How to Grow Amaryllis Bulbs in Water: 9 Expert Tips
Amaryllis are gorgeous interior additions during the holidays. Their quick-growing blooms are easy to force in water for a striking display. Follow a few key steps with garden expert Katherine Rowe to get your bulbs growing in water and for enjoyment beyond the season.
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With bold blooms in a variety of colors, amaryllis makes a handsome houseplant addition. Their large trumpets are easy to force indoors, timing the show with the holidays or staggering through early summer. Growing amaryllis bulbs in water is a cinch with a few best-growing practices at hand.
Popular at holiday time, amaryllis is a perfect selection to gift or to take centerstage as a floral display. Choose your favorite shade, from apple blossom pink to bright red, in an assortment of petal striping and washes.
Forcing Amaryllis in Water
“Forcing” mimics a natural warming spell and growing season like spring to initiate flowering. After a necessary rest period, the plant awakens as conditions favor growth. Indoors, amaryllis force best between fall and spring. Forced bulbs root in a variety of unique vessels, from a shallow dish of pebbles and water to a vase to tureens and mossy terrariums.
In the fall, amaryllis is readily available for purchase, singly, in kits, or already potted. The grower provides necessary cooling and dormancy so that the bulbs are ready to begin growing once planted or placed in water. The base of the bulb needs contact with liquid or moist soil to root and then produces new leaves and blooms quickly. They usually flower within six to eight weeks in the right conditions.
If you hope to save your bulbs for future blooms, potting them in well-draining soil is more reliable. Rooting them in water, though, gives the opportunity to witness the nature of their root growth in addition to the floriferous stems. Water-rooted bulbs lend a clean, minimalist look to the display.
Choose Your Container
Almost any container without drainage holes is suitable for forcing amaryllis in water. These are large bulbs, and there are a few best options to look for. Decide whether you’ll be rooting in water only or using pebbles or gravel as a base. The pebbles help stabilize the bulb and keep it in place. The stones can be decorative if visible through a clear jar or concealed a bit with moss. Also, determine whether you’re using single or multiple bulbs.
In sizing the container, choose one with enough room for a single bulb to nestle or multiple to sit shoulder to shoulder. Choose a sturdy vessel, as tall stems and hefty blooms can weight the plant. Good options for forcing indoors include:
- Bulb vases – tailor-made to hold them in place at the mouth of the vase. The roots reach into the water-filled base while leafy upper growth and blooms open above, and most of the bulb is out of the water.
- A clear glass jar or bowl – allows you to see the roots develop and monitor the water level for easy topping-off without submersion. Also allows light infiltration as foliage and stems begin to grow.
- Any other vessel that holds water and roots (about three inches deep) without obscuring leafy growth (i.e., a shallow bowl rather than a deep, dark one that may shade developing stems). Let the top of an opaque container act as the soil line in nature, and leave ⅓ of the bulb exposed above it.
Clean the Materials
Materials needed:
- Glass vase, bowl, or other container
- Pebbles, stones, or gravel to stabilize the bulb (optional)
- Soap and water
- Healthy bulb(s)
Begin with a fresh, healthy bulb. The larger the bulb, the more flowers you’re apt to see on stronger stems. A healthy specimen is firm under a gentle squeeze without soft or discolored spots. Pass over any dry, shriveled ones, as these lack hydration.
With the container in hand, give it a wash in hot, soapy water. This sterilizing prevents bacteria from the start, and new roots will be free to grow in a sanitized setting. Run the pebbles, stones, or gravel through a bath, too, especially if collected or being reused.
Situate the Bulb
Now to the fun part – “planting” and arranging. Situating the amaryllis properly is the most critical part of forcing bulbs in water. It’s important to have only the very base of the bulb’s roots in contact with the water. Keeping the root base just above the water level but where the roots can reach it is optimal. If bulbs are submerged, they’re likely to rot.
Setting the base just at liquid level is where pebbles come in handy. And the clear container, too, for optimal visibility. Fill the transparent jar with at least three inches of pebbles. Add more if aesthetically pleasing to fit your container. Place the bulb on the pebble layer, and slowly pour water to infill the stone layer until it barely meets the lowest point of the root zone. We’re talking about a one-millimeter separation between the bulb itself and the liquid.
Best Light and Temperature
The big bloomers grow quickly in a bright spot near a light-filled window. A south-facing exposure gives the most winter light, but east-facing serves them well, too. As long as there is ample bright light or a sunny exposure, you can practically watch them grow.
Ideal temperatures to foster indoor blooms are near 65-70°F (18-21°C), in keeping with regular household temps. When in flower, slightly cooler temperatures (60-65°F or 16-18°C) prolong bloom time. You might want to move them to a cooler spot at night and back to their admiring spot by day.
Growing and Flowering
Check the water level regularly to account for uptake and evaporation. Add room temperature water slowly to top off the level. Change the water if it becomes cloudy, murky, or stinky from being stagnant. Fresh, oxygenated water helps healthy development.
Stems respond quickly to surrounding light and will bend toward it. Rotate the vase every couple of days to maintain straighter stalks with even light exposure.
Once buds begin to open, you can move the amaryllis to its display spot to relish the flowering phase. To prolong the interior display, keep the blooms out of direct sunlight and away from drafts like heater vents, fireplaces, and chilly blasts from open doors.
Post-Bloom Care
After the stalks finish flowering, remove only the spent blossoms to keep them from going to seed. Seed production redirects energy from growth and flowering. The stem will continue to photosynthesize; cut it with pruners or a sharp knife when it starts to yellow and wither. Make the cut one to two inches above the bulb.
Keep the long, strappy leaves intact, as they are essential to creating and storing energy for future growth. Clip them when they turn yellow and brown.
Getting a Rebloom
Amaryllis bloom once annually, and forcing takes a lot of energy, so they won’t continue to grow well or re-flower in water. To try to preserve them for future seasons (not guaranteed after water forcing), care for them as potted houseplants until after spring’s final frost. Move them outdoors in mild weather and provide an 8 to 10-week period of cooled dormancy before waking them in late fall.
If you live in USDA zones 8-11, you’re lucky—amaryllis perennializes for years of recurrent color. Wait until after the last frost passes (unless you’re in a frost-free climate) to plant, and look forward to enjoying their natural summer bloom time. In zone 7, they may overwinter successfully with a thick layer of mulch protection.
Growing As Houseplants
Pot up the water-grown amaryllis into containers about one inch larger in diameter than the bulb. Amaryllis likes to be a little crowded and doesn’t need repotting often. Situate the bulb to expose the upper ⅓ above the soil line. Use a well-draining potting mix and container, and irrigate it thoroughly. Irrigate regularly when the soil surface feels dry (about once a week), and let it dry a bit between sessions.
These hearty bloomers need time to store energy for reblooming the next year. Ensure they receive enough light. Keep leaves in place for photosynthesis until they are naturally yellow, and fertilize in warm months. In the following season, they use these carbohydrate reserves to grow new leaves and flowers. Move them outdoors in summer to enjoy the warm conditions.
Inducing dormancy is necessary when forcing amaryllis to bloom on an annual basis. Expose them to temperatures of 50-55°F (10-13°C) for a minimum of eight to ten weeks. If you want color in time for the holidays, begin dormancy in the fall (late September is a good time). Place them in a cool, semi-dark location and withhold irrigation. Cut off leaves as they brown naturally.
After the rest period, irrigate deeply and move the selection to an indoor location with partial light and cool conditions (60-65°F or 16-18°C) to acclimate. When green growth emerges, move them to a brighter, warmer spot for active growing.
