Q: Every year my bloom stalk bends and eventually breaks. What am I doing wrong. A: Large bloom-type hybrids may require staking. Placing a bamboo stake on each side of your bulb and tying a string from one stake to the other and back again with the flower stalk in between the string does this nicely. A: Lower light levels will also make for longer, weaker flower spikes. Increasing the amount of light will solve this problem. Q: I'm giving my plant plenty of sunlight, but the leaves keep growing too long and breaking. A: Even under ideal conditions you may find that you need to stake your leaves to prevent them from dropping and breaking. Again, try supporting them using 3 or 4 bamboo stakes evenly spaced around the inside of the flowerpot. Tie a string or twist tie, from one stake to the other until you go all around the pot supporting the leaves with the string. Q: Should I deadhead my flowers? A: Deadheading is the process of removing the flower, after the flowers have faded. This prevents the plant from putting energy into the production of seeds and back into the plant for future flower production. If you're not interested in growing more plants from seed, then by all means, deadhead your flowers. You'll want to remove the flowers where they meet the top of the flower stalk. Leave the flower stalk in intact until it collapses. Without seed production, the bulb will re-absorb the nutrients in the flower stalk and put it to good use producing leaves and therefore energy for next years flowers. If the flower stalk becomes soft and mushy, remove it so it doesn't cause rot in the bulb. Q: Are all Amaryllis treated the same? A: No. There are a few species and hybrids that you shouldn't allow to go dormant. These include A. papilio, A. reticulata and A. Silhouette and possibly others. These species will grow and bloom without a dormant cycle. In fact, when forced to go dormant, they can be very difficult to get growing again. If you have one of these plants, just be aware that they are special and should be grown year round like tropical foliage. Q: Why does one of my Amaryllis produce flowers first and then leaves and the other one produces leaves and then flowers? I grow both of them exactly the same. A: What comes first, the leaves or the flowers is determined by the species in the hybrid's background - not the growing conditions. Some species naturally produce flowers first. Others produce leaves first. The belladonna or naked lady Lilly, is actually an Amaryllis that produces flowers in the fall and leaves in the spring. During the summer and winter months, the bulbs lie "dormant" in the ground and totally hidden. Q: I've been told that the more leaves I have on my bulbs in the fall, the more flowers I will have in the spring. Is this true? A: The more leaves your bulbs produce, the more energy they can produce to store and make flowers the following spring. So in a sense, you were told correctly. You want to produce and keep as many leaves on your bulbs during their active growth, so it will produce more flowers the following year. Q: I have 2 to 4 beautiful deep green leaves on my bulbs during the summer. I fertilize properly all summer long, yet I only get one flower spike with 2 flowers. What am I doing wrong? A: With only 2 to 4 leaves, your bulbs probably aren't producing enough energy to make more flowers than what it is. The dark green color of your leaves indicates it might not be getting enough light. When receiving enough light, your leaves should be a bright lime green. Try increasing the amount of light, this will produce enough energy to produce more leaves and hence more flowers. Q: Should I put my plants outside during the summer? A: We put all our Amaryllis outside in the summer. If you can, place them where they will receive bright, indirect or filtered light throughout the day and direct sunlight either in the early morning or late afternoon - when the angle of the sun is low enough so it doesn't burn the leaves. Q: I'm afraid of putting my Amaryllis outside for the summer because I don't want them to get bugs and then bring them into the house. A: It's entirely possible you will have bugs in the potting mix after a summer of being outside. The good thing about Amaryllis is you can dry them out while they are still outside in a protected area and then remove them from the pot and potting mix before you bring them in and store them in a cool location for the winter. Q: How often should I repot my Amaryllis? A: Ideally, you should repot every year just before your plant breaks dormancy. Q: Should I use a blossom booster fertilizer for my Amaryllis? A: Flower production is produced via the dormant cycle and proper care through out the year, not through the makeup of fertilizer. We never use a blossom booster and never needed to. If you grow your Amaryllis in the proper light, keep it watered and fertilize it with a well-balanced fertilizer, there shouldn't be a need for a blossom booster. |
Amaryllis Culture Guide
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Frequently Asked Questions or FAQ's
