Do you want to have very spectacular flowers at a low cost? Planting an amaryllis can be a solution! Indeed, amaryllis bulbs are less expensive than the amaryllis you can buy already grown in a pot, and they will bloom again every year.
When to plant the bulbs?
From October to February, when amaryllis bulbs are available in garden centers. Count 2.5 to 3 months after planting to see the first flowers bloom.
What to plant an amaryllis with?
A firm, unwrinkled amaryllis bulb with fleshy, not dry roots. The bigger they are, the better they are and the more spectacular their bloom will be. An amaryllis bulb of size 28 and more promises you two successive flowering stems, that is to say more than one month of bloom.
How to plant an amaryllis?
The day before planting, remove the dry or damaged roots of the amaryllis bulb with sharp secateurs. Cut a few millimeters off the tip of the remaining roots.
Soak the base of the bulb and the roots in a bowl of water at room temperature overnight.
Choose a deep enough pot: count 15 to 20 cm of depth. Spread a layer of clay balls (gravel or other draining material) at the bottom of the pot, cover with a mixture of potting soil and compost (in equal parts) up to half the height of the pot.
Form a small dome with the substrate. Place the amaryllis bulb on the dome, spreading the roots around. Adjust the depth if necessary: the bulb should be buried for only two thirds of its height.
Fill the pot with the same soil mixture up to 1 cm below the rim, tamp and water thoroughly. Place in a cool (about 15°C) and bright room, keep the soil just moist. When the bud is well swollen (6 to 8 weeks later), your amaryllis can join a warmer room (around 20°C) in the living room.
Let‘s not hide it, the amaryllis flower is superb but it is perched and this long and powerful stem is not always very elegant.
Bury the pot of your amaryllis in a tub with some nephrolepis or chlorophytums whose exuberant leaves will erase its stiffness.
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