With the amaryllis you are bringing a colorful plant into your home that, with the right care, is quite resistant to diseases and pests.
On dreary winter days, the impressive onion flowers add an exotic dash of color to the gray of everyday life. The amaryllis (hippeastrum) is competing with the traditional poinsettia in German living rooms.
The impressive funnel flowers make the amaryllis a popular houseplant. When cultivating the subtropical plant, there are a few things to consider. We reveal how the Amaryllis can be cultivated, why people often talk about the Knight's Star and how to get the lush bulbs to flower the following year.
Special Features
The botanist counts the plants that are available on the market around Christmas in many colors in the genus of knight stars. The term causes general confusion among plant lovers, because the term amaryllis is commonly used for the belladonna lily as well as for the related knight star.
In the last century both plants formed a common genus. Today, only the Belladonna lily, also known as real amaryllis, is botanically part of the genus of the same name. The plant flowers in late summer and comes from southern Africa.
Despite botanical differentiation, the knight star continues to be stubbornly referred to as amaryllis. Therefore, the plant from the Andes of Peru is also the subject of this text.
Amaryllis as a cut flower
The amaryllis is not only an eye-catcher at the flower window, but is also very suitable as a vase flower or for winter arrangements. To do this, the buds are separated from the mother plant with a sharp knife before they burst.
The flower stalks look particularly good in tall glass vases. In order to give the hollow stems more stability, they can be wrapped with adhesive tape at the lower end. If the stems are about to snap, a thin wooden stick can give the flower stability.
Tip: Only fill the vase with a little water, because the amaryllis will quickly start to rot.
Plant Amaryllis
Find the right location
When the amaryllis is in full bloom, it needs a bright spot. Full sun is tolerated. Sunlight stimulates flowering.
In late winter, the sun's rays can be quite intense. Light discoloration and brown spots on the leaves indicate burns. Then a partially shaded location is preferred.
Selecting the ideal substrate
The Amaryllis prefers a well-drained soil. Conventional potting soil is suitable.
Other options are:
- Cactus potting soil mix in a 1:1 ratio, supplemented with perlite flakes
- Uniform earth and pricking earth in a ratio of 1:1, supplemented by lava granules and quartz sand
- Coconut Fiber Substrate
Tip: To prevent the onion from rotting, the humus content in the soil should be kept as low as possible.
Planting amaryllis - step by step
1. Select planter
2. Prepare substrate
3. Insert drainage
4. Insert onion
5. Fill up substrate
6. Water onion well
The bulbs are planted or repotted in November. Since the lush flower stalks develop a certain weight, stable planters should be used. Clay pots are particularly suitable for cultivating amaryllis.
To ensure that the irrigation water can drain off well and that there is no waterlogging, gravel or shards of pottery are filled into the bottom of the planter as drainage. When planting, make sure that the bulb is only half covered with soil.
The onion is watered vigorously and placed in a bright and warm place.
Planting tips at a glance
| Activity | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Set Location | • bright • sun to partial shade |
| Select substrate | • permeable • loose |
| Plant Amaryllis | • Use a sturdy planter • Plant the onion only halfway into the ground • Water the onion well |
Caring for Amaryllis
Water the amaryllis correctly
Tact is required for watering. The amaryllis must not be too wet - avoid waterlogging. Pouring errors often lead to rot and fungus.
Tip: If the amaryllis is watered too intensively during the dormant phase, flowering will suffer.
It's going to be moderatecast. The surface should be dry before you reach for the watering can again. However, the plants should not dry out completely. The amaryllis is watered from above. The water should be poured onto the substrate and not directly onto the bulb.
Excess water must be removed from the coaster. Since the plants love a warm substrate, they are preferably poured with lukewarm water.
During the resting phase, only water very sparingly. Regular watering only begins when the flower stalk has grown about ten centimeters high.
Fertilize amaryllis properly
When the first flowers begin to open, a special fertilizer for bulb plants is administered at 14-day intervals. Once the amaryllis has faded, stop fertilizing. No additional nutrients should be supplied during the resting phase.
If the bulb is repotted in November, flower bulb fertilizer can be mixed under the substrate to encourage flowering.
Pruning Amaryllis
The flowers should only be cut off when they are completely withered. The inflorescence is then completely removed. At the beginning of the dormant period, all dead plant parts are cut off or can usually be stripped off the bulb.
Annual overview of care measures
There are some special features when caring for tropical plants. The exotics have a completely different life cycle than domestic houseplants.
The following overview lists the corresponding characteristics and gives the hobby gardener assistance with plant care.
| Growing Period | What happens? | What to do? |
|---|---|---|
| December to January | Blooming time | • water regularly • offer a sunny location • avoid waterlogging |
| February | Flowers wilt | • cut off spent flowers • remove old roots • repot |
| March to April | Growth phase | • offer a warm location • water more often |
| May to July | Flowering | • water more often • fertilize regularly • partially shaded location |
| August to October | Rest Period | • do not water • cut off wilted • store onion in a cool and dark place |
| November | Growing season begins | • Plant onion • Wait for budding • Start watering |
| December | Bloom begins | • place bright and warm • keep substrate slightly moist |
Propagating Amaryllis
Amaryllis can be propagated by sowing seeds and bulbs.
Propagation by seed
In order to obtain seeds, the plant must be pollinated. It is usually sufficient if the stems are shaken from time to time. This is how the pollen is distributed. If you want to be on the safe side, you can also run a brush over pistils and pollen. The fruits develop within four to six weeks. The seeds can be removed from the opened capsules.
Sowing step by step
1. Prepare plant pots2. Prepare substrate
3. Fill in substrate
4. Moisten plant pots5. Distribute seeds on the substrate
6. Press seeds gently
7. Cover plant pots
8. Wait for germination
The plant pots are filled with potting soil. The seeds are spread on the substrate at a distance of five centimeters and are not covered with soil. Covering with a plastic hood promotes germination and creates a microclimate in the planter.
The plant pots are cultivated in a semi-shady spot at room temperature. After about three weeks, germination begins. The substrate must be kept constantly moist. Regular airing of the cover prevents mold from forming. When the seedlings have grown about five centimeters high, the plant cover can be removed.
Tip: Young plants do not need a rest period and are watered continuously until they start flowering.
Propagation by onions
Propagation by bulbs requires less effort and patience than sowing. The bulbs can be separated from the plant when they are about three centimeters in diameter.
The bulbs are planted halfway into the ground and cultivated in a warm, partially shaded spot. When the bulbs have roughly doubled in size, repot and cultivate as described.
Diseases and Pests
The amaryllis is quite robust. However, care mistakes often lead to diseases and pest infestations. If waterlogging occurs, the roots begin to rot. If this is recognized in good time, reducing the watering behavior and repotting the plant can save the amaryllis from rotting.
The common daffodil fly and onion skin mite are the preferred pests. theNarcissus flies visually resemble small bumblebees. Eggs are laid on the leaves or in the leaf axils. The larvae grow to about ten millimeters in size and infest the bulbs, where they also overwinter.
The maggots will die if the onion is placed in hot water for several hours. The pest also attacks snowdrops, hyacinths or daffodils.
Onion skin mites can be identified by red streaking on the stems and leaves of amaryllis. The leaves tear and the plant grows sparsely. The mites cannot be seen with the naked eye and are located under the onion scales.
A treatment with hot water can also help here.
Tip: If the amaryllis is allowed outside in early summer, watch out for snail infestation. Onions are preferred by pesky critters.
Rest Period
When the garden is still in bloom, don't forget that the amaryllis is now beginning its summer dormancy. The exotic grows in winter and must be dry and cool over the summer. Otherwise you will wait in vain for new flowers.
Watering is stopped in late summer. The onion is stored at around twelve degrees and is best brought to the cellar for this purpose. The rest period should last at least two months. It is watered only sporadically and just enough so that the plant does not dry out completely.
Is amaryllis poisonous?
Amaryllis is a poisonous plant. The toxic substances are concentrated in the onion.
Tip: Amaryllis is also poisonous. The plant sap was once used as an arrow poison in South Africa.
Nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and sweating are among the symptoms of poisoning. Skin contact may cause rashes and redness.