My Amaryllis is in Bloom

Three years ago I picked up an amaryllis bulb at an after Christmas clearance sale. Amaryllis' are great presents for younger kids and people who are less than plant friendly. Typically they come in a kit with a bulb, pot & soil. All you have to do is put the bulb in the pot with the dirt, water well, and in a few weeks you'll have a nice big flower.

Over the years I have tried a few times to get one to bloom a second time, always to no avail. Until this one!

This month's bloom marks the third time this bulb has bloomed for me. This year's bloom is even more spectacular than the last couple years as it has a double stalk, each of which has a full set of four blossoms.

So what do I do to make it re-bloom? After it blooms I keep it well watered (well, as well watered as I can manage to remember) through the year. I add some fertilizer in the early summer to give it a good boost at rebuilding the bulb. I don't get fancy with lots of miracle-grow, I often just use the same granular type that I use in the garden.

In late October/early November I cut the leaves back to the top of the bulb and taper off the watering. I try not to let it go completely dry, but I also don't want to encourage leaf growth just yet. This combination puts the bulb into the same dormant state they are sold in. Beginning in January I increase the amount of water I give it to a normal, almost saturated amount. That's it, by the end of February the blossom starts pushing up.

The only trick I may have is that the solarium where the plants are located stays a couple degrees cooler than the rest of the house. Are those couple degrees enough to convince the bulb to flower? Not sure, but this is the only location I've had luck with. As a side note, my Christmas cactus' also seem to really like the solarium.

After the first flowering of the bulb, it formed a 'daughter bulb'. I planted it in it's own pot and have been growing it the last few years. Thus far it has refused to flower. Maybe next year!