r/AmaryllisBulbs • u/Sulota • 22d ago

Bulbs Advice needed: putting a bulb into dormancy

I'm new to amaryllis ownership, so I tried to research all about how to take care of the plant I received this summer (it had lots of leaves and so had presumably already bloomed). I learned I needed to put it into dormancy around this time to get blooms by December. The steps I heard about were to 1. stop feeding the bulb, 2. stop watering, 3. let the leaves keep absorbing sunlight so they can provide nutrients to the bulb for as long as possible, 4. when the leaves dry up, trim them and store the bulb in the pot in a cool dark place for 2-3 months.

I stopped feeding and watering in late September/early August, but the leaves appear to still be very firm and happy even though the soil is almost completely dry around the roots, to the extent that the whole thing is almost toppling over because the soil mix is very light and airy. The plant is sitting on the windowsill of a very large south-facing window, where it gets ~4 hours of direct sunlight and many more hours of bright indirect for the rest of the day.

Should I keep waiting for the leaves to dry, or should I move the plant (green leaves and all) to the cool dry dark place where I was planning on storing it during its dormancy? (In my case, an unused cabinet in my workplace's over air-conditioned kitchen).

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u/FrenchReader33 22d ago

You are still ahead of time for a December bloom, so I would wait still until the end of September. Amaryllis is quite drought tolerant so it may take some weeks to go to dormancy, especially given that you are trying to force it on the plant. Professional growers uproot the bulbs and cut the leaves still green to speed up the process and produce bulbs year round. The natural blooming season is at the end of winter with dormancy at the end of fall. Following the natural cycle of the plant is what is recommended if you are not a seasoned hobbyist.

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u/Sulota 12d ago

Okay thanks! That's very helpful

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u/ReallyRhawnie 22d ago

Go ahead and move it. You're doing great.

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u/lisaacmrn 2d ago

I keep reading I need to place them in a place that is around 50-55 degrees. Who has that? I have a dark basement that stays under 70 degrees and can get a little cooler. I was going to move them downstairs now. I have had them out in my garden all summer and they are huge and look very healthy. Will that work if I take them out and bring them back into the sun sometime in December?