Succeeding with Pot-grown Alstroemeria

How to grow Peruvian Lilies in pots?

Alstroemeria, grown in a pot, requires a well-draining substrate. If you ensure it is watered sufficiently during the flowering period, it is simple to care for; the main challenge is its low winter hardiness. Some choose to grow it as an annual, as its flowering is exceptional for the duration of a summer and autumn.

However, to keep it beyond its first year, you can bring it indoors before the first frosts until spring, placing it in a conservatory, greenhouse, or a bright, cool room, unheated, but with a temperature above 0 °C.

If you leave the pot outside all year round, be sure to mulch the container thoroughly.

A beautiful Alstroemeria in a pot

What type of pot? What size?

Alstroemeria, although it tolerates dry soil in open ground, flourishes better in moist soil. The substrate dries quickly in a pot, especially in a porous terracotta pot. It may be preferable to opt for other pot materials to retain moisture a bit longer.

Choose a pot with drainage holes to promote drainage, or drill a few holes yourself if it doesn’t have any.

Select a pot of good size: at least 30 cm in diameter and depth, more if you can. If you plan to grow the Peruvian Lily as an annual, there is no need to go larger. If you wish to accompany it with other plants, ensure a width, length, or diameter that is significantly greater.

What substrate?

It is essential to provide Alstroemeria with a well-draining substrate all year round, but one that retains enough water to keep it slightly cool without the need for constant watering.

Alstroemerias, somewhat delicate in open ground where the soil can be a bit heavy or chalky, are easier to grow in pots using potting compost for flowering plants.

You can choose to grow them in 100% quality horticultural compost with good water retention. Alternatively, you can create a mix of 50% compost, 20% compound, 20% garden soil, and 10% sand to improve drainage, or a similar blend.

Also, equip yourself with clay balls and an organic mulch.

When and how to plant?

Plant Alstroemerias in spring, between March and May, to avoid disturbing the roots during flowering.

• Moisten the root ball of the plant by soaking it in water while preparing your pot
• Use a pot with drainage holes in the bottom
• Fill the bottom with clay balls
• Add your potting soil or mix up to halfway in the pot
• Gently position the Alstroemeria root ball in the pot
• Ensure that the roots from the rootstock are placed vertically
• Make sure the root ball is slightly buried, just below the pot level
• Fill in with your potting soil or mix
• Lightly compact to ensure the pot is filled with substrate in a homogeneous manner
• Water generously
• Spread an organic mulch a few centimetres thick on the surface of the pot

Where to install your Alstroemeria?

In pots, plants are more sensitive to the assaults of wind and the scorching rays of the sun. The alstroemeria loves warmth, so find it a spot sheltered from strong winds, but protect it from the intense rays of the summer sun. Prefer a position facing east for morning sun or west for late afternoon sun, while still ensuring it receives good brightness and several hours of sunlight each day. Alternatively, you can place the pot under the light shade of a bush.

Watering and fertilising?

Alstroemerias are generous; they love to flower for a long time, for two seasons. To support the flowering, water your Inca Lilies very regularly as soon as it begins. Between waterings, as soon as the substrate is dry in the top few centimetres of the pot, it is time to water again.

Similarly, this abundant flowering benefits from a regular supply of fertiliser between June and October.

In spring, before flowering begins, water 1 to 2 times a week. In autumn, once the last flowers have faded, just water occasionally, about every 15 days.

Your Alstroemerias will need water to bloom well

Maintenance

Regularly cut back faded flowers and flower spikes to encourage flowering in summer and autumn.

Alstroemeria is resistant to pests and diseases. It is susceptible to attacks from slugs and snails in spring; pot cultivation should protect it or limit these attacks. Apply a layer of ferns if you notice any damage.

→ More tips can be found in our sheet “how to protect Peruvian lilies in winter