When to Fertilize Clivia and What Fertilizer Is Best

Clivia likes fertilizer, but too much fertilizer will instead hinder the plant's growth, causing root rot or even withering. So when should Clivia be fertilized? What fertilizer is best to apply? Here we have compiled the Clivia fertilization methods as follows:

When is the best time to fertilize Clivia

Fertilizing can be done in all four seasons.

1. In spring and winter, it is advisable to apply some phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, such as fish meal, bone meal, and sesame cake, which help leaf vein formation and improve leaf glossiness.

2. In autumn, it is advisable to apply the soaking liquid of decomposed animal hair, horns, hooves, or soybean cake, diluted with 30-40 times clean water before watering, to promote leaf growth.

3. In summer, foliar topdressing is commonly used, spraying the leaf surface with 0.1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate or calcium superphosphate, etc.

What fertilizer is best to apply to Clivia

Clivia is a flowering plant that likes fertilizer, and fertilizer is crucial to the growth of Clivia. Organic fertilizer is best for Clivia. Organic fertilizer is made from raw materials through composting and fermentation, applied after decomposition, such as oil crops with relatively high nitrogen content including soybean cake, castor seeds, soybeans, hemp seeds, and forest seeds. Those with relatively high phosphorus content include bone meal, fish scales, rice bran, and poultry manure, etc. Those with relatively high potassium content include plant ash, charcoal, and straw ash, etc. The growth of Clivia cannot do without the three elements of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Some fine cinder, river sand, eggshells, etc. can also be mixed into the soil to increase the content of trace elements.

How to compost fertilizer for Clivia

Organic fertilizer must go through a composting and fermentation process, so that raw materials can be turned into fertilizer. Unfermented raw materials cannot be used directly as fertilizer. Before composting fertilizer, the raw materials should be crushed and subjected to high-temperature treatment such as steaming and boiling. This not only sterilizes but also shortens the fermentation time. The composted nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers are best placed in different containers, with 1/3 raw material and 1/3 water added. Do not fill it to the brim, to avoid overflow from the container during fermentation. Do not cover the lid too tightly, so gas can escape from the container during fermentation. It is best to use wide-mouth plastic buckets as containers, because plastic buckets do not rust and are convenient to use with a wide mouth. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer can also be mixed and composted in a certain ratio. The fermentation time depends on the temperature; the higher the temperature, the faster the fermentation. Summer is a good time for fermenting fertilizer. To judge whether the fertilizer has fermented well, check whether it smells foul and whether materials that were not crushed, such as soybeans, still have hard cores. Well-fermented fertilizer smells foul and is sticky, smooth, and fine. Such fertilizer is ready to use.

How to add base fertilizer to Clivia

Adding base fertilizer means adding some fried or boiled shelled oil crops, such as hemp seeds, perilla seeds, sunflower seeds, castor seeds, and bone meal granules, to the bottom of the flower pot when changing the pot and soil. This is commonly called solid fertilizer. The method of adding base fertilizer is to first put a layer of soil at the bottom of the pot, evenly sprinkle a layer of raw materials on the soil, cover it with another layer of soil, and then plant the flower directly on top, thus completing the whole process of adding base fertilizer. Remember not to let the raw materials come into direct contact with the roots. The characteristic of base fertilizer is that the fertilizer effect is long-lasting and uniform, and the fertility slowly seeps out from the cracks in the shells of the oil crops and is absorbed by the flower's root system. Generally, the method of adding base fertilizer is mostly used when changing soil in autumn.

How to add side fertilizer to Clivia

The so-called side fertilizer uses the same raw materials as base fertilizer, except that side fertilizer is added after the flower is planted in the pot, by pulling away a ring of soil at the edge of the pot, evenly sprinkling shelled oil crops around the edge of the pot, but not in direct contact with the flower pot. A layer of soil should be placed in between, and it should not be right next to the flower's pseudobulb stem, nor buried too deep, and not in direct contact with the roots, then covered with another layer of soil on top. The characteristic of side fertilizer is that the solid fertilizer does not directly contact the roots and slowly penetrates from top to bottom. It can be used when changing soil in both spring and autumn. For family orchid growing, the method of adding base fertilizer or side fertilizer can be used to prevent the foul smell of water fertilizer from polluting the home environment.

How to apply liquid fertilizer as topdressing to Clivia

Clivia is a flowering plant that likes fertilizer. Especially in the peak growing seasons of spring, autumn, and winter, water fertilizer must be applied as topdressing to Clivia. The topdressing method is to dilute the composted fertilizer stock solution with 10-25 times water.

Topdressing methods:

One is to directly pour diluted fertilizer water into the pot. The steps are to first dilute the fertilizer stock solution 10-15 times, moisten the soil in the flower pot once with a spray bottle, then pour the diluted water directly into the pot, and then sprinkle water into the pot once more, thus completing the whole topdressing process.

The other is fertilizer soaking. Also called sitting fertilizer. The steps are: dilute the fertilizer stock solution 20-25 times. Place it in a large container, immerse the flower pot directly in the fertilizer water, and repeatedly pour the fertilizer water into the pot with a spoon until thoroughly soaked, then take it out and sprinkle water over the flower pot once, and after draining, the whole sitting fertilizer process is completed. The former method is suitable for large-area water fertilizer topdressing, while the latter method adds fertilizer water more evenly but is more time-consuming and troublesome, suitable for small areas or household cultivation and greenhouse cultivation of some high-grade key varieties.

Clivia fertilization methods

When fertilizing, pull the pot soil aside 2-3 cm, apply the fertilizer, and be careful not to get too close to the root system, to avoid damaging the roots. Usually once a month, and during the growing season the interval can be appropriately shortened to once every 20 days.

Liquid fertilizer topdressing

Liquid fertilizer actually does not require purchasing professional fertilizer. Simply soak decomposed animal and plant manure, take the clear liquid, and dilute it with 20-40 times water, depending on the size of the seedling.

Water once 1-2 days after fertilizing, with the purpose of letting the liquid fertilizer seep into the root system and better exert its fertilizer effect. Note: do not water before fertilizing.

Foliar topdressing

When nutrients in the soil are insufficient and the plant is deficient in fertilizer and growing slowly, the foliar fertilization method should be adopted. Commonly used fertilizers include urea, calcium superphosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, etc.

Method

Dilute the fertilizer into a solution and spray it directly onto the plant's leaves; the nutrient elements will penetrate into the plant through the leaves. When spraying, be careful to spray both the front and back sides of the leaves evenly. Usually spray once every 4-6 days during the growing season, and once every 10-15 days during semi-dormancy, spraying after sunrise.