The Latest Detailed Guide to Clivia Growing Methods

Clivia is native to the tropical regions of southern Africa, growing beneath trees, so it fears heat and cannot tolerate cold; it likes a semi-shaded and humid environment, fears strong direct sunlight, and its optimal growing temperature is between 18 and 28°C. Below 10°C and above 30°C, growth is inhibited. Clivia likes a well-ventilated environment and prefers deep, fertile, loose soil; it is suitable for growing in loose, fertile, slightly acidic organic soil. Clivia is a famous greenhouse flower and is suitable for indoor cultivation. The growing methods for Clivia are described below:

Propagation Methods for Clivia

The commonly used propagation methods for Clivia are seed sowing and division.

1. Seed sowing propagation

The pollination method is: 2 to 3 days after the flower covering splits open, when the flower bud is mature and the stigma secretes sticky fluid, this is the time for pollination. When pollinating, use a new brush to dip up pollen from the stamens and gently shake it onto the stigma of the pistil. To increase the seed-setting rate, pollination can be done once between 9 and 10 a.m. and once between 2 and 3 p.m., and the seeds can mature after about 8 to 9 months. When the fruit skin gradually changes from green to blackish purple, the fruit cluster can be cut off, and after 10 to 20 days the seeds can be extracted. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water at 30 to 35°C for 20 to 30 minutes, then take them out and air-dry them for 1 to 2 hours (if they can be soaked in a 10% sodium phosphate solution for 20 to 30 minutes at this time, then taken out, washed clean, and soaked in clear water for 10 to 15 hours, so much the better), and then they can be sown into the culture soil. After sowing, place the flower pot in an environment at room temperature of 20 to 25°C and humidity of about 90%, and the radicle will sprout in about 1 to 2 weeks.

Before carrying out seed sowing propagation, the culture soil must first be prepared. Many materials can be used to make culture soil, but one relatively easy-to-obtain type is loose soil taken from the surface layer of woodland and rich in humus, mixed with 1/3 clean fine sandy soil.

2. Division propagation

Asexual propagation of flowers includes cuttings, division, layering, grafting and other methods, but the asexual propagation of Clivia generally uses only the division method, and this method is even more commonly used for the weeping clivia. To propagate by division, first do several preparations:

① For household pot cultivation, prepare a flower pot. The flower pot is best a clay pot; do not buy porcelain or ceramic ones just for the sake of a beautiful pot surface, because they have poor air permeability and are not conducive to the plant's development and growth.

② Prepare the medium soil, and it is best to disinfect it. If using humus soil mixed with fine sand, the humus soil should be sprayed and disinfected with a 1000 to 2000 times water solution of potassium permanganate; the fine river sand should also be scalded and disinfected with boiling water, to avoid the seedlings being infected by pathogens and rotting.

③ Prepare a small amount of charcoal powder to smear on the wounds to absorb moisture and prevent rotting.

④ Sharpen the knife used for cutting, and finally quickly dry-grind it on a whetstone (without adding water) several dozen times, so that the blade becomes very hot and kills pathogens.

When dividing Clivia, first take the mother plant out of the pot, remove the old soil, and find the axillary buds that can be divided. If the offset grows on the outer edge of the mother plant and is relatively small, you can hold the bulb part with one hand and pinch the base of the offset with the other hand, and with a tearing twist you can pull the offset away from the mother plant; if the offset is thick and strong and not easy to pull off, you should cut it off with the prepared sharp knife. Never pull forcefully, so as not to damage the young plant. After the offset is cut off, immediately smear the wound with dry charcoal powder to absorb the flowing sap and prevent rotting. Next, plant the offset in a pot. When planting, the planting depth should be such that the false bulb at the base of the offset is buried, the part near the seedling should be made slightly higher, and disinfected sandy soil should be covered over it. After planting, immediately water once thoroughly, and after 2 weeks, when the wound has healed, add another layer of culture soil. Generally it takes 1 to 2 months to grow new roots and 1 to 2 years to bloom. Clivia propagated by division has relatively stable heredity and can maintain the various characteristics of the original variety.

The growing methods for Clivia are divided into soil culture and water culture. Below we will look specifically at these 2 growing methods.