The worst mistakes to avoid when growing an amaryllis

Ah, the amaryllis! This star of Christmas and the festive season, with its large, spectacular trumpet-shaped flowers bursting like fireworks in your living room. But why strive to succeed in its cultivation when you can risk doing exactly what you shouldn't? Follow these absurd tips to ensure your amaryllis or Hippeastrum ends up sadly… and discover in the process what you should really do. How to make an amaryllis bloom (and bloom again)? Oh dear, certainly not by following these "tips".

how to grow and make amaryllis bloom again

Lesson 1: Plant your bulb… upside down

What better way to prove that the amaryllis is a robust plant than to challenge it with a botanical puzzle? Imagine that poor bulb, planted upside down, its roots pointing to the sky and its leaves desperately trying to break through a compact layer of soil. Fun, right? Not for the bulb, anyway.

And let's be honest, roots are a bit overrated, aren't they? Why give them the comfort of spreading out in soft potting mix when you can turn them into underground Olympic endurance athletes? And how satisfying it will be to discover, several weeks later, that nothing has grown? The suspense is thrilling!

What to do: plant your bulb with the tip facing upwards, leaving about a third of the bulb above the soil. The roots should be comfortably nestled in the potting mix, ready to work.

Lesson 2: Water it as if it were a water lily

After all, why settle for a plant when you can turn its pot into a miniature pond? The bucolic charm of a little swamp in your living room: the amaryllis bulb happily soaking in stagnant water, perhaps accompanied by a few mushrooms, maybe even a colony of mosquitoes if you're lucky. A true picture worthy of Monet!

Let's be honest, who needs flowers when you can watch an aquatic biotope form before your eyes? And then, what suspense to see if the bulb rots before or after the mould appears.

What to do: water moderately. Only add water when the potting mix is dry to the touch. Amaryllis do not like to paddle, especially at the bulb level, which risks rotting.

Lesson 3: Leave it in a dark, cold corner

Why give your amaryllis a bright spot when a dark, cold corner will do just as well? Closet, cellar, or unheated garage: choose the gloomiest place possible to test its ability to photosynthesise in total darkness.

Your poor bulb will shiver in the darkness, dreaming of a ray of sunshine it will never see. If it could talk, it would probably say, "Why me?" No light, no warmth, no growth… but what a perfect recipe for a sad, stagnant pot!

What to do: place your amaryllis in a bright, warm spot. A temperature of around 20 °C and a bath of natural light will make all the difference.

Lesson 4: Cut its leaves as soon as they appear

After all, what are leaves anyway? Just green things that take up space and spoil the view of the beautiful flowers, right? So, snip, snip, as soon as they poke their heads out. Your amaryllis, somewhat bewildered, will desperately try to produce new leaves while you keep cutting them. You'll end up with a stylishly "bald" plant, but certainly not any flowers.

Photosynthesis? Pfft, what's the point… Does your plant really need leaves to gather energy and prepare for its next flowering? Probably not. Yet, without its foliage, your bulb will be as productive as a phone without a battery.

What to do: leaves are essential for the bulb to gather energy. Leave them alone until they fade.

Lesson 5: Forget to give it a well-deserved rest

Why worry about your amaryllis's needs? Producing flowers is its job, right? So no breaks, no holidays: keep watering it, exposing it to light, and expect flowers all year round, as if it were a beauty vending machine. Result: a worn-out bulb, silently rebelling by refusing to bloom again, or worse, completely wilting. Well done, you've turned a majestic plant into a lifeless decorative object. Good job!

What to do: after flowering, let the leaves continue to grow and fertilise the bulb regularly. Then, give it a break of two to three months in a cool, dry place. It will come back in great shape!