Planting

Hippeastrum is a tender bulb and needs to be planted in a pot indoors.

Bulbs should flower about six to eight weeks after planting, and should be planted from October to January.

Here’s how to plant your bulbs:

• Plant
  These are fleshy, rounded, underground storage organs, usually sold and planted while dormant. Examples include daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, lilies, onions and garlic. The term is often used to cover other underground storage organs, including corms, tubers and rhizomes.

  bulbs using John Innes No.2 or multipurpose
  Can refer to either home-made garden compost or seed/potting compost: • Garden compost is a soil improver made from decomposed plant waste, usually in a compost bin or heap. It is added to soil to improve its fertility, structure and water-holding capacity. Seed or potting composts are used for growing seedlings or plants in containers - a wide range of commercially produced peat-free composts are available, made from a mix of various ingredients, such as loam, composted bark, coir and sand, although you can mix your own.

  compost into pots a little larger than the bulb itself. Two-thirds of the bulb should remain above the surface
• Place in a well-lit spot at 21°C (70°F)
• Water sparingly until the new leaves develop and then start watering regularly. Do not let the compost dry out, but avoid excess water collecting in the saucer
• Turn the pot regularly to prevent the flower stalk growing towards the light. Cultivars with large flowers should be staked
• When in flower, move the plant to a cooler place, about 15–18°C (60-65°F), to extend the flowering period 

Aftercare

Method 1

• After flowering, cut down spent flower spikes to the base, but keep the leaves
  Transferring young plants from one container to a slightly larger one, where they will have more room to grow and fresh potting compost. This encourages continuous, healthy growth.

  growing on by careful watering and apply a balanced liquid fertiliser weekly
• Place the bulbs in their pots outside or in the greenhouse during the summer months, but shade them from scorching sunshine and water regularly
• In late September move the plants to a well-lit position and keep cooler at about 13°C (55°F) for eight to ten weeks. Stop feeding and reduce watering so that the plant becomes semi-dormant
• After this cool
  Dormancy refers to a period of inactivity in plants, during which they slow down or stop their growth, conserving energy and resources. This is a natural process that helps them survive harsh conditions, such as winter or drought. Dormancy in seeds is a mechanism that prevents them germinating until environmental conditions are favourable for growth.

  dormant period, cut the remaining old leaves to 10cm (4in) from the neck of the bulb. Replace the top 2.5-5cm (1-2in) of compost
• Commence growing as for planting of a new bulb

Method 2

• In late September, withhold watering and let the plants gradually dry out. They may die back as a result. Cut to the base any spent flower spikes and yellowed leaves
• Keeping them in their pots, place the plants in a cool place, such as a greenhouse or garage (light is not necessary), for one to two months
• Start them back into growth by bringing them indoors into the light and resuming watering and feeding

Hippeastrums need re-potting every two or three years in January to March after flowering.

Hippeastrums can be propagated by seed or from bulb offsets.

Seed sowing

Seed-raised hippeastrums can take up to six years to reach maturity and flower. They will also usually differ from the parent plant.

• Sow seed as fresh as possible in spring in free draining seed compost
• Maintain a temperature of 21°C (70°F)
• Start feeding with a general pot plant feed five to six weeks after germination, until September
• Grow in individual small pots, potting on periodically during the spring and summer into slightly larger pots each time the pot becomes well filled with roots
• Keep the plants growing actively in moderate warmth and do not induce dormancy (do not drop the temperature as for inducing flowering)

Bulb offsets

Propagation by offsets will produce a flowering bulb in three to four years, which will be identical to the parent plant.

• Separate offsets from the main bulb when repotting (January to March). Look out for offsets with their own roots
• Pot up in individual pots in a free-draining compost
• Keep at a temperature of 21°C (70°F), feed in same way as potted seedlings and don’t induce dormancy

Indoor amaryllis are very popular in the run up to Christmas with many colour forms available. Here are but a few;

• Hippeastrum papilio AGM – unusual white flowers with deep red streaks and touches of green
• H. 'Belinda'  – deep crimson flowers
• H. 'Bestseller'  – cerise pink flowers
• H. 'Red Lion' – strong red-flowered form
• H. 'Star of Holland'  – red with white markings
• H. 'Lady Jane' – semi-double salmon pink blooms

Links

AGM plants
RHS Find a Plant

Failure to flower can be due to drying off bulbs too early, growing in excessively shady conditions, or under-watering during the previous summer.

Attack from various fungal diseases or bulb pests (such as bulb scale mite or large narcissus bulb fly) might also be to blame. If placed outdoors in summer, watch out for slugs and snails.