If a wax-dipped amaryllis added cheer to your home this holiday season, you’ve enjoyed one of the easiest festive plants to care for: vibrant blooms with no watering or potting required. But once the flowers fade, what should you do next?

Understanding Wax-Dipped Amaryllis

These bulbs are generally marketed as single-use decorations. Once blooming has finished, they are often discarded. The wax coating acts as a seal, trapping in the moisture and nutrients already inside the bulb, which powers its flowering cycle. However, this also prevents the bulb from absorbing water or nutrients from the outside, limiting its ability to replenish energy. As a result, the bulb often shrinks and weakens after the bloom period ends.

If you're considering composting the spent bulb, be sure to remove the wax layer first. Some wax materials, especially decorative additives like glitter, can take a long time to decompose and may not be suitable for your compost pile.

Can You Save It for Reblooming?

Although wax-dipped amaryllis bulbs are not built for reuse, some plant enthusiasts have managed to coax them back to life. By carefully removing the wax and placing the bulb in a shallow dish of water, new roots may develop, making it possible to eventually plant it in soil after the risk of frost has passed. Success depends on the condition of the bulb, especially whether the basal plate (the bottom part of the bulb) is still healthy and capable of root growth.

If you're interested in giving your waxed amaryllis a second chance, start by carefully removing all of the wax coating. Work slowly to avoid damaging any new roots that might have started growing beneath the wax. These roots are fragile and can be easily torn off during removal, yet preserving them is essential for the bulb's survival.

Once the wax is removed, inspect the bulb for signs of rot or disease. A firm, solid bulb is a good candidate for replanting, but if it feels soft, has mushy spots, or emits a foul odor, discard it. Healthy bulbs should be potted in well-draining soil, with the top third of the bulb positioned above the soil line to mimic how amaryllis naturally grow. Use a container with proper drainage and a well-aerated potting mix, and place it in bright, indirect sunlight. Water only when the top layer of soil feels dry.

After flowering ends, the plant needs to rebuild its energy reserves through regular feeding and leaf growth. Apply either a diluted liquid fertilizer weekly or add a slow-release formula to the soil. The leaves are responsible for producing the energy needed for future blooms, so allow them to grow and thrive throughout spring and summer.

Like all amaryllis, the bulb requires a dormancy period to flower again. Move the plant outdoors in summer, and once the leaves die back in early fall, bring it inside and stop watering. After about eight weeks of rest in a cool, dry area, resume watering to begin the next growth cycle.

Amaryllis can also be grown outdoors year-round in warmer regions (USDA zones 7B to 8A and above). If winters are mild in your area, you can transfer your bulb outside once frost danger is gone, typically by mid-April. Plant it using the same technique as indoors, and apply a thick mulch layer in colder months for extra protection. Outdoors, amaryllis will eventually return to their natural blooming rhythm, typically flowering in spring rather than winter.

Wax-dipped amaryllis are meant to be short-term showpieces, easy to enjoy and visually stunning. If yours offered a few weeks of festive beauty, it fulfilled its purpose. While it is possible to rescue and regrow these bulbs with time and careful handling, there is no guarantee of success. For those seeking a plant that will rebloom reliably each year, traditional potted amaryllis bulbs grown in soil from the start may be a better long-term choice.

References

• Ann A. (2022, January 10). Prep your waxed amaryllis to rebloom next year. College of Agriculture & Natural Resources News, University of Delaware.
• Steil, A. (2025, January 3). Can I get my waxed amaryllis bulb to rebloom? Yard and Garden, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
• Steil, A. (2025, January 3). How do I care for a waxed amaryllis bulb? Yard and Garden, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.
• Strickland, J. (2022, December 8). Growing amaryllis bulbs. N.C. Cooperative Extension, Wayne County Center.
• Twin, N. (2023, November 27). Hippeastrum hybrid [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons.  (CC BY 4.0)