If you’ve bought an amaryllis for Christmas in the past and discovered it’s withered away within a couple of weeks, you won’t make the same mistake again. That’s because you now know how to keep your Christmas amaryllis alive longer than that! If you leave your potted Christmas amaryllis on the windowsill, by January it will have almost certainly shrivelled up and died. But if you follow these simple steps, not only can it stay green and thriving until February but also its leaves will develop into beautiful red-orange petals. The trick is that you need to simulate the growing conditions of its natural habitat during summer – which means lots of light and warmth as well as keeping it humid.
1. Select a sunny spot.
Amaryllis bulbs love growing in hot and sunny places. They were once used as a way to heat greenhouses in places such as the West Indies! So if you want to keep your amaryllis alive as long as possible, try to find a sunny spot in your house. If you have a south facing window, that might be the best place to put it – if not, put it next to a sunny window and put something like newspaper underneath it to reflect some of the sunlight onto the plant. If you don’t have any sun at all, try putting your amaryllis in a sunny spot in the house for the first few weeks and then moving it to a brighter window once it starts to sprout leaves.
2. Water it with tepid water only.
A common mistake people make is to water their amaryllis too much. The best way to water your potted Christmas amaryllis is by watering it just enough so that the soil has become slightly damp. Just check the bottom of the pot to see if water has been absorbed. If the soil is wet or water is flowing out of the drainage holes in the bottom, then you’ve watered it too much. You don’t want your amaryllis to be sitting in water because that will cause the roots to rot. Instead, there should just be a slight dampness in the soil. The best way to water your amaryllis is by using tepid water. Tap water may be tepid but if you have a water cooler in your house, the water from that will be too warm. So, before watering your amaryllis, run the water from the cooler through a water pitcher for a few minutes so that it becomes tepid. Christmas Amaryllis
3. Keep the soil damp but not wet.
The key to knowing when to water your amaryllis is to check the soil. If it feels barely damp, you should water it. If it feels really wet and soggy, you should let some of it drain out. Ideally, you want the soil to feel slightly damp to the touch but not too wet. You can do a quick test: take some soil in your hands, close your fingers around it, and then slowly open your fingers again. If water drips out of your closed fist, then it’s too wet.
4. Give it an occasional fertiliser feed.
Amaryllis are naturally pollinated by insects. For example, hummingbirds love the nectar in their flowers, which they pollinate while they’re feeding. You can help nature along and give your amaryllis an added boost of nutrients by giving it a fertiliser feed once in a while. You can buy a liquid fertiliser for amaryllis at any decent gardening store, or if you have an organic garden, you could use some of the leftover liquid fertiliser that you’ve used on your other plants. It’s important that you don’t use any chemical fertilisers on your amaryllis because they will kill it. If you have any hummingbirds visiting your garden, they’ll provide your amaryllis with the nutrients it needs. But if you don’t, you should give it a feed every month or so.
5. Rotate the pot once a week.
Just like a plant in your garden, you should occasionally rotate your amaryllis pot so that the plant gets an even amount of light. Furthermore, rotating the pot once a week will have another added benefit: it will keep the soil from becoming compacted. If your amaryllis is in a small pot, it may also need to be repotted every now and again. Don’t repot it until all the leaves have fallen off and you’re left with just the bare bulb.
6. Conclusion
Amaryllis plants are a beautiful gift to give during the holidays. If you keep your amaryllis alive and thriving long after Christmas, however, you’ll have a stunning houseplant to enjoy all year round. To do this, keep your amaryllis in a sunny spot and water it once the soil has become slightly damp. Give it a fertiliser feed every month or so and make sure to rotate the pot once a week. If you follow these six tips, your Christmas amaryllis can stay alive for over a month. So next time you’re invited to a Christmas party, bring along a beautiful potted amaryllis to put on the table.
This article is provided by https://www.bomagardencentre.co.uk/christmas-trees-gifts-christmas-plants-flowers
