Help for Amaryllis Belladonna cultivation

[Zxct56y]

In 2022 i bought Amaryllis Belladonna bulbs at a nursery but the bulbs were small and seemed dried up. It sadly died due to overwatering (Montreal rains). Tried again in 2023-2024 and i was very successful until the same problem happened again, tho it lived until feb 2025 when it succombed to it. I bought bulbs recently and i would like to have some tips and advice on belladonna in pots, the type of soil (Amaryllis Belladonna apparently grows in the sandy soils of South Africa). 

[Zxct56y]

Also because its a bulb from the southern hemisphere and the seasons aren't the same as the northern hemisphere that it didn't help a lot

[Uli]

Hello,

Amaryllis belladonna is a robust plant and it is surprising that it died on you twice. The fact that it is native from the southern hemisphere does not matter because bulbs purchased in the northern hemisphere have already adapted to the right hemisphere and don't need to be swapped to another hemisphere.
What does matter, though, is that they are winter growing and summer dormant. And what also matters is that they are not particularly happy growing in pots. They can be cultivated in pots and they will also flower but not as good as in the open ground. In Montreal you have no choice, though. They need large and deep pots as they have a strong root system that needs space. Plant them with the neck of the bulbs at the surface of the substrate. The substrate should be well draining, make sure the drainage holes in the pot are not blocked by the roots but they are not fussy with the substrate. Amaryllis belladonna is a greedy plant and needs a lot of fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorus especially when grown in pots. They need plenty of water while growing, without stagnant water and should be kept on the dry and warm side during their summer dormancy. Amaryllis belladonna is one of the summer dormant bulbs which tolerates summer water, they grow very well in England. That's why I am surprised that they died. Unless they were waterlogged during dormancy.
Growing in pots I would not keep them brutally dry in summer especially if you use large terracotta pots but give them a small amount of water every four weeks or so. But do not leave the pots in pouring rain during dormancy. A good drench towards the end of August might stimulate flowering if the bulbs are big enough.
Try to buy dormant bulbs from reputable suppliers in summer and not in spring. Plant them as soon as you can, they hate root disturbance and need at least one growing season to settle in during which they are unlikely to flower.
In Montreal you would have to keep the growing bulbs frost free, cool and as bright as ever possible like in a bright frost free cold greenhouse. Lack of light is one reason for shy flowering and too much warmth during growth will cause premature dormancy.
Hope that helps 

[Zxct56y]

Hello,

Amaryllis belladonna is a robust plant and it is surprising that it died on you twice. The fact that it is native from the southern hemisphere does not matter because bulbs purchased in the northern hemisphere have already adapted to the right hemisphere and don't need to be swapped to another hemisphere.
What does matter, though, is that they are winter growing and summer dormant. And what also matters is that they are not particularly happy growing in pots. They can be cultivated in pots and they will also flower but not as good as in the open ground. In Montreal you have no choice, though. They need large and deep pots as they have a strong root system that needs space. Plant them with the neck of the bulbs at the surface of the substrate. The substrate should be well draining, make sure the drainage holes in the pot are not blocked by the roots but they are not fussy with the substrate. Amaryllis belladonna is a greedy plant and needs a lot of fertilizer rich in potassium and phosphorus especially when grown in pots. They need plenty of water while growing, without stagnant water and should be kept on the dry and warm side during their summer dormancy. Amaryllis belladonna is one of the summer dormant bulbs which tolerates summer water, they grow very well in England. That's why I am surprised that they died. Unless they were waterlogged during dormancy.
Growing in pots I would not keep them brutally dry in summer especially if you use large terracotta pots but give them a small amount of water every four weeks or so. But do not leave the pots in pouring rain during dormancy. A good drench towards the end of August might stimulate flowering if the bulbs are big enough.
Try to buy dormant bulbs from reputable suppliers in summer and not in spring. Plant them as soon as you can, they hate root disturbance and need at least one growing season to settle in during which they are unlikely to flower.
In Montreal you would have to keep the growing bulbs frost free, cool and as bright as ever possible like in a bright frost free cold greenhouse. Lack of light is one reason for shy flowering and too much warmth during growth will cause premature dormancy.
Hope that helps

Thank you for the advice i look foward too see if it works maybe i didn't fertilize them enough because Amaryllis Belladonna usually flowers the 3rd or 4th year depending on the bulb's size (with bigger bulbs flowering earlier)

[Robert_Parks]

Thank you for the advice i look foward too see if it works maybe i didn't fertilize them enough because Amaryllis Belladonna usually flowers the 3rd or 4th year depending on the bulb's size (with bigger bulbs flowering earlier)

They are awfully tough. I've had neglected bulbs rush into growth after 1.5 growing seasons of cool dry storage. Once they are in the ground, they are forever here in San Francisco. Cool dry but humid summers, and mild non-freezing moist winters. In soft ground, the bulbs are usually just subsurface, but in hard ground next to sidewalks, the bulb clusters can be exposed forming tight mounds of many large bulbs. Each bulb rarely flowers each year, unless there is a disturbance simulating a fire...clearing overgrowing shrubbery, or even removal of late season leaves (weedwhacking). More light gets you more flowers, full sun is best.

As for culture, warmth and wet in the summer probably will cause root damage. As Uli suggests, overpot in a very well draining medium. In dormancy put the pots in a stable shaded dry place, water rarely (a big plastic pot with a dormant bulb in it will take a long time to dry out). If they flower, no need to water, here they usually send up scapes in August, and then don't put up leaves until the rains start in October (or so, sometimes they'll start leaves before the rains). I doubt it would do any harm if you started watering at the end of summer, just not swampy in the heat (cactus culture?) like simulating a few early season storms. In the growing season, you probably want to keep the temperatures below 20C/65F during the day, and above freezing to 10C/50F at night, preferably with a good difference between day and night. They seem to tolerate a touch of frost as well as rare hot temperatures during the growing season.

Once you get things set up for Amaryllis, the same conditions will support vast diversity of other winter growing bulbs...most of them smaller and less demanding of root space!

Robert
in San Francisco where the probable last rain of the season fell on April 30th leaving us just shy of 90% of normal for the season (58cm/23"). Many of the winter growers are going dormant, but Amaryllis is still verdant.

[CG100]

The world is awash with several of the species of bulbs that are popular in westernised countries, and certainly in Europe many come from somewhere in the southern hemisphere, maybe sub-saharan Africa. Some do come the Far East where any seasonal change is artificial.
Several years ago I bought some Haemanthus multiflorus from a UK supplier, and they were certainly 6 months out of sync' to the UK.

So, buying a bulb locally frequently means rather little in terms of what stage in growth cycle it is at

[Zxct56y]

I'm ordering pots soon for my bulbs and i've heard that Amaryllis Belladonna requires pretty large pots to accomodate its root system and i would like to know what size is the best for Amaryllis Belladonna. 
Dimensions can be in gallons or centimeters

[Zxct56y]

I read that Amaryllis Belladonna dosen't do very well in the Eastern US and Southern Canada (Quebec Ontario) because of the summer rains and wet conditions.

[Martin Bohnet]

I can only provide that they do grow in Southern Germany in viticultural climate in open ground and flower despite loosing leaves to frost from time to time. Some have the opinion that most can either grow Amaryllis belladonna

or Lycoris squamigera

- which fits, as lycoris is hard to get in Europe and maybe that's because it can't deal with the climate.

[Uli]

I read that Amaryllis Belladonna dosen't do very well in the Eastern US and Southern Canada (Quebec Ontario) because of the summer rains and wet conditions.

What they don't like is moisture, humidity and hot temperatures at the same time. That's why they are not happy in the open ground on the US east coast. Probably getting more unhappy the further south you go.
So for you, growing them in pots you can move the pots out of the summer rain. They would tolerate very warm soil during dormancy as long as they are dry. 
For pot size it depends how many bulbs you want to plant into a pot. Let's say for three flowering size bulbs I would use a pot which is slightly deeper than wide of at least 10 liters, better 15 liters. (Sorry, I don't count in gallons)

[Zxct56y]

I can only provide that they do grow in Southern Germany in viticultural climate in open ground and flower despite loosing leaves to frost from time to time. Some have the opinion that most can either grow Amaryllis belladonna

or Lycoris squamigera

- which fits, as lycoris is hard to get in Europe and maybe that's because it can't deal with the climate.

The Ressurection Lily (Lycoris Squamigera) is common in Southern Canada and the Northeastern USA but it's kind of hard to get and finding one is like finding a treasure and the same goes with Amaryllis Belladonna. The only issue with Lycoris is the fact that they are considered fall flowering bulbs (flowering time is around late August to early October) and getting fall flowering bulbs is very difficult. 

[Zxct56y]

So i basically have to treat Amaryllis Belladonna a bit like a succulent or a cactus

[Robert_Parks]

So i basically have to treat Amaryllis Belladonna a bit like a succulent or a cactus

Only in the limited sense of late summer to mid fall water. Late fall through mid spring cool and moist, then dry through the summer (with maybe a monthly watering since they are in pots).

Robert

[Zxct56y]

I received the bulbs but here's the thing it came in a pot with full grown leaves!
So i have to change my tactics now

[Martin Bohnet]

well, full grown leaves is exactly the state A. belladonna should be in at this time of the year in the northern hemisphere. at least we can now pinpoint the cycle it is in.