I have amaryllis bulbs that I got for Christmas. How do I get them to bloom again?

I had some bulbs a couple of years ago. I planted them and they never came up and bloomed. I live in southern California. It doesn't get really cold. Daffodills do well here, but tulips don't come back the next year. Do I need to put my bulbs in the fridge and give them a cold spell to inorder for them to bloom next year?

I have amaryllis bulbs that I got for Christmas. How do I get them to bloom again?
No. Daffodils usually are pretty hardy anywhere. There are certain types that do well in warmer areas and those are recommended for best success. Cool for them means about 45 F. or so. Tulips are often treated as annuals in California as they do not do well in the warm weather. They like a long, slow root growth in very cold weather in order to produce well. Those you can put in the fridge for about 3 months before you plant out.





For amaryllis, which are really hippeastrum, here you go:





In winter, remove blooms after they fade and before seedpods develop, but leave the stems. Like the remaining foliage, they’ll help restore energy to the bulb.





Once a stem shrivels and dries, cut it off at the base about two or three inches from the bottom.





Water when the soil is dry to 1 inch deep (about once a week), and feed every couple of months with liquid fertilizer diluted half-strength, as long as leaves remain green. Keep the plant in a bright, protected spot (such as indoors near a window).





If the foliage dies back and the plant goes dormant, withhold water and fertilizer. Remove dead leaves at the base.





Once danger of frost has passed, move the plant outdoors, ideally to a spot that gets morning sun and some afternoon shade.





In spring, when new leaves emerge, top-dress with fresh soil, keeping the top of the bulb exposed; resume more frequent watering and fertilizing. The amaryllis should bloom again in late spring or summer. Never put soil up around the neck of the bulb. Plant it about 2/3 into the soil, leaving a good 1/3 out of the soil.





In early fall, stop watering and feeding after foliage fades (though some amaryllis are evergreen in mild climates); remove dead leaves. Move container to a protected spot. (In cold-winter climates, bring the container indoors to a cool, dry place such as a basement or garage.) Leave it alone for about 10 weeks. Then gradually bring it into the house, water it once well, and start the process all over again.
Reply:It could help. I live in central Mississippi and we have what looks like an amaryllis in the back yard that blooms every year. It never gets cold for long here, but it will go below freezing now and then. It could also be that the bulb rotted because it was susceptible to a fungus in your yard. Try again. When the leaves naturally die down, dig up the bulb and dry it out in the dark for a bit. Then put into peat moss in a bag in the fridge. Peat moss will help absorb any condensation.


FYI Tulip generally do not last very long, unless they are species tulips that start out small and stay small. Those big tulip bulbs that you buy take several years to grow. The growers cut off the flower each year so that the bulb does not spend its energy on flower and seed production, but produces a bigger bulb.
Reply:Tulips sometimes don't come back. A Holland bulb grower told me once that tulips should just be treated as annuals, and if they do come back, it is a bonus. He also told me that they tend to divide really fast if the soil is warm and they are planted shallowly, as the instructions tell you. He said to plant them 8-10" deep, instead of the 4-6" recommended, to keep them cooler in the summer.





They do need about 12 weeks of cold to thrive, also, and to bloom. Keeping them in the refrigerator is an option, however do not keep fruit in there with them, as ripening fruit puts off an ethane gas that will kill the flower buds.





Don't know why your amaryllis didn't come up, could be they were eaten by something; mice or shrews maybe. They will also eat tulip bulbs, but daffodils are poisonous and will not be eaten.





I keep my amaryllis in a pot, after it finishes blooming, let it grow, keep watering it and fertilize it with a mild house plant fertilizer every couple of weeks, until about mid-October. Then lay the plant on its side so it won't get watered, and let it die off so it will rest. About 8-10 wks later, repot it in fresh soil (in the same pot, they like to be crowded) and start watering it again. It should put up a bloom spike for you.