Amaryllis (Hippeastrum hybridum) care

Flowering · straightforward to keep

Amaryllis (Hippeastrum hybridum) wants bright light with some direct sun. Water it weekly. Water sparingly until the flower stalk is well up, then generously while it flowers and while the leaves grow. Stop entirely in late summer for a dry rest of eight to ten weeks, then start again. Pot it in loam-based, free-draining compost. A balanced feed monthly from spring to late summer; none in winter, and repot every 2 years. Humidity: room humidity is fine. Toxic to cats and dogs; causes vomiting, and the bulb in quantity affects the heart.

Amaryllis: a bulb the size of a fist that produces a thick stalk and three or four huge trumpet flowers, usually forced for Christmas. The bulb is perennial and improves with age — the trick is to let the leaves grow all summer to feed it, then give it eight to ten weeks completely dry in autumn.

Quick facts

Water: Water weekly. Water sparingly until the flower stalk is well up, then generously while it flowers and while the leaves grow. Stop entirely in late summer for a dry rest of eight to ten weeks, then start again.
Light: Bright light with some direct sun.
Humidity: Room humidity is fine.
Soil: Loam-based, free-draining compost.
Feeding: A balanced feed monthly from spring to late summer; none in winter.
Repotting: Repot every 2 years.
Toxic to pets: Toxic to cats and dogs; causes vomiting, and the bulb in quantity affects the heart.
Difficulty: Straightforward.
Mature size: 50–70 cm tall in flower.
Native to: South America.

Watering an Amaryllis

Water weekly. Water sparingly until the flower stalk is well up, then generously while it flowers and while the leaves grow. Stop entirely in late summer for a dry rest of eight to ten weeks, then start again.

That cadence is the one PlantParlour sets for this species when you name it, and it is deliberately on the cautious side — a plant that asks a day early is safer than one that asks a day late. Log each watering and the reminder moves with the plant rather than with the calendar.

Light

Bright indirect light, and no direct sun. Clivias flower reliably in a spot most flowering plants would sulk in.

Humidity and temperature

Room humidity is fine. Central heating in winter is what turns a comfortable room into a dry one, and it is the usual reason an established plant suddenly browns at the edges or picks up spider mites.

Soil and potting

A loam-based compost with grit. Clivia roots are thick and fleshy and rot in anything that stays wet.

Feeding

A balanced feed monthly from spring to late summer; none in winter. Stop feeding in autumn and start again when you see new growth in spring — feeding a plant that isn't growing just builds up salts in the pot.

Repotting

Repot every 2 years. Every three or four years, with the top third of the bulb above the compost.

Common problems

Leaves but no flowers
It did not get a dry rest, or the leaves were cut off too early.

Fix: Let the leaves grow all summer to feed the bulb, then withhold water for eight to ten weeks in autumn.
Soft, mushy bulb
Rot from water sitting around the neck.

Fix: Water around the edge of the pot and keep the top of the bulb exposed.
Red streaks on the bulb and leaves
Red blotch, a fungal disease.

Fix: Remove affected tissue, keep the bulb dry, and treat with a fungicide.

Propagation

Pot up the offset bulbs that form beside the parent.

A cutting taken in PlantParlour keeps its link to the plant it came from, so a propagation years later still traces back to the mother plant — which is the point if you ever sell or trade it.

Toxicity and safety

Toxic to cats and dogs; causes vomiting, and the bulb in quantity affects the heart.

Questions people ask

How often should you water an Amaryllis?

Water weekly as a starting point — that is the cadence PlantParlour sets for Hippeastrum hybridum. Water sparingly until the flower stalk is well up, then generously while it flowers and while the leaves grow. Stop entirely in late summer for a dry rest of eight to ten weeks, then start again. Light, pot size and the time of year all move that number, so treat it as a reminder to go and check rather than a rule.

How much light does an Amaryllis need?