Bulb · Amaryllidaceae
Amaryllis
Hippeastrum hybridum
Pot a fat bulb, add warmth and water, and weeks later a thick green stalk lifts huge trumpet flowers into the air.
Bright indirect
Every 5–10 days
64–75°F · 18–24°C
28–56 days
Overview
Little else in a winter window matches the sheer scale of an amaryllis. One heavy, rounded bulb sends up a thick, hollow stalk crowned with several enormous trumpet flowers, their petals flaring open in deep red, clean white, or pink laid over white. The plant sits in the genus Hippeastrum, the tender amaryllis kin raised indoors, and it demands strikingly little to put on this display.
Gardeners most often handle it as a forced indoor bulb, settling it into a pot in fall to flower across winter and into spring. Plant it with the top third of the bulb standing proud of the soil, water it in, and hold it warm, and the first trumpets unfurl about 4 to 8 weeks afterward, holding their color for three or four weeks. Where winters stay mild across zones 7 to 10, it will carry on growing out in the garden too.
What you do once the petals drop decides whether a second year of flowers appears. Keep the broad green leaves growing in bright light and feed them so the bulb packs away reserves, then give it a cool, dark rest before waking it again. Skip that step and the next season brings only leaves and no flowers.
Care
The short version: bright light, warm rooms, and a well-drained pot. Plant the bulb with its top third exposed, water when the top 2 inches of soil dry out, and feed during active growth so the bulb can flower again next year.
Light
Amaryllis craves bright light, best of all a sunny window that delivers several hours of direct sun. It copes with anything from full sun to partial shade, though a dim spot leaves you with thin, leaning stalks. Spin the pot every few days so the flower stem climbs straight upward.
Water
Soak it well just after potting, then hold the mix barely moist until growth gathers pace. Water once the top 2 inches of soil feel dry, and let the pot drain right through. Lift the pace to once or twice a week through active growth and flowering, then ease off or stop entirely while the bulb sleeps.
Soil
Reach for a well-drained potting mix loaded with organic matter, roughly equal parts peat and perlite. It is happy at a pH of 6.0 to 7.0. Drainage counts for more than anything else here, since a bulb left standing in wet soil turns to mush fast.
Temperature
Hold it in ordinary warm rooms, 64°F to 75°F (18°C to 24°C), throughout growth and bloom. A touch of coolness stretches out the life of the open trumpets. The separate cool, dark stretch it needs for dormancy is its own phase, well apart from this everyday band.
Humidity
Plain indoor air suits it fine, so there is no target to chase. Amaryllis pays no mind to moisture levels in the room, which makes it a fuss-free winter houseplant.
Feeding
Feed it every two weeks while it is in active growth with leaves standing, and never while the bulb is bare and at rest. A liquid houseplant fertilizer leaning toward phosphorus, somewhere near a 10-20-15 ratio, drives flowering, and it goes on at half strength.
Pruning
Pinch off each trumpet as it withers, then cut the spent stalk down close to the bulb after the final bloom fades. Leave the leaves untouched, since they pour energy back into the bulb for next year. Take the foliage off only once it yellows and dies down of its own accord.
Repotting
Amaryllis flowers hardest when a little potbound, so move it on just every 3 to 4 years. Shift it when roots crowd or circle the pot, when the bulb swells to fill nearly the whole container, or when the flowers start coming smaller. Replant with the top third of the bulb riding above the soil line.
Size & spacing
In flower a potted amaryllis reaches 12 to 35 inches (30 to 90 cm) tall and spans roughly 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm). Give each bulb a pot to itself, one only slightly broader than the bulb.
When to plant
An amaryllis keeps the schedule of a forced bulb. Settle it into its pot in fall, usually October or November, and it throws up its stalk to color the winter and early-spring months. Across zones 7 to 10 it can shift outdoors once the last spring frost is behind you.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Pot bulbs indoors in fall to early winter (often October through November) for winter and early-spring bloom.
- Plant: Move or plant outdoors in spring after all danger of frost has passed (zones 7-10).
- Harvest: Winter to spring; flowers typically develop about 4 to 8 weeks after potting and last roughly 3 to 4 weeks.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 7–10
Temperature: down to -18°C
Troubleshooting
Nearly every amaryllis trouble surfaces in one of three places: the stalk, the leaves, or the bulb beneath. Spot the early signs and the bulb can usually be carried through to next year. Find the symptom that fits below, then step in before it spreads.
A spongy bulb and growth caving in on itself
A bulb gone soft to the touch with a sour, foul smell has bulb rot, and it almost always grows out of a pot left too wet, worst of all around a bare, leafless bulb. Cut off the water immediately and let the mix dry, then settle the bulb into fresh, fast-draining soil with its top third standing clear of the surface. Pare back every patch of rotted flesh, and toss the whole bulb if the decay has crept into its center.
Fix:
- Stop watering and let the medium dry out
- Repot into fresh, well-drained mix with one-third to one-half of the bulb above the soil line
- Trim away rotted tissue or discard a badly rotted bulb
Lush green leaves with no flower in sight
When a bulb pushes out leaf after leaf yet sends up no stalk, you are looking at failure to rebloom, and the cause is nearly always a bulb that skipped its rest or never stored enough fuel to flower. Hold the foliage in bright light and feed it once the last bloom drops so the bulb can fatten and refill, then settle it into roughly 8 to 12 weeks of cool, dark sleep before forcing it anew. A young or undersized bulb is simply not big enough yet and needs one more season to bulk up.
Fix:
- Keep foliage actively growing in bright light and fertilize during the growing season to rebuild the bulb
- Provide a cool (about 50 to 60 degrees F), dark rest period of 8 to 12 weeks
- Resume watering and warmth to force new growth and bloom
Crimson streaks marking the leaves and stalk
Red speckles and streaks creeping over the foliage and flower stalk are the mark of red blotch, known too as leaf scorch, a fungus that arrives hidden in the bulb. Pull away and burn the most damaged leaves, then probe the bulb for the tunnels and soft pockets that betray bulb mites or narcissus fly larvae at work inside. Settle any sound bulbs into fresh, clean mix, and discard the ones that are riddled or going soft.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy severely affected leaves or bulbs
- Inspect and discard infested or rotting bulbs
- Repot healthy bulbs into fresh, clean potting mix
Thin, pale stalks bowing toward the glass
A stalk that grows long, soft, and slanted is showing etiolation, the stem stretching after light it cannot find. Set the pot in a bright, sunny window and rotate it every few days so the stalk thickens and rises straight rather than curving over. A hot room only feeds the problem, forcing pale, watery growth, so prop the tallest stems with a stake until they stiffen.
Fix:
- Move the plant to a bright, sunny window
- Rotate the pot regularly so stalks grow upright
- Stake tall flower stalks for support if needed
Toxicity
This plant is poisonous, and the swollen bulb is the deadliest piece of it. Lycorine and related alkaloids run through every part and churn the stomach if swallowed. Keep bulbs and plants well clear of pets, livestock, and children, and wash your hands once you have handled them.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
A cat that nibbles a leaf or the bulb will usually drool, then vomit, go off its food, and grow listless. A bigger mouthful can lead to diarrhea, sore belly, and shaking.
Dogs Mild
A dog that digs out and chews the bulb tends to drool, throw up, and lose interest in meals. Swallow enough and belly pain, runny stools, and tremors may set in.
Horses Mild
The same alkaloids sour a horse's stomach, bringing a flat, dull mood with diarrhea, drooling, and colicky cramping, and now and then a touch of trembling.
Rabbits Toxic
Lycorine runs through every part of this plant, and a body as small as a rabbit's has almost no room to spare. Keep the bulb, leaves, and flowers far from reach instead of gambling on a single bite.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep can fall ill from the alkaloids in both the leaves and bulbs, showing gut upset and weakness. Bulbs dumped near a pasture are a genuine danger.
Birds Toxic
The lycorine that sickens mammals is just as harmful to pet birds, so one chewed leaf or petal is not a risk worth taking. Keep the plant clear of any room where a bird flies loose.
People Caution
No part of this plant is food, and the bulb above all can trigger vomiting and stomach pain once swallowed. Wash your hands after handling bulbs and keep them out of small children's reach.
The bulb is the most poisonous part of the plant; keep bulbs and plants out of reach of pets and children and wash hands after handling.
Helpline numbers
United States
ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435 (fee applies)
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Canada
Poison Centres: 1-844-764-7669
Varieties
There are hundreds of named amaryllis, yet a handful of cultivars keep reappearing on shop shelves. These are the ones worth recognizing by name.
Red Lion
A much-loved big-bloomed cultivar whose petals open a deep, even, solid red.
Apple Blossom
Each white petal is washed and threaded through with veins of soft pink.
Minerva
Strong red petals are split by a white star that flares outward from a green-tinted throat.
How to propagate
An amaryllis can be multiplied the quick way or the slow way: either by lifting the small offsets a bulb throws out, or by raising fresh plants from seed.
Offsets & pupsEasy
At repotting, typically when the bulb is dormant or being divided every few years. · 1 to 3 years to reach flowering size
The simplest route to more plants is to pry away the little offset bulbs clustered around the base of the mother bulb, a job that fits neatly into repotting time every few years. Set each one in its own pot and raise it just as you would the parent. The catch is patience, because an offset needs 1 to 3 years before it grows large enough to bloom.
SeedDemanding
Sow fresh seed soon after it ripens. · Several years (often 3 to 5) to reach flowering size
Growing amaryllis from seed works if you sow it fresh the moment it ripens, but the wait is long, often several years, often 3 to 5, before a bulb is ready to flower. Hybrid seedlings also refuse to come true, so they seldom resemble the plant they came from. For most home growers the patience just is not worth it.
Myths
An amaryllis bulb has to be cooled in the fridge before any flowers appear.
A Hippeastrum bulb wants no cold treatment whatsoever. Hand it warmth and water and it forces into flower indoors within roughly 4 to 6 weeks. The single rest it needs is a cool, dark dormancy that sets up the next flush of blooms, which has nothing to do with a fridge.
The strappy leaves should be sheared off the moment flowering wraps up.
Those strap-shaped leaves are the engine that rebuilds the bulb, so let them keep growing in bright light and keep up the feeding once the flowers drop. Trim the foliage back only after it yellows and folds down by itself, as the plant slides into dormancy.