This is What Your Amaryllis Needs in January – for Even Better Blooms Next Year

Once spectacular amaryllis blooms begin to fade, many people mistakenly treat it as a single-use decoration, and discard the plant. The truth is, an amaryllis is an investment. With a few simple shifts in care, you can transition your plant from its winter display into its spring and summer growing phase.

By providing the right balance of sunshine, water, and nutrients now, you are essentially recharging the bulb's energy reserves to ensure it has the power to flower again next year (and the year after that).

Getting a second flush of blooms relies on mimicking the plant’s natural cycle: a period of active growth followed by a dormant rest. While forcing an amaryllis bulb sounds technical, the process is actually quite intuitive. Our guide breaks down exactly how to manage your amaryllis through the seasons to guarantee fresh growth and repeat flowering.

Don't Discard an Amaryllis After Christmas – It Can Bloom Again

To get your amaryllis to bloom exactly when you want it (such as during the holiday season, hence why it is one of the best blooms for Christmas flowering) it helps to understand its origins.

Hailing from the tropical and subtropical regions of Central and South America, these bulbs are biologically programmed for a cycle of extremes: long, intense summers and distinct dry periods.

In their native habitat, this environmental stress triggers a sleep mode (dormancy), which acts as the catalyst for the next flowering cycle. However, in the cozy, consistent temperatures of our homes, an amaryllis can get confused. Without the cue of a changing season, the bulb often stays green year-round.

While a perpetually green plant is perfectly healthy, it creates a timing problem. Without a forced rest period, the bulb may bloom whenever it feels like it, perhaps in mid-summer or late spring, rather than during the dark days of December.

By simulating a drought, we take control of the plant’s internal clock, ensuring those show-stopping flowers arrive exactly on schedule for your festive decor.

4 Steps to Get An Amaryllis to Flower Again

Enjoy these bold and beautiful flowers year after year with this simple guide on what to do with an amaryllis once it's finished blooming.

• Deadheading and clean-up: Once the petals have shriveled, snip off the flower head to prevent the plant from wasting energy on seed production. Wait to cut the thick, fleshy stalk until it has turned yellow or limp. While it's green, that stalk is still pumping energy back into the bulb. Use sterilized snips, these ones from Amazon are ideal for the job, to ensure a clean cut near the base.
• The recharge phase: Place your pot in the brightest spot possible; a south-facing windowsill is ideal. Amaryllis are hungry plants, so use a high-potash feed (like a liquid tomato fertilizer, available from Amazon) every two weeks. This specifically encourages future flower development rather than just green leaves. If you move your plant outside after the final frost, keep it in a sheltered spot. Protecting it from slugs and heavy downpours is key; too much rain can lead to bulb rot.
• Initiating the deep sleep: Around late summer or early fall, it’s time to signal that winter is coming. Stop all watering and move the pot to a cool, dark place (like a cellar or a cool garage, around 50–55°F). If the leaves stay stubbornly green, simply stop watering anyway. The leaves will eventually wither. Once they are completely brown and crispy, you can pull or cut them off. The bulb needs at least 8 to 10 weeks of total dryness to reset its bloom cycle.
• The awakening: After the rest period, bring the bulb back into the light. You don’t always need to repot. Often, just scraping away the top inch of old compost and replacing it with fresh, nutrient-rich soil is enough to kickstart growth. Give it one thorough watering to wake up the roots, then keep the soil only slightly damp until you see the green tip of a new bud or leaf emerging. Overwatering at this early stage is the most common cause of failure, so be patient.

FAQs

How Often Should You Repot an Amaryllis?

Amaryllis often flower better when pot-bound and shouldn’t be repotted every year, There should be a two-inch gap between the pot and the bulb.

However, if yours has outgrown its pot, you can tap the bulb from its container once the leaves have died back, and reset it in a larger pot in ericaceous, loam-based compost with a handful of grit to improve drainage.

Ideally, soak the compost before planting, squeezing out as much water as possible, and set the bulb to half its depth.

There is a unique joy in watching an amaryllis stir from its slumber just as the outdoor garden goes to sleep.

By mimicking its natural rhythm of rest and growth, you can guarantee a vibrant splash of color to brighten your home during the shortest days of the year.