SUMMER AMARYLLIS CARE
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Healthy green foliage is necessary for
bulb to build food stores for next year's flowers.
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DON'T HAVE ENOUGH
LIGHT?
put your plants outside on a balcony, or in a
front yard, that receives direct sunlight from spring through fall.
-take your amaryllis plants to the office, but only if you have the necessary sunny
exposure at your office window.
-see if your friends with sunny backyards are willing to "host" your Amaryllis
during the growing season-you may have to promise them a flowering
amaryllis to enjoy in exchange.
-grow your amaryllis bulbs under high
intensity metal halide or sodium bulbs, or other high intensity full spectrum
lighting
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STAGE 2 (SUMMER):
BULB IS IN ACTIVE GROWTH
LIGHT: Amaryllis MUST have bright light with at least some direct
sunlight (3-4 hours/day) during the active growing season, if they are to bloom again.
There is no way around this. I give my amaryllis as much natural direct sunlight as they can
take without burning the leaves. A southern exposure is best, but a bright sunny eastern
should also work
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If you have only bright indirect light, your plants may
grow OK, but are unlikely to bloom. The active
growing season is generally from spring through fall. If you do not have sufficient light indoors,
consider the tips shown on the right:
TEMPERATURE: Amaryllis bulbs are
hardy in USDA zones 9 through 11, though apparently they will do fine with mulching in the ground
even in Zone 7b. In all other regions treat them as houseplants. Basically temperatures of about
75° when they are actively growing are best. Mine are routinely, are exposed to temperatures in the
high 80s during the summer-I just make sure that they are kept slightly shady and well watered
during very hot periods.
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WATER: Water as needed to keep the potting mix moist (but not soggy) at all times while
the plant is actively growing. Warm, dry, sunny conditions which will require frequent watering.
FERTILIZER: You must regularly fertilize your amaryllis at this stage if you want to
ensure that they bloom with the maximum number of blooms/per stem and get more than one stem! Use a houseplant
fertilizer that is formulated for flowering plants. If you use one for foliage plants you will get foliage but not
as many blooms. If you are not good at fertilizing regularly, then use a timed-release pellet fertilizer that is
mixed into the top inch of potting mix at the beginning of the growing season.
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