You stroll through the department store or browse the flower shop for a few fresh bouquets of flowers and there you see them again: the knight's stars wrapped in colorful wax. And again you are tempted to decorate your apartment with this interesting beauty during the Christmas season, but the price stops you - after all, they only look really beautiful in groups and then the flower bulbs end up in the trash again. We have the solution to this problem, because you can make an amaryllis in wax yourself and it's easier than you might think. In addition, the plant can be wonderfully cared for after flowering and can produce new flowers in the coming year, as we have already explained to you. So it's worth trying out our instructions for the knight's star decoration.
At what stage should the Knight's Star be for the waxing method?
You need onions with a fresh shoot. Since the plants are in season, it will be easy to find them. Simply purchase specimens planted in pots and continue working with them. Even if you continued to care for your Ritterstern last year after it bloomed and nowrepot after the rest periodIf you want a new flowering phase, you can use this time for your DIY project. Your plant may even have produced daughter bulbs that you can use for this purpose.
Either way, you should “wake up” the flower bulbs by taking them out of their dark and cool sleeping place and moving them to a bright and warmer place. As soon as a shoot has grown, you can get started.
Below we will explain to you which wax is best to use, how you can color it and how exactly you then coat the root with it.
Is every type of wax suitable?
In principle you can use any wax you like. Beeswax works well, but is a bit more expensive, which just isn't worth it for this type of use. That's why we recommend that youRemains of your candlesto use. You can mix all possible colors or stick to a specific one. If you use white wax, you can also color it as desired. The remains of wax crayons, but also special candle colors, are suitable for this.
By the way, tea light wax is also suitable. It is best to melt it in a water bath (e.g. in an empty can). The container should definitely be large enough and the wax high enough to be able to submerge the onion afterwards. For 6 knight stars you can plan around 15 tea lights or this amount in the form of leftover candles.
Prepare the bulbs before casting the amaryllis in wax
If you bought the knight's stars planted in a pot, you first have to take them out of the soil and remove the bulb and roots. Then immerse the roots in water so that they can absorb enough moisture and nourish the bulb. Try not to wet the bulbs themselves. After an hour or more you can start working and make amaryllis in wax yourself.
Make amaryllis in wax yourself step by step
- Remove the flower from the water, cut off the roots (you can even cut off a whole piece of the bulb so you get a flat surface), and dry any wet areas well.
- Melt the prepared wax in a water bath and color it if necessary. By the way, it melts faster if you chop it up first. This works particularly quickly with tea lights because they are softer.
- Put a surface (old plate, baking paper, etc.) and the onions ready.
- Dip the first one into the liquid wax (only the bulb, not the shoot) and immediately pull it out again. This step needs to be done quickly so that the heat doesn't burn the onion. Place it on the surface to allow the wax to cool.
- In the meantime, repeat with the other flowers.
- Once everyone has their first coat of wax, the first ones should already be hardened. This means you can continue with the second layer. In total you will need 5 to 10 coats, depending on how opaque the wax is and what you are happy with.
- By placing them on the base, the flowers also have a practical “foot” to stand on.
Tipp:Finally, you can spray the waxed amaryllis with metallic spray for a shiny effect or decorate them with glitter.
Proper care of waxed onion flowers
Knight stars are by naturequite easy to care for, which is why they are also perfect for a decoration of this type. But what does proper care look like?Amaryllis in Wachsbefore and during flowering?
They need very little water, even during the flowering phase. Since you have already provided the onion with water before it grows, you no longer need to water it afterwards. The wax coat protects them from drying out, provided you don't put them in a place that is too warm (18 to 21 degrees). The area around the heater, for example, is not suitable.
If you would like to decorate your home with the amaryllis in wax, choose a bright location and turn the flower every now and then, as the flower stem naturally always grows towards the light source and could therefore grow at an angle.
Caring for amaryllis in wax after flowering
We have already mentioned that amaryllis bulbs can be wonderfully cared for after floweringmake it bloom againinstead of throwing them away like most people do. This also applies to the variants with a wax coating, but it is a little more difficult to save the plant because you have removed the roots and grown them over.
Namely:
- Cut the flower stemnot ab!
- Remove the wax carefully (you should be particularly careful in the root area).
- Check whether you still see any roots. If so, the chances of successfully saving the plant are very good.
- Then you can plant the amaryllis: in a not-too-large pot and in nutrient-rich soil (just like when repotting).
- Fertilize every two weeks from March to May.
By the way:You can also make this attractive flower decoration yourself with hyacinths to create an interesting spring decoration.
