presley wrote:

You can use that method if you only want to enjoy the amaryllis one year,
although I agree that the water should be only towards the bottom of the
bulb, not towards the top. But why not force it in a way that will allow you
to enjoy it for several years? Put some potting soil with a little
fertilizer in that vase/pot and set the amaryllis in it so that the top 1/3
of the bulb is sticking out of the soil. Moisten the soil a bit if nothing
is coming out of the bulb yet, and leave it be until you see foliage
emerging. If foliage or bloom stalk is already emerging, water more
thoroughly , about once a week. When the bulb has finished blooming, put the
pot in a sunny window where the leaves can get good light on them, and once
frost is over, set the pot outside in part shade , somewhere that the
sprinkler reaches. Leave them there until fall and the first frosts. Let
them dry out a bit until the foliage yellows. Let them sit in the pot in a
cool dark place for 6 weeks or so, then take them out into a warmer area,
moisten the soil again, or repot, and you'll have blooms again next year.

No, don't force the bulb to go dormant. In nature, amaryllis
(Hippeastrum) is evergreen. Indoors, keep the pot near a window
where it will get strong INDIRECT light (not direct sun). Keep it
slightly moist so that it keeps growing through the winter.

In my garden, amaryllis sometimes goes dormant by itself and
sometimes does not. If it does not, then it may bloom two or even
three times in one year.

See my http://www.rossde.com/garden/garden_hippeastrum.html.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean
Sunset Zone: 21 -- interior Santa Monica Mountains with some ocean
influence (USDA 10a, very close to Sunset Zone 19)
Gardening pages at http://www.rossde.com/garden/