SUMMER AMARYLLIS CARE
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Healthy
green foliage is necessary for bulb to
build food stores for next year's
flowers.
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DON'T
HAVE ENOUGH
LIGHT?
put
your plants outside on a
balcony, or in a front
yard, that receives
direct sunlight from
spring through fall.
-take your amaryllis plants to
the office, but only if you
have the necessary sunny
exposure at your office
window.
-see if your friends with sunny
backyards are willing to "host"
your Amaryllis during the
growing season-you may have to
promise them a flowering
amaryllis to enjoy in
exchange.
-grow
your amaryllis bulbs
under high intensity
metal halide or sodium
bulbs, or other high
intensity full spectrum
lighting
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STAGE 2 (SUMMER):
BULB IS IN ACTIVE GROWTH
LIGHT:
Amaryllis MUST have bright light with at
least some direct sunlight (3-4
hours/day) during the active
growing season, if they are to
bloom again. There is no way around this.
I give my amaryllis as much natural
direct sunlight as they can take without
burning the leaves. A southern exposure
is best, but a bright sunny eastern
should also work.
If you
have only bright indirect light, your plants
may grow OK, but are unlikely to
bloom. The active growing
season is generally from spring through fall.
If you do not have sufficient light indoors,
consider the tips shown on the
right:
TEMPERATURE:
Amaryllis bulbs are hardy in USDA zones 9
through 11, though apparently they will do fine
with mulching in the ground even in Zone 7b. In
all other regions treat them as houseplants.
Basically temperatures of about 75° when they
are actively growing are best. Mine are
routinely, are exposed to temperatures in the
high 80s during the summer-I just make sure
that they are kept slightly shady and well
watered during very hot
periods.
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WATER: Water as needed to keep the
potting mix moist (but not soggy) at all times while the plant
is actively growing. Warm, dry, sunny conditions which will
require frequent watering.
FERTILIZER: You must regularly
fertilize your amaryllis at this stage if you want to ensure
that they bloom with the maximum number of blooms/per stem and
get more than one stem! Use a houseplant fertilizer that is
formulated for flowering plants. If you use one for foliage
plants you will get foliage but not as many blooms. If you are
not good at fertilizing regularly, then use a timed-release
pellet fertilizer that is mixed into the top inch of potting
mix at the beginning of the growing season.
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