Post-holiday Bulb Care

By  Irene Shonle, CSU Extension Gilpin County The holidays are behind us, and many of us now have pots of withering Amaryllis and paperwhites.   While it’s harder than I consider worth it to get paperwhites to rebloom again in our climate (they are not hardy for planting outdoors), don't throw out your Amaryllis.   With a little care, it can bloom again next year --even better than it did this year!   The secret is to keep the plant actively growing after it blooms to recharge the bulb; it takes a lot of energy to produce such big flowers. If the bulb does not produce a flowering stalk the next blooming period, it is likely that has not stored enough nutrients during the post-blooming period. After the flowers have faded, cut the flowers off to prevent seed set. Only cut the flowering stalk after it turns yellow, a green stalk continues to produce energy for the bulb.   In order to feed the bulb for next year's show, water and feed the plant regularly with an all-purpose housep