Sumatra Cybister Amaryllis Bulb

(20” tall x 6-8” wide) American Meadows is thrilled to offer the often tough-to-find ‘Sumatra’ Cybister Amaryllis. A named cultivar of South American species Hippeastrum cybister, ‘Sumatra’ will add unusual form and color to your collection, with all the ease you’ve come to expect from growing amaryllis bulbs. ‘Sumatra’ will grow two to three strong flowering stems and strappy, attractive foliage. Within 6-12 weeks, flowering stems will open into four gorgeous spiky blooms tinted with pale green. ‘Sumatra’ Amaryllis bulbs come ready to bloom, and with care, can beautifully bloom year after year. Hippeastrum cybister species are generally more compact than other Hippeastrum varieties. Winter hardy only in zones 8-10. 

Amaryllis How-To: It’s easy to grow Amaryllis indoors! There can be rain, cold and snow outside, but all you do is plant the bulb in a pot, water, and watch it zoom into growth. Eventually, enormous flowers begin to open to light up the winter season. Then you'll have a big show for over a month. 

Planting Amaryllis: Choose a standard size flower pot, so the large bulb has about 1" around sides and at bottom. (These bulbs do not need much root space.) Use soil, or a mixture of soil, peat and perlite. (Do not use pine bark.) Place bulb so top inch or so of bulb sticks up out of the soil. Place the pot with your freshly-planted bulb on top of the refrigerator, radiator, or other spot that provides 'bottom heat' to encourage quicker sprouting. 

Watering: Water sparingly until the sprout is well out of the bulb. Once sprout appears, water regularly, but do not overwater. Your amaryllis will grow quickly and produce its spectacular huge flowers. Remember to keep turning the pot regularly to make the stalk grow straight, as they have a tendency to grow and bend towards the light. Once in flower, it's best to keep plant out of direct sunlight to keep the blooms from fading. Simply remove each flower as it begins to pale. Your bulb will produce several flowers. 

Aftercare: When all flowers are gone, cut off the tubular flower stems near the top of the bulb, leaving the foliage to continue growing. Water as usual and apply water-soluble fertilizer every four weeks. In spring, after danger of frost, Amaryllis can be moved outside to a sunny place for the summer. Continue to fertilize. At the end of the summer, place the pot on its side and allow the soil to dry out. Cut off the dry leaves, and in about six weeks repot your bulb in fresh potting soil and start the growing cycle all over again for continued winter blooms.