How to 'rest' a withering amaryllis...

My "apple blossom", which I posted a picture or two of, has had it's last blast. It's got four withering, sad flowers on it. What should I do next? Cut just the flowers? cut the entire stem? I should add that this bulb has flowered twice now, once right at the bulb, and this second time with one stem, and (again) no leaves.

Thanks in advance,
-Jennifer

Jennifer - Remove individual flowers as they fade. When all flowers on a stalk have died, cut off the entire flower stalk just above the top of the bulb. Do NOT cut off any leaves.

After your amaryllis has finished flowering and you have removed the flower stalks, move your plant to a sunny window and keep it there until September. Keep the soil moderately moist and fertilize monthly with a balanced plant food. This is the time that leaves grow and do their photosynthesis thing to restore the bulb. Resist the urge to repot unless it is completely potbound; repotting tends to discourage new flowers. Cut off any leaves that turn yellow. The more sunlight it receives during this period, the more the bulb will grow and the more prolific the flowers.

Will

I used to just stop watering my amaryllis altogether when it stopped blooming-- and I mean BONE DRY. The foliage will yellow and die back to the bulb, but will start growing again when it's time to grow and bloom. When I would see new green growth starting, then I began to water again.

But it's like anything else- there are lots of different ways to do things. :-)

yipeee! Thanks all!

-Jennifer

Here' my 2 cents worth, I didn't see anyone use my method. After they bloom, (some blooming now, and all are in bud) I grow them on in a sunny window until spring. Once all danger of frost is past, I sink them, pot and all, in a semi-shaded bed, and let Ma Nature take care of them. Of course I watch that they don't get dried out, but in the spot I have chosen, they stay well. When late summer and fall rolls around, and everything is drying up, I make sure not to water them, and eventually they yellow down, and if they are stubborn about going to sleep, I remove them from the ground, and slowly dry them off, in a protected area. (Don't want to dry them to a frazzle). Store in basement, and after Christmas I bring them up 1 each week to prolong bloom time. I don't try to get them to bloom for Christmas because there is enough stuff going on in the house then. Save them for when I'm starved for blooms. Calla Lillies, and Caladiums, and Tuberous Begonias get the same treatment, except that I don't bring them out of the dark until they are almost ready to go in their holes, pot and all!! (Clay Pots of course!) This is how the old-time gardeners in the family have passed on to me, and it works great. L

Putting the pot outdoors in the ground isn't an option - I don't have a yard of any kind. My front door opens up to a sidewalk, and my back door to a gravel parking lot.

So far, with the flower stem cut off, I'm seeing some new leaf growth - so that's a good sign.

-Jennifer