You take care of an amaryllis indoors by getting four things right: bright light, good watering, warm temps, and timely feeding. Your room should stay between 65-75°F (18-24°C) with the bulb near a bright window. Nail these basics and your bulb pushes out thick stalks with blooms that last for weeks.
Good indoor amaryllis care starts the moment you pot up the bulb or bring it home from the store. Place it in your brightest window where it gets at least 4 hours of direct sunlight each day. I keep mine on a south-facing windowsill and rotate the pot a quarter turn every two to three days. Without that rotation the stalk bends hard toward the glass and sometimes gets so lopsided it needs a support stake.
That leaning happens because of phototropism. Your plant grows toward the strongest light source it can find. Amaryllis stalks respond to uneven light faster than most houseplants since they grow so fast. A stalk can shoot up 1-2 inches per day during peak growth. Rotating the pot forces the stalk to straighten out and hold up those heavy blooms.
Watering trips up more people than anything else with this plant. Only add water when the top inch of soil feels dry to your finger. Overwatering rots the bulb from the bottom and you won't notice until it turns mushy. I lost my first amaryllis houseplant this way because I gave it too much water. These bulbs store moisture inside and prefer to dry out between drinks.
Temperature plays a sneaky role that most growers miss. UMN Extension recommends 65-75°F (18-24°C) for strong stalk growth. Once your flowers open, drop the temp to 60-65°F (16-18°C) if you can. This cooler air slows bloom aging and keeps your flowers fresh for several extra days. Moving the pot to a cooler room at night works great for this.
Skip fertilizer while your bulb sends up its flower stalk and during blooming. The bulb has all the stored energy it needs at this stage. After the flowers fade and leaves start growing, switch to a half-strength balanced fertilizer once a month. This feeding schedule gives your bulb the nutrients to recharge for next season. Your amaryllis needs far less fuss than most indoor plants.
I also learned that pot size matters more than you might think. Use a container that leaves only 1-2 inches of space around the bulb on each side. Your amaryllis blooms better when it feels a bit crowded in the pot. Too much extra soil holds moisture and invites rot. A snug pot with good drainage holes gives you the best results.
Staking is another trick I picked up after my second bulb toppled off the windowsill. Once the stalk hits about 12 inches tall, push a thin bamboo stake into the soil near the edge of the pot. Tie the stalk to it with a soft strip of cloth. This keeps your flowers upright even when the blooms get heavy. You can remove the stake once the stalk firms up or the flowers fade.
Your indoor amaryllis care routine takes about five minutes a week once you get it set up. Check the soil, rotate the pot, and enjoy those blooms. I have six bulbs on my south window right now and they bring color to the house all winter long. Give your bulb what it needs and it will reward you with some of the biggest flowers you can grow indoors. The stalks can reach 18-24 inches tall with blooms the size of your hand, and all you did was provide a window and some water.
Read the full article: Amaryllis Care: How to Grow and Rebloom
