How to Get Hippeastrum to Bloom

Make a medium of equal parts of perlite and peat moss. Add the mix to container 6 inches in diameter with drainage holes in the bottom.

Select a bulb that is at least 2 1/2 inches in diameter for planting. Make a hole in the medium that fits the bulb, but leave one-third of the bulb above the soil.

Use room-temperature water and thoroughly moisten the medium. Do not pour water over the part of the bulb sticking out of the medium. Continue watering the medium when it starts drying. Watering once a week is enough for the hippeastrum bulb.

Place the container in a location where the temperature is between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit until the bulb has a flower stalk and leaves. After the plant flowers, move the container to an area with a temperature of about 65 to 70 F. The location needs bright, indirect sunlight from a south-facing window.

Fertilize the hippeastrum plant with a well-balanced, water-soluble fertilizer once a week while the plant is actively growing.

Remove faded flowers after the plant finishes blooming. Remove the flower stalk at the base of the bulb with pruning shears.

Place the container in a location with temperatures about 55 F for eight to 10 weeks without filtered light. Water the plant once every two weeks or when the medium dries.

Bring the container out of the cool storage area and resume growing the hippeastrum as a blooming plant in steps 3 to 5.