How to Get an Amaryllis Plant to Flower Again

I got a beautiful amaryllis plant as a gift last Christmas. How do I get it to flower again this Christmas? Thank you for your help!

Hi Teresa,

Here are some care tips to help your amaryllis plant bloom again, hopefully it will flower in time for the holidays.

The proper care should have started several months ago, when, after the plant had finished flowering, you removed any dead or dying flowers.

Once the stem starts to sag, cut it off at the soil line (at the top the bulb).

Water and feed the plant for the next 5-6 months, that’s about February-September. Fertilize with a plant food high in potassium and phosphorus and low in nitrogen (5-10-10) or (6-12-12). Always dilute the plant food to 1/2 the recommended strength. New leaves should develop during this time.

Around October, these leaves will start to turn yellow. Now is the time to cut the stem back to about 2″ above the top of the bulb and remove the bulb from the pot of soil.

Clean any remaining soil off the bulb and place it in a cool, 40°-50°F (4.4°-10.0°C) dark area for a minimum of 6 weeks. Although a refrigerator seems like a perfect place, it really is not! If you keep any apples in the fridge, the apples will sterilize the amaryllis bulbs and the plant will never bloom again.

After this rest period replant the bulbs in a small pot with drip holes in the bottom. There should only be an inch between the bulbs and the side of the pot. The top third of the bulb should be above the soil.

Re-pot your amaryllis bulbs about 8 weeks before you want them to flower. Hopefully they will soon look like this.

Learn how to identify and care for an Amaryllis bulb plant.
Amaryllis Plant

You can read all my care tips for an amaryllis plant once it starts to grow in the Popular Houseplant section of the website.

https://www.houseplant411.com/houseplant/amaryllis-plant-how-to-grow-care-guide

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.