How to Propagate an Amaryllis

You can save money on expensive amaryllis bulbs by propagating them at home. Amaryllis bulbs, like onions, are composed of fleshy layers called scales. The most practical method of propagating amaryllis involves cutting the bulb and replanting it to encourage new bulbs to form between the scales. This is called twin scale cuttage. Although amaryllis produces seeds, this method of propagation is slow. Since amaryllis bulbs are usually hybrids, the plants grown from seeds do not resemble the parent plant.

Four flower pots
Good quality growing medium
Amaryllis bulb
Sharp knife
Fungicide dust

Instructions

- 1
  Fill four pots with growing medium. Moisten the soil.
- 2
  Place the amaryllis bulb on the work surface with the basal plate down. The basal plate is the thick part of the bottom of the bulb from which the roots grow.
- 3
  Cut the bulb. Using a sharp knife, make vertical cuts in the bulb to form four wedges. Each wedge must have at least two layers of scales attached to a portion of the basal plate. Dust the wedges with a fungicide to prevent rot.
- 4
  Plant the wedges in individual pots with the basal plate down. Bury the lower third of the bulb in the soil with the upper two-thirds above the soil.
- 5
  Water the soil to keep it moist but not soggy.
- 6
  Watch for small bulblets to form between the scales. This takes a month or two. Soon after the bulblets form, foliage sprouts from them. When the foliage emerges, place the pots in bright indirect sunlight to grow.

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