Fall brings many changes in the garden and this is no exception if the only plants you have are Amaryllis bulbs growing in a few pots. The chill in the air is a sign that I should start preparing my Amaryllis bulbs if I want them to flower around the time of the Holiday Season. Amaryllis bulbs begin to flower 6-12 weeks from the time you bring them out of dormancy.
The way you put a bulb into dormancy can vary depending on the bulb grower. Some Amaryllis growers place their bulbs (with the pot) in a dark and cool area like a basement, garage or closet and allow them to go dormant. Some people store their Amaryllis bulbs in the fridge inside of a paper bag in the vegitable crisper after they trim the leaves off.
Right now my Amaryllis bulbs are growing in large posts outside and I'm going to move them under the stairs and keep them there until we get our first frost warning. The reason I'm going to place them under the stairs is to keep them from getting rain and light. The lack of rain and light is what causes the bulbs to go into dormancy. Once it gets too cold to keep them outside in pots I'll dig them up and store them in the attic until I want to break their dormancy.
Remember, 6-12 weeks is what it will take for them to bloom once you've brought them out of dormancy. So if you want them to flower during a specific time frame like say New Years count backwards 6-12 weeks when deciding when to put them into dormancy and withhold water and light.
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