Bulb · Amaryllidaceae
Amaryllis
Hippeastrum hybridum
Settle the bulb in, give it warmth and water, and within weeks a bare bulb rises into a tall stalk of trumpet flowers.
Bright indirect
Every 5–10 days
64–75°F · 18–24°C
28–56 days
Overview
Not many bulbs reward you the way an amaryllis does. One plump bulb sends up a sturdy stalk crowned with several enormous trumpet flowers, often glowing deep red, clean white, or a blend of pink and white. It sits in the genus Hippeastrum, the tender cousins of amaryllis raised indoors, and it really doesn't ask for much before it flowers.
Gardeners usually treat it as a forced indoor bulb, potting it through fall so it blooms across winter and on into spring. Nestle the bulb so its top third peeks above the soil, give it a drink, and keep it cozy, and the first flowers tend to unfurl about 4 to 8 weeks afterward and hold for three or four weeks. Where winters stay mild, in zones 7 to 10, it can carry on outdoors as well.
What you do once the flowers fade is the secret to seeing them again next year, and it is easier than it sounds. Let the leaves keep growing in bright light and feed them so the bulb banks up energy, then give it a cool, dark rest before you start it up once more. Skip that step and you are left with all leaves and no flowers the season after.
Care
The short version: give it bright light, warm rooms, and a pot that drains well. Set the bulb with its top third showing, water once the top 2 inches of soil dry out, and feed it through active growth so it has the strength to flower again next year.
Light
Your amaryllis is happiest in bright light, so a sunny window with a few hours of direct sun is ideal. It copes with anything from full sun to partial shade, though too little light leaves you with thin, leaning stalks. Just give the pot a quarter turn every few days and the flower stem will rise nice and straight.
Water
Soak it well the moment it is potted, then keep the mix barely moist until you see growth taking off. Water once the top 2 inches of soil feel dry and always let the pot drain freely. Move up to once or twice a week while it is growing and flowering, and ease off or pause altogether when the bulb goes dormant.
Soil
Reach for a well-drained potting mix with plenty of organic matter, something close to equal parts peat and perlite. A pH between 6.0 to 7.0 keeps it content. Drainage is the part that truly counts, because a bulb left sitting in soggy soil will rot before long.
Temperature
Keep it in ordinary warm rooms, 64°F to 75°F (18°C to 24°C), all through growth and flowering. A touch of cool air actually helps the open blooms hold on longer. That separate cool, dark stretch it needs for dormancy is its own stage and not part of everyday life on the windowsill.
Humidity
Everyday indoor air is plenty, so relax, there's no target to chase here. Amaryllis takes the moisture in your home in stride, which is part of what makes it such a fuss-free winter houseplant.
Feeding
Feed it every two weeks while it is in active growth with its leaves up, and never while the bulb is bare and resting. A liquid houseplant fertilizer leaning higher in phosphorus, somewhere around a 10-20-15 blend, encourages flowers, and you want to dilute it to half strength.
Pruning
Pinch off each bloom as it fades, then cut the whole stalk back close to the bulb once the last flower is finished. Leave the foliage be, since those leaves are busy recharging the bulb for next year. Wait to remove the leaves until they yellow and die back of their own accord.
Repotting
Amaryllis actually flowers best a little snug, so there is no rush, just repot every 3 to 4 years. Move it up when roots crowd or circle the pot, the bulb fills nearly the whole container, or the blooms begin to shrink. Replant with the top third of the bulb standing above the soil line.
Size & spacing
In flower, a potted amaryllis reaches 12 to 35 inches (30 to 90 cm) tall and spreads to about 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm). Stick to one bulb per pot, choosing a container only a touch wider than the bulb itself.
When to plant
Amaryllis keeps the schedule of a forced bulb, and it is a forgiving one to follow. Pot it in fall, usually around October or November, and it lifts its stalk for winter and early-spring color. If you garden in zones 7 to 10, you can set it outside once the last spring frost has passed.
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
Almost every amaryllis snag turns up in the stalk, the leaves, or the bulb, and the good news is that spotting it early often means you can rescue the bulb for another year. Find the symptom that matches yours below, then step in before it has a chance to spread.
A squishy bulb and growth that is caving in
If the bulb turns soft and gives off a bad smell, you are looking at bulb rot, and the culprit is nearly always a mix that stayed too soggy, especially around a leafless bulb. Don't panic, just stop watering right away and let everything dry out, then move it into fresh, free-draining soil with the upper third of the bulb sitting proud of the surface. Snip off any mushy, rotted tissue, and if the decay has reached the heart of the bulb, let it go and start fresh next time.
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
Healthy leaves, yet no blooms appear
Take heart, because a bulb that grows leaves but skips the flowers is one of the most common hiccups, and it is fixable. Usually the bulb either missed a real rest or never stored enough energy to bloom again, so keep those leaves in bright light and feed them after the flowers fade to refill its tank. Then settle it into roughly 8 to 12 weeks of cool, dark dormancy before you wake it, and if the bulb is simply young or small, one more patient season will let it grow 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
Reddish streaks and patches marking the foliage
Red marks and streaks creeping over the leaves and stalk are the sign of red blotch, sometimes called leaf scorch, a fungal trouble that often arrives hidden in the bulb. Pull away and bin the most affected leaves, and while you are there, look the bulb over for the tunnels and soft pockets that signal bulb mites or narcissus fly larvae instead. Healthy bulbs do well moved into fresh, clean mix, and any that are infested or rotting are best discarded so the problem cannot spread.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy severely affected leaves or bulbs
- Inspect and discard infested or rotting bulbs
- Repot healthy bulbs into fresh, clean potting mix
Lanky stalks that stretch and tip toward the glass
When a stalk grows thin and leans hard for the window, it is just etiolation, the plant searching for more light, and it is an easy thing to put right. Shift the pot to a bright, sunny spot and rotate it a little every few days so the stem firms up straight rather than bending. Very warm rooms only encourage that soft, rushed growth, so a gentle stake will steady the tallest stems while they strengthen.
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
There is no way around it, this is a poisonous plant, and the bulb is the riskiest part of all. Every piece of it holds lycorine and related alkaloids that upset the stomach if swallowed. Keep bulbs and plants beyond the reach of pets, livestock, and children, and give your hands a wash after you have handled them.
Toxic to
Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds · People
Cats Mild
A cat that nibbles a leaf or bulb will often drool and bring it back up, then go quiet and lose interest in dinner. A bigger mouthful can lead to loose stools, a sore belly, and the shakes.
Dogs Mild
A dog that unearths and chews the bulb is likely to drool, vomit, and turn away from food. Swallowing a good amount can bring on tummy ache, runny stools, and trembling.
Horses Mild
Those same alkaloids unsettle a horse's digestion, so you may notice low spirits, drooling, loose droppings, and colicky aches, occasionally alongside light tremors.
Rabbits Toxic
Lycorine sits in every part of this plant, and a creature as small as a rabbit has very little room to spare. Tuck the bulb, leaves, and flowers safely away rather than chance even one bite.
Livestock Toxic
Cattle, goats, and sheep can fall ill from the alkaloids in the leaves and bulbs, showing an upset stomach and weakness. Spent bulbs thrown out near a pasture pose a genuine danger.
Birds Toxic
The lycorine that harms mammals threatens pet birds just as much, so a pecked leaf or petal simply isn't worth risking. Keep the plant clear of any room where a bird gets to fly loose.
People Caution
No part of this plant is food, and the bulb especially can trigger vomiting and stomach pain if it is eaten. Wash your hands once you have handled the bulbs, and keep them well away from little ones.
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 out there, yet only a handful of cultivars keep reappearing on store shelves. These are the ones it helps to recognize by name.
Red Lion
A much-loved big-bloomed pick that opens in a rich, even shade of red.
Apple Blossom
Soft pink veins and washes drift across its otherwise white petals.
Minerva
Striking red petals frame a white star spreading outward from a green-tinged center.
How to propagate
You have two routes to more amaryllis, an easy one and a slow one, either separating the small offsets a bulb makes or starting 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 path to more amaryllis is gathering the little offset bulbs that sprout around the base of the mother bulb, a job that fits neatly into repotting every few years. Settle each offset into its own pot and care for it just as you would the parent. Be kind and patient with it, as an offset needs 1 to 3 years to grow up to blooming size.
SeedDemanding
Sow fresh seed soon after it ripens. · Several years (often 3 to 5) to reach flowering size
Growing amaryllis from seed is possible when you sow it fresh, right after it ripens, though it is a slow road that stretches over several years, often 3 to 5, before a bulb is ready to flower. Hybrid seedlings also won't match their parent, so the surprises rarely come true. For most home growers the long wait makes it more of a curiosity than a shortcut.
Myths
A fresh amaryllis bulb needs a stint in the fridge before it can flower.
You can skip the fridge entirely, because Hippeastrum bulbs ask for no cold spell to flower. Offer warmth and water and they will push into bloom indoors in roughly 4 to 6 weeks. The one pause they want is a cool, dark dormancy that sets up their next flowers, which is a far cry from chilling them.
Removing the foliage the moment the blooms drop is the right move.
Hold off, because those leaves are exactly how the bulb refuels, so let them carry on in bright light and keep feeding once the blooms are spent. Trim the foliage back only when it yellows and fades away by itself, as the plant slips toward dormancy.