How to Care for a Wax-Dipped Amaryllis

No soil. No watering. Just a little light, a little patience and one extraordinary bloom.

There may be no easier way to grow something beautiful than a wax-dipped amaryllis.

Everything your amaryllis needs to produce its first spectacular bloom has already been stored inside the bulb during its years of growing and tending. That’s part of what makes a wax-dipped amaryllis so remarkable: there is no pot, no soil and no watering required.

Simply unbox it, find the right spot and watch it grow.

Here’s how to care for your wax-dipped amaryllis from the day it arrives through blooming—and what you can do with the bulb when the show is over.

When Your Wax-Dipped Amaryllis Arrives

First things first: don’t water it.

The wax coating helps seal moisture inside the bulb, and the bulb already contains the stored energy and nutrients it needs to grow and bloom. Adding water isn’t necessary and can actually cause problems.

Unbox your amaryllis from its packaging and place it in a place you can enjoy the benefits of watching it grow. 

How Much Light Does a Waxed Amaryllis Need?

Your amaryllis will appreciate bright, indirect light as it begins to grow. You don’t need to place it in intense direct sun. A room with plenty of natural light is ideal.

One of our favorite Grow Pro tips is also one of the easiest:

Give your bulb a quarter turn every few days.

Plants naturally grow toward their light source. Rotating your amaryllis periodically encourages the stalk to grow more evenly rather than leaning strongly toward a window.   It’s also a lovely excuse to stop for a moment and see how much has changed since the last time you looked.

What Temperature Is Best for an Amaryllis?

Normal indoor temperatures are generally comfortable for a wax-dipped amaryllis.

Keep your bulb away from extreme heat, cold drafts and heating vents. A cooler indoor location may help slow the blooming process, while a very warm room can encourage the plant to move through its growth and bloom cycle more quickly.

If your goal is to enjoy the blooms for as long as possible, avoid placing your amaryllis directly beside a fireplace, radiator or heating vent.

How Fast Will My Amaryllis Grow?

This is part of the fun: every bulb has its own schedule. Once growth begins, you may be surprised by how quickly the stalk changes from one day to the next.

Depending on the bulb and its stage when it arrives, you may see a flower stalk emerge first, leaves first, or both developing together. Don’t worry if your amaryllis doesn’t look exactly like another one you’ve seen. Remember, living things don’t follow identical calendars.

What Should I Do When My Amaryllis Blooms?

Enjoy it!

This is the moment that has been years in the making.

As individual flowers begin to fade, you can carefully remove the spent blooms to keep the plant looking fresh. Cut the blooms off with clean scissors and if the entire bloom is spent cut the stalk at the base of the bulb.

If your bulb produces another flower stalk, leave it alone and let the show continue. Larger, mature amaryllis bulbs often have more stored energy, which can give them the potential to produce multiple flower stalks.

What Do I Do With a Waxed Amaryllis After It Blooms?

Here’s the part many people don’t realize:

Your amaryllis bulb doesn’t necessarily have to be finished when it finishes blooming.

Wax-dipped amaryllis bulbs are designed to provide an easy, soil-free blooming experience. But depending on the condition of your bulb after flowering, you may choose to remove the wax and give it another life as a traditionally planted amaryllis.

Think of it as the next chapter.

How to Remove the Wax From an Amaryllis Bulb

Wait until your amaryllis has finished flowering. Then carefully begin loosening the wax coating.  Take your time. Gently remove the wax without cutting deeply into or damaging the bulb underneath. If there is a base or other material attached beneath the wax, carefully remove that as well.

Once the wax is off, inspect the bulb. A healthy bulb should still feel relatively firm. Some shrinking after flowering is normal because the bulb has used a significant amount of its stored energy to produce those beautiful blooms.

How to Plant an Amaryllis After Removing the Wax

Choose a pot with a drainage hole that’s only slightly larger than the bulb. Amaryllis generally prefer a relatively snug container rather than an oversized pot. Fill the container with a well-draining living soil. 

Position the bulb so the roots and lower portion of the bulb are in the soil while roughly the upper third of the bulb remains above the soil line.

Water it after planting, allowing excess water to drain completely.

From there, place your newly potted amaryllis in bright light and begin caring for it as a traditional amaryllis plant. Be careful not to overwater. Allow the top portion of the soil to begin drying between waterings rather than keeping the bulb constantly wet.

What Happens After I Replant My Amaryllis?

This is where your role changes.

For its first waxed bloom, the bulb relied primarily on the energy that growers spent years helping it store.

Now you’re helping it replenish those reserves.

Allow the leaves to grow. Those leaves aren’t simply decoration—they’re doing important work, capturing light and helping the bulb rebuild energy. Continue giving the plant good light, appropriate water and time.

Depending on your climate, you may eventually be able to move your potted amaryllis outdoors during warm weather, once there is no danger of frost. Keep it protected from sudden intense sun as it transitions outside.

Getting an amaryllis to bloom again requires more patience and care than enjoying its original waxed bloom, but for gardeners who love the process, that’s part of the fun.

Don’t Forget to Watch It Grow

Caring for a wax-dipped amaryllis may be incredibly simple, but don’t miss one of the best parts: watching it change.

There is something grounding about noticing the small signs of growth—a new bit of green, a stalk that’s taller than it was yesterday, the first glimpse of a bud beginning to open.

Research continues to connect interaction with plants and nature with benefits such as reduced stress, improved mood and a greater sense of well-being. And while your amaryllis doesn’t require much traditional gardening, it still gives you something living to notice, anticipate and enjoy.

Try making its growth part of your daily pause.

Turn the bulb. Notice what’s different. Take a picture. Step away from your screen for a minute.

The bloom is beautiful.

But paying attention to the growing can be pretty good for us, too.

The Easiest Bloom You May Ever Grow

Perhaps our favorite thing about a wax-dipped amaryllis is how little it asks of you.

• No digging.
• No potting soil.
• No watering schedule.
• You don’t need a green thumb or even a garden.
• You simply give it a place in your life and watch.
• And day by day, something changes.
• A little green.
• A taller stalk.
• The first glimpse of a bud.

And then, seemingly all at once, a spectacular flower. Years went into preparing that bulb for this moment. Your job is simply to enjoy it.

And when the bloom is finished? Maybe you’ll peel away the wax, put your hands in a little soil and decide to help it grow again.