Potting

• Put the shamrock plant in regular all-purpose house plant potting soil. Make sure the soil is loose enough for good drainage but dense enough to retain some moisture. Use a large enough pot for the plant and 1 1/2 to 2 inches of potting soil surrounding it. The bulbs should be planted to a depth of at least twice their height. The pot can be plastic or clay. Clay pots allow air into the soil so it will dry out a little more quickly than soil in a plastic pot. Use a clay pot if you tend to overwater. Use a plastic pot if you tend to let your plants dry out too much. Whether clay or plastic, the pot must have a drain hole in the bottom and a saucer underneath to catch the excess water.
  
  

Sunlight

• Place the plant in an area that receives bright but indirect sunlight. Watch the plant for reaching. The leaves will actually reach for the source of light and stems will become long and lanky. Move the shamrock to an area that receives more light if you notice this happening.
  
  

Water

• Water the shamrock once or twice per week. The soil should be allowed to dry slightly between watering, but not completely. Check the soil with your finger. If there is a light, dry crust on the top with moist soil just beneath, it needs to be watered. Give it enough water so that it drains out a little at the bottom. Empty the saucer underneath. Do not allow the pot to sit in a puddle. Remove the saucer from the bottom and set the plant in the sink to water it if the saucer removes easily. Gently tip the pot sideways to allow the saucer to empty if it is not removable. Use water that has been allowed to sit for a week so that the chlorine has dissipated. Fertilize with common house plant fertilizer every two weeks while it is actively growing.
  
  The shamrock plant needs a rest period for two to three months each year. It will go dormant usually in the summer. If it seems to be dying and you are not underwatering or overwatering, stop watering it and allow it to die back and go dormant. Place it in a location that receives little or no light like the back of a closet or a corner in the basement and let it rest for two to three months. Bring it out and begin watering it again. It will spring back to life.