As you may already know, caring for amaryllis after flowering includes repotting the plant to bring it out of its dormant phase. So you've just taken your amaryllis bulb out of the pot and are now happy to see that it has produced daughter bulbs over the last year? You'll definitely want to take advantage of this and propagate your amaryllis! However, there are a few things to keep in mind, as we will explain below. Also, learn how to handle seeds.
Propagation of the knight's star through offshoots
You can propagate amaryllisthrough offshootsor seeds. We'll start with the former, i.e. how exactly you handle daughter bulbs.
How you can tell if the offshoots are ripe
Before you rush to cut off the new bulbs and transplant them, you should be sure that the time has actually come. Because if you rush it and cut them from the mother bulb too early, they will simply die. So, how do you know if you can already propagate your amaryllis?
The right size
As long as the small bulbs do not have a diameter of at least 3 centimeters, they are better left attached to the main bulb. This is a sign that she is not yet mature enough.
The color of the daughter bulb
Very young flower bulbs are still white and this also means that they still need their mother bulb. However, those that can already grow independently have a brownish skin that is very thin (similar to our onions).
Roots are desired
It is not absolutely necessary for the offshoots to already have their own, visible roots in order to be able to call them mature. However, it is definitely an advantage because it then makes it easier for the onion to develop independently right from the start.
Also interesting:Do you want to propagate the money tree? Nothing easier than that!
Propagate Amaryllis – This is how you proceed with ripe bulbs
If you have found that you can already propagate your amaryllis with the bulbs since they are ripe, it is best to do so as we have already donewhen repottinghave explained:
- Take a sharp knife and cut the small onions as smoothly as possible on a suitable surface.
- You can then disinfect the interfaces by dusting them with charcoal powder. This way you prevent infections.
- For the young plants you need a pot with a diameter of around 14 centimeters. To avoid waterlogging, add drainage. This can consist of small pebbles or a simple piece of pottery that you place over the draining holes.
- Fill the pot two-thirds full with a mixture of normal potting soil and cactus soil (1:1). Optionally, you can also mix in perlite or lava granules.
- Place the Ritterstern onion upright and in the middle of the substrate and spread more soil around it, pressing it lightly every now and then. It is important that the flower bulb is not completely covered with soil, but that about half is still above the substrate.
- Water generously so that the soil is completely moist. Allow excess water to drain for sufficient time.
Would you rather use the new plants in a more original way than in the traditional pot? Then you could, for exampleenclose in waxand use as decoration.
Propagating Amaryllis with Seeds – How to Obtain and Use Them
If you would like to use seeds instead, you can either buy them or get them yourself from your plant. Even cut flowers have the potential to produce seeds. Either way, it is a more difficult undertaking than that with the offshoots. This is how you can propagate amaryllis with seeds:
How the flower can form seeds
You have to ensure that the flowers are pollinated. You can do this by either fertilizing two flowers with each other or using the pollen from just one flower for pollination (self-fertilization). In both cases, rub the pollen bags onto the pollen pistil. A cotton swab or brush proves to be a good tool.
- Use the cotton swab to touch one of the pollen bags several times so that the pollen dust gets stuck on the cotton.
- You then dab this pollen dust onto the pollen pistil of the same flower or another.
- Never cross more than two plants together.
After about 8 weeks, the seed capsules with the individual seeds develop. For this to happen, the flower must wither and dry completely. Only remove the seed capsule when it has burst open on its own. As mentioned, you can do the same thing with cut flowers.
Danger:The seeds of the knight's star are poisonous. So if you want to propagate amaryllis with seeds, use gloves.
Plant the seeds of the knight's star and germinate them
Once you have harvested the seeds, you should plant them as quickly as possible, as their ability to germinate does not last too long. Plant them in regular soil and keep it moist. The pot is best kept bright and warm. It takes about 4 weeks for the amaryllis seeds to germinate, and then you can prick them out. From now on you can care for them in the same way as you would your adult plants, although you can expect the first flowers to appear after about 2 years. For this purpose, you should also give the young plants a rest period, from which you can then wake them up by repotting them.
A notice:When propagating by seeds, it can happen that the flower color of the new plants differs from that of the mother plant.
Also read:Propagate forsythia in autumn with instructions for cutting wood
