Amaryllis flowers are perfect for Christmas with their rich colours and eye-catching style.
Taking to the December instalment of his monthly gardening blog, Monty Don has shared how to care for amaryllis plants right now.
He claimed that if the plant’s huge bulbs are planted “now”, they “will be flowering in early spring”.
Owners simply need to choose a container that is not too large as too much compost will “encourage foliage at the expense of flowers” and only half submerged in a well-drained potting compost.
After planting, amaryllis plants don’t need much maintenance, however, when trying to get this plant to flower, Monty noted that there is one task gardeners “must” do.
READ MORE: Essential task to avoid rodents growing rapidly and damaging your garden
The 68-year-old claimed that they “must be given some heat”. He explained: “This can be in the dark, but must be constantly warm (20 to 25 degrees is recommended).
“The idea is to trigger the flowers into more growth after a dormant period.”
As Monty previously mentioned, at this stage it doesn’t matter if the plant is kept in the dark – the airing cupboard can be an ideal place to position them.
Once the plant is noticeably growing, the expert suggested that it can then be brought into its flowering place which “should be fairly light and as warm as is possible” within the restrictions of a household.
Don’t miss…
Plant that’s illegal to allow to grow outside garden – leads to criminal charges[INSIGHT]
2 popular plants that must be pruned now for healthy large blooms and no damage[EXPERT]
Magic homemade weed killer recipe gardeners claim makes weeds die for good[COMMENT]
- Support fearless journalism
- Read The Daily Express online, advert free
- Get super-fast page loading
Monty added: “The thing to remember is that these are tropical plants and a cold spell will stop them in their tracks.
“Once it is growing do not let it dry out and feed with a general tomato feed every 10 days.”
Once the flowers on the initial stem have faded and gone into dormancy, owners can cut the stem back to the bulb and “another will probably grow and flower”.
Doing this allows the plant to rebloom. For those who want to get their amaryllis to rebloom for Christmas, they need to start the rest period sometime in mid-September to mid-October.
Then bring them out of storage in mid to late November, or six to eight weeks after the start of their dormancy period.
It can take anywhere from 10 to 14 weeks for an amaryllis to bloom again once it enters dormancy.
The exact time depends on several factors, including the environment, nutrients, temperature, and lighting.
Source: Read Full Article