Hi Jane,

Amaryllis plant flowers

Hopefully you followed these care steps last year so that your plant is ready to bloom again this year.

1. Cut the old flowers from the stem when they fade.

2. When the stem starts to sag, cut it back to the top of the bulb.

3. Continue to water and fertilize all summer or at least 5-6 months.

4. Allow the leaves to fully develop and grow. The leaves nourish the bulb so it will produce large flowers next year.

5. When the leaves begin to yellow, usually in the early fall, cut the leaves to about 2” from the top of the bulb

6. At this time, remove the bulb from the soil.

7. Clean the bulb and place it in a cool dark place (40-50 degrees) for a minimum of six weeks. The refrigerator will work only if it does not contain apples. Apples will sterilize the bulbs.

8. After six weeks you can remove the bulbs and plant them again. Plant the bulbs about eight weeks before you want them to bloom.

If you plan to buy new bulbs, remember, the larger the bulb the larger the flowers will tend to be. Mid October is a good time to plant amaryllis bulbs if you want them to bloom around the holidays.

These plants are considered poisonous and should be kept away from pets and children. Learn more about common houseplants that are poisonous in Don’t Feed Me To Your Cat! A Guide to Poisonous Houseplants