Amaryllis look festive in their wax coats at Christmas. Creative indoor gardeners grow the exotic flower bulbs using the DIY process. These instructions explain how to cast an amaryllis bulb in wax and decorate it for winter.
How to grow an amaryllis bulb in wax?
To grow an amaryllis bulb in wax, you will need an awakened bulb, wax, crystal gel, decorative snow powder or glitter. Cut back the roots, dip the bulb several times into the melted wax, let it dry and decorate with crystal gel and decorative elements.
Preparation and ingredients
When an amaryllis puts on its wax coat, budding has already begun. For this reason, plant a fresh amaryllis bulb with an upright tip in a mix of peat-free soil and a third of lava granules. In a dark, cool location, water the Ritterstern little by little from below. After about 14 days, budding begins and the awakened bulb moves to a bright, warm window seat. A little more patience and you can grow your amaryllis with these ingredients:
- Amaryllis bulb with a flower stem a hand's width high
- Scissors
- Wax (e.g. leftover candle wax)
- Pot for melting wax
- baking paper
- Crystal Gel
- Reflex beads or glitter
- Decorative snow powder
- Brush
Preparations for a blooming season at Christmas begin at the beginning of November. Plant an amaryllis bulb at the beginning of October and the waxed flowers will beautify your home during Advent.
Growing and decorating amaryllis – step-by-step instructions
The following instructions explain step by step how you can grow an amaryllis bulb yourself and decorate it beautifully:
- Remove the onion with the flower stem from the soil and wash it off
- Cut the roots back to short stubs using sharp, disinfected scissors
- Melt the wax in the pot (do not let it boil)
- Dip the amaryllis bulb in lukewarm wax until just below the base of the stem
- Repeat dipping process until the wax layer is opaque
- Place the onion in a wax coat on the baking paper, let it cool and dry
- Apply crystal gel to the wax layer with the brush as desired
- Sprinkle decorative snow powder, reflective beads or glitter onto the still wet gel
Amaryllis in wax bloom without pot and care. You don't have to worry about proper watering or fertilizing. However, you can only enjoy the magnificent feast for the eyes for a short time. Under the wax layer, a Ritterstern onion is completely exhausted. You won't get the exhausted amaryllis to bloom a second time.
Tip
Rotate the pot regularly to keep amaryllis growing straight. The repeated rotations begin when the green shoot signals the beginning of growth. Ideally, rotate the planter 45 degrees every two to three days. Attention is rewarded with the straight growth of the flower stem, on which the proud calyxes are enthroned.
