Vegetative Reproduction of Amaryllis Bulbs

(Amaryllis offset)

In the article on How To Pollinate Amaryllis Bulbs I explained how to propagate Amaryllis bulbs sexually with the aid of pollen from the Amaryllis flower. Amaryllis bulbs can also be propagated asexually-meaning without the use of Amaryllis pollen. This process of vegetative reproduction of Amaryllis bulbs is simple and doesn't require much, if any, work from the Amaryllis grower because the Amaryllis bulb does all of the work for you.

Amaryllis bulbs will produce offsets at the base of the original ("mother") bulb when it has been properly grown and given plenty of sun, water and fertilizer. This is a good way of propagating those Amaryllis bulbs that are hard to pollinate or Amaryllis bulbs that you want an exact copy of.

Sometimes you get lucky and an Amaryllis bulb that you got in an Amaryllis bulb kit will already come with one or two offsets ("babies") or you may notice some offsets on your bulb at the end of summer. When your Amaryllis bulbs produce these offsets at the base of the original bulb, like in the image above, it is best to leave the Amaryllis "baby" attached to the mother bulb for a couple of years.

"When can I remove the Amaryllis babies?"

When you first spot the offsets on your bulb your fist instinct may be to remove the "baby" Amaryllis and place it into a pot of its own to grow. Resist the urge to remove the little Amaryllis bulb from the "mother" bulb until it grows two to three leaves. This may take about two years but in the mean time it will be producing its own set of roots and growing even larger.

Once your offset has its own root system that can properly support it you can gently twist it off of the base of the larger Amaryllis bulb and pot it up in a good sized pot. Alternately, you can leave your offsets attached to the original plant for a few years and have a much larger display off flowers. A clump of Amaryllis bulbs flowering together at the same time is a sight to behold and creates a bigger visual impact than a few flowering Amaryllis bulbs scattered around your house.

Some Amaryllis bulbs will produce more offsets than others and you could grow an Amaryllis bulb for years and it may not produce offsets. There isn't anything "wrong" with your Amaryllis bulb if it doesn't produce any "babies" and they shouldn't be expected every year and on every Amaryllis bulb. The Amaryllis offset above is growing on my 'Minerva' Amaryllis and I have a 'Apple Blossom' Amaryllis that is a smaller bulb but has many offsets while other Amaryllis bulbs have no signs of offsets.