloomed, it is far from thinking about retiring to the floral retirement home. Give a Hippeastrum this care and set the course for the next flowering:
- Fertilize liquidly every 14 days from March to July (€9.00 on Amazon)
- Place in a sunny, warm location on the balcony or in the garden from mid-May
- Continue to water the Ritterstern regularly from below
As a rule, a knight's star only develops its full set of leaves when it has finished flowering. Depending on the general conditions, the leaves begin to sprout beforehand. Therefore, keep an eye on your amaryllis during flowering in order to start supplying nutrients as the leaves grow.
Planting in the bed promotes rebloom
If a knight's star has bloomed very early in the year, there is a good chance of encouraging it to bloom again over the course of the summer. In this case, cut off withered flowers in good time so that the plant can save its energy. After the ice saints, plant the leafy amaryllis and its pot in a warm, sunny spot in the garden. In this case, please cut off any wilted flowers as soon as possible.
This is how summer care ends
The growth phase is completed by August. Regularly supplied with water and nutrients, a new flower system has now formed inside the bulb. Now your Ritterstern feels like taking a break. You can meet your wish with this care:
- From July, gradually reduce the amount of watering
- In August, completely stop the supply of water and nutrients
- In September, put the Ritterstern in the cool, dark cellar
The amaryllis remains in its resting place until November. During this time, cut off the leaves that are now drawn in. After this rest period is complete, repot the bulb and the cycle begins again.
Tip
Please only dispose of wilted flowers and other clippings from an amaryllis in the compost if no pets or grazing livestock have access to them. A knight's star is so poisonous in all parts that just a few grams of it are enough to poison dogs, cats and other four-legged friends.
