How to propagate Clivia miniata by division? These key points you need to know
Clivia miniata is an epiphytic orchidaceous plant with no true roots; it likes a warm and humid environment but is not heat-tolerant. Its flowers are bright and richly colored, and it is a relatively easy orchid variety to bloom, so it is also loved by many orchid enthusiasts. Artificial propagation of Clivia miniata can be done by division.
Clivia miniata (detailed introduction) is an epiphytic orchidaceous plant with no true roots; it likes a warm and humid environment but is not heat-tolerant. Its flowers are bright and richly colored, and it is a relatively easy orchid variety to bloom, so it is also loved by many orchid enthusiasts. Artificial propagation of Clivia miniata can be done by division, so what should be noted when dividing Clivia miniata?
Clivia miniata
The suitable time for dividing Clivia miniata is after the plant has bloomed and before new shoots have grown. Before division, let the potting soil dry out appropriately until the roots turn slightly white and show indistinct shrinkage; in this way the roots are softer and less likely to break during handling.
When dividing the pot, first use your five fingers to firmly support the potting soil and the plant, turn the pot upside down, then gently tap around the pot to separate the pot from the roots and soil. During handling, carefully grasp the pseudobulbs that have no young shoots to avoid injuring the new shoots, and at the same time cut off withered yellow leaves, overly old pseudobulbs and rotted old roots.
Finally, use a sharp knife to cut apart the excessively connected pseudobulbs; each divided clump of orchid plants should carry 2-3 pseudobulbs, one of which must be newly formed in the previous year. To prevent wound infection, apply sulfur powder or charcoal powder. Leave in a dry place for 1-2 days, then pot separately to form new plants.
After dividing and planting Clivia miniata, place it in semi-shade and do not water immediately. When it appears too dry, spray a small amount of water on the leaf surface and pot surface to prevent the leaves from drying out, falling off and the pseudobulbs from severely shrinking.
Clivia Clivia miniata Clivia illustrated guide: how to grow Clivia / how to propagate Clivia
Clivia profileClivia Clivia miniata
Aliases: Large-flowered Clivia, Large-leaved Lycoris, Sword-leaved Lycoris, Damulan
Classification: Orchidaceae flowers
Family and genus: Plantae, Angiosperms, Monocotyledoneae, Liliales, Amaryllidaceae, Clivia genus
Full bloom period: spring
Clivia is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Clivia genus in the Amaryllidaceae family. Its flowering period lasts 30-50 days, mainly in winter and spring, and it also blooms around New Year's Day to the Spring Festival. It dislikes strong light and is a semi-shade plant; it likes cool conditions and dislikes high temperatures. The optimum growth temperature is 15-25°C; below 5°C it stops growing. It likes fertile, well-drained soil and moist soil, and dislikes dry environments. Clivia has very high ornamental value. Its plant is elegant and handsome, with the bearing of a gentleman, and its flowers resemble orchids, hence the name. The roots are fleshy and fibrous, and a pseudobulb forms at the leaf base. The leaves are sword-shaped, up to 45 cm long, alternately arranged, with entire margins. The umbel inflorescence is terminal, and each flower...
Clivia cultivation methods and precautions Introduction to Clivia
Clivia is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Clivia genus in the Amaryllidaceae family. Its flowering period lasts 30-50 days, mainly in winter and spring, and it also blooms around New Year's Day to the Spring Festival. It dislikes strong light and is a semi-shade plant; it likes cool conditions and dislikes high temperatures. The optimum growth temperature is 15-25°C; below 5°C it stops growing. It likes fertile, well-drained soil and moist soil, and dislikes dry environments. Clivia has very high ornamental value.
Its plant is elegant and handsome, with the bearing of a gentleman, and its flowers resemble orchids, hence the name. The roots are fleshy and fibrous, and a pseudobulb forms at the leaf base. The leaves are sword-shaped, up to 45 cm long, alternately arranged, with entire margins. The umbel inflorescence is terminal, and each inflorescence has 7-30 small flowers, sometimes more than 40. The small flowers are stalked, arranged in an umbel at the top of the flower, funnel-shaped, upright, yellow or orange-yellow.
Clivia's flowers and leaves are both beautiful and elegant, and it is also shade-tolerant. It is suitable for potted indoor display, for viewing both foliage and flowers, and is also an ideal potted flower for decorating conference venues and hotel environments. It also has the effect of purifying air and medicinal value.
Clivia can bloom all year round, mainly in spring and summer. The fruit ripening period is around October.
Morphological characteristics of Clivia
The roots of Clivia are fleshy and fibrous, milky white, and very thick and strong. The root system is thick and large, with a very fleshy texture. The persistent leaf bases at the stem base of Clivia expand and clasp each other to form a pseudobulb shape. The leaves emerge in two rows from the shortened stem at the root, neatly arranged, broad and strap-shaped, with rounded tips, hard and thick in texture, and with luster and veins. The basal leaves are thick in texture, sword-shaped, leathery, dark green, glossy, strap-shaped, 30-50 cm long, up to 85 cm at the longest, 3-5 cm wide, gradually narrowing toward the base, alternately arranged, with entire margins.
The flower scape of Clivia is drawn out from the leaf axils. If cultivated from seed, it generally blooms when it has reached 15 leaves. The flower stem is about 2 cm wide; the small flowers are stalked, arranged in an umbel at the top of the flower, funnel-shaped, upright, yellow or orange-yellow, orange-red. The umbel inflorescence is terminal, the flowers are upright, with several imbricate bracts, and each inflorescence has 7-30 small flowers, sometimes more than 40. The perianth segments are 6 and fused.
In the drooping Clivia, the flowers droop slightly, and the perianth is narrowly funnel-shaped. The pedicel is 2.5-5 cm long; the flower is upright and upward, the perianth is broadly funnel-shaped, bright red, slightly yellow on the inside; the perianth tube is about 5 mm long, the outer perianth segment tips have a slight protrusion, the inner tips are slightly concave, slightly longer than the stamens; the style is long, slightly extending beyond the perianth. The berry is purple-red, broadly ovate.
The full bloom period of Clivia is from New Year's Day to the Spring Festival, mainly in spring and summer. It can bloom all year round, sometimes also in winter, and sometimes blooms in summer from June to July. The fruit ripening period is around October; it is a berry, purple-red. Clivia's flowers and leaves are both beautiful.
Ecological habits of Clivia
Clivia is native to the tropical regions of southern Africa and grows beneath trees, so it fears both heat and cold; it likes semi-shade and humid environments, and fears strong direct sunlight. The optimal growth temperature is between 18-28°C; below 10°C or above 30°C, growth is inhibited. Clivia likes ventilated environments and prefers deep, fertile, loose soil, and is suitable for growing in loose, fertile, slightly acidic organic soil. Clivia is a famous greenhouse flower and is suitable for indoor cultivation.
The roots and leaves have a certain correlation. When new roots and leaves grow, new leaves will also emerge along with them. If the roots are eliminated (rotted by waterlogging or dried to death, etc.), as long as the leaves have not wilted, pay attention to maintaining soil moisture during care, and remember not to water excessively, too dryly or too frequently, then the roots will regrow new root systems and the plant can survive (with proper care, new roots can be found growing in about 10 days); if the leaves are damaged, it will likewise affect the roots.
Under normal circumstances, Clivia blooms once a year, generally when it has more than twelve leaves. If the indoor cultivation temperature is suitable, it can bloom around the Spring Festival. Known as the flower of wealth and honor, Clivia generally blooms once a year after growing up; blooming twice a year is rare, and blooming three times is extremely rare.
A drooping Clivia with 16 leaves was an old plant obtained during pot division and had relatively strong growth. It was transplanted into a large flowerpot. When transplanting, some charcoal and broken old bricks were placed at the bottom of the pot, and three pieces of horse hoof (horse hoof shell) were buried in as base fertilizer. Afterward it was placed in a cool place with less sunlight, and some thin liquid fertilizer soaked from peanut bran was applied frequently (about once every half month), and soon a tender shoot grew.
By the Spring Festival, it sent up a scape and bloomed, with a flowering period lasting more than twenty days. After the flowers faded, liquid fertilizer was applied as a top dressing, and some peanut bran was also placed. Soon, the flower scape that had not set seed was cut off. Afterward, it grew two more tender shoots. By July, it bloomed a second time, with a flowering period of about twenty days, but the flower scape was slightly shorter than at the Spring Festival. In August the flowers faded, and liquid fertilizer was applied immediately. Afterward the flower scape that had not set seed was cut off, and some liquid fertilizer, peanut bran and soybean cake were applied frequently; in September several dozen raw clams were also added as fertilizer. During high temperatures it was placed in a ventilated indoor spot. By November, it unexpectedly sent up a scape and bloomed a third time. This flowering period also lasted about twenty days, only with fewer flowers, just over twenty. After the flowers faded in December, three more pieces of horse hoof were buried in the flowerpot, and liquid fertilizer was applied frequently, so that it could bloom once more in February or March.
Cultivation techniques for Clivia Soil
Clivia is suitable for soil rich in humus. This kind of soil has good air permeability, good water permeability, and is fertile and slightly acidic (pH 6.5). The general soil mix for Clivia is 6 parts leaf mold, 2 parts pine needles, 1 part river sand or furnace ash slag, and 1 part base fertilizer (hemp seed, etc.). Leaf mold mainly refers to oak leaves, also called oak. This kind of leaf is thick in texture and is very good humus. It is nutritious and has good water permeability. Other leaves are too thin and disappear after decomposition, so they cannot be mixed with other media to make soil. When cultivating, the pot size should gradually increase as the plant grows. For one-year-old seedlings, a 3-inch pot is suitable. In the second year, change to a 5-inch pot, and afterward repot into a pot one size larger every 1-2 years. Repotting can be done in spring and autumn.
Watering
Clivia has relatively well-developed fleshy roots, and a certain amount of water is stored in the roots, so this flower is relatively drought-tolerant. However, even drought-tolerant flowers must not be severely short of water, especially in summer when high temperatures are combined with dry air; do not forget to water in time, otherwise the roots and leaves of the flower will be damaged, causing new leaves not to sprout and the original leaves to scorch, which not only affects flowering but may even cause the plant to die. But watering too much will also cause root rot. So you must master it well, always pay attention to the dryness and wetness of the potting soil, and water once when it becomes half-dry, but the amount watered should not be too much; keeping the potting soil moist but not soggy is just right.
Under normal circumstances, water once a day in spring; in summer, use a fine watering can to water the leaf surface and the surrounding ground together, watering twice a day on sunny days; in autumn, water once every other day; in winter, water once a week or less. But it must be noted that this refers to "general circumstances." You must master it flexibly according to various specific situations. For example, water more on sunny days; water less on cloudy days, and if it is continuously cloudy, water once every few days; do not water on rainy days. When the temperature is high and the air is dry, water several times a day; for large flowerpots, because the soil stores a large amount of water and does not dry out easily, water less; for small flowerpots, water evaporates easily, so water an appropriate amount more. If the flowerpot is placed in a well-ventilated place where evaporation is easy, water an appropriate amount more; in places with poor ventilation, slow evaporation and high air humidity, water less. During the seedling stage, water less; during the flowering stage, water more. In short, it depends on the specific situation, with the principle of ensuring the potting soil is soft and moist, not too dry and not too soggy.
If conditions permit, magnetized water is of course best; next is rainwater, snow water or living water from rivers, then pond water, and the worst is tap water. Growers living in large cities only have tap water available, so you can use a small water vat or basin or bucket, put the tap water in, and water after 2-3 days. This allows some harmful impurities in the water to settle. In addition, it allows the substances contained in the water to be oxidized and purified, and can make the water temperature close to the potting soil temperature, so it will not be too cold or too hot and harm the plant.
Fertilizing
Many flowers like fertilizer, but fertilizing fertilizer-loving flowers also has a limit. Too much fertilizer is not good for growth and may even cause the plant's roots to rot or scorch. Clivia also belongs to this type of plant, and fertilizer must be applied in appropriate amounts.
Flowers have different nutrient requirements at different growth and development stages. Therefore, different fertilizing methods suitable for the plant's needs should be adopted at each period. Such as base fertilizer, top dressing, foliar fertilization, etc.
1) Applying base fertilizer (also called basal fertilizer)
The purpose is to create conditions for plant growth and development and meet its nutrient needs. Base fertilizer for Clivia should be applied when repotting every 2 years. Apply commonly used manure (that is, poultry and livestock manure), compost, green manure, soybean cake fertilizer, etc. into the soil.
2) Top dressing
Mainly to promote plant growth. Clivia can be given fertilizers such as cake fertilizer, fish meal, bone meal, etc. Apply less for newly planted plants; later, as the plant grows and the leaves increase, the amount of fertilizer should gradually increase. When fertilizing, scrape open the potting soil and apply it into the soil at a depth of 2-3 cm, but note that the fertilizer applied should not be too close to the root system to avoid burning the roots. Applying this kind of solid fertilizer once a month is generally enough; it should not be more frequent.
3) Applying liquid fertilizer as top dressing
Applying liquid fertilizer as top dressing is to dilute the fully decomposed clear supernatant liquid of soaked and fermented animal and plant materials with 30-40 times clean water and then pour it onto the potting soil. For small seedlings, dilute with 40 times water; for medium seedlings, dilute with 30 times water; for large seedlings, dilute with only 20 times water. After applying the fertilizer liquid, water once with clean water 1-2 days later (the amount of water should not be much), so that the fertilizer penetrates to the roots in the potting soil and fully exerts its fertilizer effect. Do not water 1-2 days before applying liquid fertilizer; let the potting soil be relatively dry before applying the fertilizer liquid, which is more effective. The best time to fertilize is early morning; when pouring, let the fertilizer liquid flow in along the edge of the pot, and be careful to avoid applying it on the plant and leaves.
In addition, the type of fertilizer should also vary according to the season. For example, in spring and winter, it is suitable to apply some phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, such as fish meal, bone meal, hemp cake, etc., which helps the formation of leaf veins and improves leaf glossiness; while in autumn, it is suitable to apply the leachate of decomposed animal hair, horns, hooves or soybean cake, diluted with 30-40 times clean water before pouring, to help leaf growth.
4) Foliar top dressing
Using this method of fertilizing is mainly to make up for the deficiency of nutrients in the soil, to solve the problem of nutrient deficiency in the plant body, so that seedlings grow quickly and flowers and fruits grow plump. Foliar fertilization is to spray the diluted fertilizer liquid directly onto the leaf surface of the plant with a misting device, allowing nutrient elements to penetrate the leaf epidermal cells and stomata into the leaf tissues and then be transported throughout the plant. Commonly used fertilizer types include urea, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, superphosphate, etc. When spraying, spray evenly on both the front and back sides of the leaves. Spray once every 4-6 days during the growing season, once every 2 weeks during semi-dormancy, generally after sunrise, and stop application after the plant blooms. It must be noted that this method can only be used when the plant is found to be deficient in fertilizer. If the plant has sufficient nutrients and is growing vigorously, it should not be used.
Later-stage management
The flowering period of Clivia is generally from February to April. After flowering, the flowering period can be extended by appropriately lowering the temperature, ventilating and reducing light. The length of Clivia's flowering period can be controlled through people's cultivation techniques.
Before and after the flowering period of Clivia, the following treatments should be made in cultivation management:
Fertilizing
Apply an additional dose of bone meal, well-fermented fish innards, and soybean cake water, which can make the flower color bright, the flowers larger, and the leaves thick. Otherwise, it is prone to small flowers, few in number, and pale flower color. At the same time, care should be taken to avoid applying too much nitrogen fertilizer and insufficient phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, which would lead to weak growth or leggy leaves, affecting bud formation and flowering.
Light
A certain amount of light conditions should be provided to meet the requirements of photosynthesis and flowering for light. Under strong light, the flowering period is short and the flower color is bright; under weak light, the flower color is pale. Too long or too strong light, or long-term shading and insufficient light, will all affect the manufacture and accumulation of nutrients, preventing bud formation and flowering.
Temperature
Suitable temperature has an obvious effect on the quality of flowering. If the temperature is too high, root hairs exist for a very short time, and the function of absorbing water and fertilizer is greatly reduced, causing Clivia to show a semi-dormant state; if the temperature is lower than 10°C, growth will also be inhibited; during the growing period it should be controlled at 15°C-25°C, and during the flowering period it should be 15°C-20°C. When root hairs exist for a long time and the water and fertilizer absorption function is good, the leaves grow short and wide, and the flowers are luxuriant. It should also be noted that Clivia needs to maintain a temperature difference of about 8°C between day and night, because the organic matter it manufactures under higher daytime temperatures needs to be stored and digested under lower nighttime temperatures.
Water
Clivia must not lack water during the entire plant growth period. When entering the flowering period, the water requirement is even greater, and the growth humidity should not be lower than 60%.
Cultivation methods of Clivia
China currently mainly uses the sowing method to propagate Clivia, thus forming various varieties.
Clivia cultivation is relatively simple. First, choose good potting soil, and it can be placed indoors near a window, with fertilizer and water controlled according to the temperature characteristics of each place. During the growing period, the potting soil must be kept moist; during the high-temperature semi-dormant period, the potting soil should be on the dry side, and water should often be sprayed on the leaf surface to achieve the purpose of cooling. Clivia likes fertilizer; repot once every 2 to 3 years in spring or autumn, adding decomposed cake fertilizer into the potting soil. Each year before the growing period, apply 5 to 40 grams of decomposed cake fertilizer under the pot surface soil, and apply liquid fertilizer once during growth.
During management, turn the pot frequently to prevent the leaves from leaning to one side; if they lean to one side, straighten them in time. When the temperature is 25 to 30 degrees, it easily causes leggy leaves, making the leaves narrow and long and affecting the ornamental effect, so when cultivating Clivia you must pay attention to regulating room temperature.
Clivia leaves are broad and strap-shaped, hard and thick in texture, and have luster and veins. The leaves emerge in two rows from the shortened stem at the root. With proper management, the leaves are neatly arranged and even more beautiful. The flower scape is drawn out from the leaf axils, and it generally blooms only when it has 20-25 leaves. The full bloom period is from New Year's Day to the Spring Festival, and it also blooms in summer from June to July. After flowering it can set a small amount of seed, requiring artificial supplementary pollination, and the seeds mature only after 240-270 days.
The roots of Clivia are milky white, very thick and strong, with a very fleshy texture. The roots and leaves have a certain correlation. When new roots and leaves grow, new leaves will also emerge along with them. If the roots are injured or necrotic, the corresponding leaves will also wither; if the leaves are damaged, it will likewise affect the roots. Clivia has thick, fleshy roots. The leaf base forms a pseudobulb; the leaves are leathery, dark green. The umbel inflorescence has several to dozens of flowers; the flowers are funnel-shaped, upright, orange-red. Its variety is the yellow-flowered Clivia (vae.aurea Regel). The flowering period is winter and spring. It is robust in nature and likes a warm, humid and semi-shade environment. It requires well-drained, fertile loam. It is not cold-tolerant. In South China, Clivia can be used for flower beds or as cut flowers; in East China and areas north of the Yangtze River basin, it is used as an indoor potted plant for viewing leaves and flowers.
Clivia is native to the tropics and likes semi-shade. The most suitable temperature is 10 to 25 degrees, and it is suitable for growing in loose, fertile, slightly acidic organic soil.
Propagation methods of Clivia
Clivia generally uses only two propagation methods: one is sexual propagation, namely the sowing propagation method; the other is the division propagation method in asexual propagation. Large-flowered Clivia is more commonly propagated by sowing. The advantage of the propagation method is that it can propagate in large quantities to meet the needs of many growers. But sowing propagation first requires artificial pollination, preferably cross-pollination between different plants (higher seed-setting rate). A robust plant after cross-pollination can generally set ten seeds; self-pollination on the same plant can set only a few seeds.
Sowing method
The pollination method is: when the perianth has split for 2-3 days, the flower bud is mature, and the stigma has sticky liquid secreted, that is the time for pollination. When pollinating, use a new brush to dip the pollen from the stamens and gently shake it onto the stigma of the pistil. To increase the seed-setting rate, pollinate once each between 9-10 a.m. and 2-3 p.m.; the seeds can mature after about 8-9 months. When the fruit skin gradually changes from green to black-purple, the fruit cluster can be cut off, and after 10-20 days the seeds can be peeled out. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water at 30-35°C for 20-30 minutes, then take them out and air-dry for 1-2 hours (at this time, if they can be soaked in 10% sodium phosphate solution for 20-30 minutes, taken out and washed, and then soaked in clean water for 10-15 hours, so much the better), and then sow them into the culture soil. After sowing, place the flowerpot in an environment at room temperature 20-25°C and humidity around 90%, and the radicle will sprout in about 1-2 weeks.
Before sowing propagation, first prepare the culture soil. There are many materials that can be used to make culture soil, but one that is relatively easy to obtain is loose soil with sufficient humus taken from the surface layer of woodland, mixed with 1/3 clean fine sandy soil.
Clivia likes slightly acidic soil, with a pH value of 6-6.5 being suitable. The time requirement for propagating Clivia by sowing is not strict; it can be sown in spring, autumn and winter, but temperature is an important factor. It is best to sow under conditions of 20-25°C, which can meet the temperature requirements for germinating the embryo.
Division method
Asexual propagation of flowers includes cutting, division, layering, grafting and other methods, but the asexual propagation of Clivia generally uses only the division method, and the drooping Clivia uses this method even more commonly.
To propagate by division, first do several preparations:
① For home potting, prepare flowerpots. It is best to use clay pots; 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 plant development and growth.
② Prepare the medium soil, preferably disinfecting it. If using humus soil mixed with fine sand, the humus soil should be sprayed and disinfected with a 1000-2000 times aqueous solution of potassium permanganate; the fine river sand should also be scalded and disinfected with boiling water to avoid seedlings being infected by pathogens and rotting.
③ Prepare a small amount of charcoal powder to smear on wounds to absorb moisture and prevent rot.
④ Sharpen the cutting knife, and finally quickly dry-grind it (without adding water) on a whetstone dozens of times, making the blade highly hot, in order to kill pathogens.
When dividing, first take the mother Clivia 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 the plant body is relatively small, you can hold the bulb part with one hand and pinch the base of the offset with the other hand, tear and pry it a bit, and the offset can be separated from the mother body; if the offset is thick and strong and not easy to pry off, you should use the prepared sharp knife to cut it off. Never pry forcefully, to avoid damaging the young plant. After the offset is cut off, immediately smear the wound with dry charcoal powder to absorb the flowing liquid and prevent rot. Next, pot the offset for planting.
When planting, the planting depth should be such that the basal pseudobulb of the offset is buried, and the part near the seedling should be made slightly higher, and cover with disinfected sandy soil. After planting, water thoroughly once immediately, and when the wound heals after 2 weeks, add a layer of culture soil. Generally it takes 1-2 months to grow new roots and 1-2 years to bloom. Clivia propagated by division has relatively stable heredity and can maintain the various characteristics of the original species.
Pest and disease control of Clivia Common viruses
Several common diseases of Clivia include southern blight, soft rot, anthracnose, etc.
Southern blight
When this disease occurs, water-soaked brown irregular lesions appear on the stem near the root, the cortex soft-rots, and then white silky mycelium grows and spreads on the soil surface around the roots, later forming small sclerotia, finally becoming seed-like in color, expanding until the entire base rots and dies.
Control methods:
① Before potting, the culture soil should be disinfected. A relatively simple method is to place the culture soil at 60°C for 24 hours;
② Often observe the soil surface; if white mycelial lines are found, pick them out and burn them, and sprinkle some lime powder around the diseased holes for disinfection; ③ In the early stage of the disease, irrigate the stem base of the plant and the soil around the base with a 500 times solution of 50% carbendazim wettable powder, once a week, 2-3 times is enough.
Soft rot
The pathogen often invades through wounds. When the disease occurs, pale yellow water-soaked spots appear on the leaves, later expanding into irregular lesions, causing the leaves to become brown soft rot, and bacterial fluid flows out from the wound of the lesion.
Control methods:
① Once this disease is found, immediately separate the diseased plant, scrape open the culture soil around the plant to expose the diseased part, pry open the rotted diseased leaves, use a sterilized knife to scrape off the rotted part, expose it appropriately to sunlight, and keep it ventilated and dry;
② If many plants are rotted, all diseased tissue must be removed, soaked in a 5% potassium permanganate aqueous solution for 1 hour, rinsed with clean water and air-dried, smear plant ash on the cut, repot in a new pot, and place in a ventilated place with not-high temperature;
③ For drug treatment, penicillin or streptomycin or oxytetracycline plus 4000-**** times aqueous solution can be sprayed or smeared on the lesions, with a certain curative effect.
Anthracnose
This disease mostly occurs in rainy, humid and stuffy seasons, and the affected parts are mostly leaf tips and leaf edges. In the early stage, moist brown small spots appear on the leaves, then expand into oval and similarly shaped main lesions, with yellow surroundings, and later gradually shrink and dry up. Too wet potting soil and excessive nitrogen fertilizer easily cause this disease.
Control methods:
① Give the flowerpot an environment with good ventilation and light, and the potting soil should only be moist; do not water too much or too frequently. Increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer and control nitrogen fertilizer.
② When signs of the disease are found, immediately spray with a solution made of 50% wettable carbendazim powder plus 800 times water, or spray with a solution of 60% anthracnose Fumei plus 1000 times water, about once every 6 days, and 3-5 sprays can show effect.
Common pests
The common pest of Clivia is scale insects. When the pest occurs, scale insects often gather on the tender tips of the leaves, suck the leaf sap, secrete a large amount of pathogens, causing the stems and leaves to turn moldy black, causing sooty mold, and causing the leaves to wither. This insect has strong reproductive capacity and can occur in multiple generations a year. One female adult can often reproduce hundreds of offspring. If control measures are not taken in time, it can cause death.
Control methods: prevention should be the main approach. Usually often observe the plant body, and when pests are found, control them early to prevent spread. To control scale insects, both manual and chemical methods can be used at the same time. If pests are found on only 1 or 2 leaf tips, manual scraping can be done, using a sharpened thin wooden stick or bamboo skewer to remove the insect bodies. If a large number of nymphs appear, spray with 1000 times solution of 25% phosmet emulsifiable concentrate, or spray with a solution made of 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate plus 1000-1500 times water. Generally 1-2 sprays can kill them.
In addition, also note that earthworms can also become pests of Clivia. When the Clivia plant is young, its fleshy roots are very tender and weak. If there are earthworms in the potting soil, they often drill around everywhere, injuring the tender roots, destroying Clivia's function of absorbing nutrients, causing the plant to stop growing and developing or causing root rot.
The control method is: often check whether there are round soil pellets on the surface of the potting soil (that is, earthworm excrement). If found, immediately irrigate with a solution made of 50% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate plus 1500-2000 times water. If earthworms are seen drilling after irrigation, remove them immediately; after one week, do the same once more, and the earthworms can be completely eliminated.
Variety classification of Clivia Common varieties
Large-flowered Clivia is a perennial herb. The fleshy roots are white and unbranched. The basal leaves are numerous, leathery, alternate, neatly arranged, fan-shaped, evergreen. The stem is a shortened stem. The flowers are a determinate inflorescence, arranged in an umbel, the flower stem is flat, fleshy, solid, the small flowers are stalked, funnel-shaped, and the colors include orange-yellow, pale yellow, orange-red, light red, deep red, etc. The immature capsule is green, and after maturity it is purple-red. The seeds are large and spherical.
Large-flowered Clivia
Through artificial hybridization, quite a few precious varieties have been bred. In China in the 1940s there were cultivated varieties such as Shengli, Heshang, Ranchang and Youjiang. By the 1980s there were cultivated varieties such as Hualian Heshang, Yuantou, Chuncheng Duanye and Huang Jishi. In recent years, new varieties such as Momo Clivia, Fangye and Jinsi Lan have also appeared. At present, Clivia cultivated varieties are distinguished according to plant size, leaf length, length-width ratio, leaf tip shape, vein visibility, flower color, fruit shape, etc. Overall, leaves that are short and wide, thick and hard, with a bright and glossy leaf surface, upright and neat, with rounded leaf tips and raised veins are good varieties, and flowers that are large and yellow are premium products.
In Japan, foliage-type Clivia is valued more than flower-type Clivia, while the United States and Europe focus on improving flower color. For this reason, Japan has bred the variegated-leaf Clivia with white markings and yellow markings (C. miniata cv. Variegata). The United States has bred 22 Clivia varieties of different yellows, among which are Sir John Thouron, Yellow California Sunshine, Yellow Re-Bloomer, the pink Tessa, the orange-red Sara, etc. The prices are expensive, with each small seedling costing from 250 to 350 US dollars.
Plants in this genus also include narrow-leaved Clivia (fine-leaved Clivia), drooping Clivia (the flowers droop when blooming, like bowing the head and smiling, hence the name). Stemmed Clivia (C. caulescens) (leaves dark green, flowers dark orange-red). Garden Clivia (C. gardenii), with orange or yellow edges at the tips of the red flowers.
Subordinate classification
At present, five species of Clivia have been discovered in total, respectively called drooping Clivia (Nobilis), large-flowered Clivia (miniata), fine-leaved Clivia, also translated as garden Clivia (gardenii), stemmed Clivia (caulescens) and strange Clivia (mirabibis). In addition, in 2004 another species called swamp Clivia (Robust or swamp) was discovered in southern Natal. That is to say, currently only the above six species of Clivia are recognized by the South African Clivia Society.
Among them, all Chinese Clivia belong to the large-flowered Clivia in the Clivia genus, and the flower colors are mainly red and orange. In contrast to the floral art of other countries, Chinese Clivia focuses on leaf art. Classified by flower series and strain, Chinese Clivia belongs to the red and orange flower series of the large-flowered Clivia category in the Clivia genus.
Drooping Clivia
The leaves of the drooping Clivia are very hard and rough, strap-shaped, about 300-800 mm long and 25-50 mm wide. The leaf tips are very blunt. Its inflorescence generally has 20-60 small flowers, drooping. The flowers are mostly dark orange, with green petal tips. But there are also flowers with colors between pink-yellow and dark red. Its fruit generally contains 1-2 seeds, the fruit skin is red, and the red fruit takes 9 months to mature. The leaves of seedlings grown from seed are very slender, about 1.5 mm thick.
The growth period of the drooping Clivia is very long. From a seed to flowering takes 8 to 10 years, or even longer. Given the characteristics of the flower, it is very easy to confuse with the garden Clivia. Precisely because its growth cycle is very long, it is boldly speculated that the "drooping Clivia" once popular in China may have been the garden Clivia.
Large-flowered Clivia
In its native range, the leaf width of large-flowered Clivia generally does not exceed 50 mm, and rarely reaches 90 mm. The flower shapes include narrow-petaled and wide-petaled, like a trumpet. The inner petals are generally wider than the outer petals. The flower color is generally orange, with a yellow-white inner core. Of course there are also flowers with colors from the yellow-white series to the dark red series. Flowers of very pale and very deep colors are relatively rare. When blooming, a flower bud generally has about 20 flowers, and some reach 40. The berry contains 1-20 seeds, generally fewer than 10.
Clivia gardenii (Slender Clivia)
Clivia gardenii plants generally reach a height of 80 to 130 mm. Its leaves are bright green, 350-900 mm long and 25-60 mm wide, very narrow and elongated, with pointed leaf tips. The flowering period is long, from late autumn to winter. The flower color is generally orange-red, with very distinct green tips on the petals. Flower colors also range from yellow to red. The flowers hang in an arc shape, not drooping as severely as those of Clivia caulescens and Clivia nobilis. Each berry contains 1-2 seeds. The fruit takes 12-15 months to mature.
Clivia caulescens
Clivia caulescens reaches a height of 500 to 1500 mm. Mature plants have an above-ground stem reaching 1 m in length, and in special cases up to 3 m long. The soft, flat, pointed leaves are arching, about 35-70 mm wide and 30-60 cm long. It generally blooms in spring and summer. The flowers droop like those of Clivia nobilis, with orange-red petals and green tips. The round red berries contain 1-4 seeds and are 9-13 mm in diameter. The seeds generally mature in winter, about 6 months after pollination.
Clivia mirabilis
A new Clivia species was discovered in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, and it is named Clivia mirabilis.
Clivia mirabilis grows in humus in crevices on rocky mountain slopes, either as solitary plants or in groups. These sites often have sparse cover of evergreen African redwood trees. Some Clivia mirabilis also grow in the sun, but these plants often have leaf tips burned by sunlight and appear water-stressed. In the morning, the vast majority of Clivia mirabilis are on the shady side of cliffs, and after that, until sunset, they can receive sunlight. The areas where Clivia mirabilis grows generally have a semi-arid Mediterranean climate, and often experience a rainy period in winter.
The leaves of Clivia mirabilis all have a white stripe down the center, which distinguishes it from other Clivia species. Moreover, its seeds need only 5 months to mature, unlike other Clivia species. For example, the seeds of Clivia miniata need 12 months to mature, the seeds of Clivia gardenii need 15 months to mature, and those of Clivia caulescens and Clivia nobilis need about 9 months to mature.
Clivia mirabilis is a newly discovered species, and its identity was only formally confirmed in February 2001. This Clivia is still in a specially protected natural area, and apart from the Oorlogskloof Nature Reserve, no other location has been found to have communities of Clivia mirabilis. Therefore, the number of cultivated Clivia mirabilis remains very small. When cultivating Clivia mirabilis, note that it prefers humus-rich soil and a semi-shaded environment. Given its preference for semi-arid conditions, it should be given a fairly dry environment in summer.
Clivia robusta (Swamp Clivia)
Clivia robusta was only formally confirmed as a species in 2004. Like other Clivia species, this Clivia is native to South Africa. It tends to grow in sandy, acidic soil. According to related articles, this Clivia is "commonly found in forested areas, often located in or near swamp areas. Some communities also grow on riverbanks or below cliffs, where the soil is often rich in humus. In swamp areas, Clivia robusta appears in large communities, and some plants, supported by their root systems, can reach 1.8 m tall, while in relatively dry areas, the plants are noticeably shorter and stouter."
Clivia robusta is the largest species of Clivia, capable of growing to 1.8 m tall, and in swamp areas, a very few root systems can reach 4.5 m long! The leaves of Clivia robusta are flexible with smooth edges, rounded leaf tips, and a pale white stripe down the center. The leaves are generally 30-120 cm long and 3-9 cm wide, and the leaf bases are usually devoid of pigment.
Clivia robusta generally blooms from March to August (autumn and winter in South Africa). The inflorescence usually has 15-40 small orange-red, pendulous, tubular flowers with green tips. The pedicels go from red to green. Its fruit is spherical and red, generally containing no more than 4 seeds, and the fruit takes up to 12 months to mature.
Winter Care for Clivia
Clivia is native to South Africa and is a perennial evergreen herbaceous flower. It prefers a warm and cool climate, fears high heat and severe cold, goes dormant in summer, and grows in autumn and winter. Therefore, strengthening winter care is the key to cultivation. Clivia must be grown in special Clivia soil.
The key points are as follows:
1. Fertilizing. Clivia has the fastest vegetative growth rate in winter and needs the most nutrients, so applying good winter fertilizer is very important. Before bringing the pots indoors, use bone meal, roasted sesame, cooked soybeans, etc., or compound fertilizer, and apply once every 15 to 20 days diluted in water. You can also water the roots with a soak solution of animal and plant residues. Fertilizer must be fully decomposed and applied thinly to prevent damage from concentrated fertilizer.
2. Watering. Clivia has fleshy roots and likes air but fears waterlogging. In addition, Clivia leaves have a waxy layer, and winter temperatures are low, so water transpiration and evaporation are reduced. Therefore, do not water too much; just water together with fertilizing to keep the potting soil moist. Never flood-irrigate, which can cause root rot and plant death.
3. Keeping warm. The most suitable growing temperature for Clivia is 15°C to 25°C. Growth stops at 10°C, and frost damage occurs at 0°C. Therefore, in winter it must be kept warm and protected from freezing. After the flower stem emerges, maintaining around 18°C is suitable. If the temperature is too high, the leaves and flower scape will become leggy, thin and weak, the flowers will be small and poor in quality, and the flowering period will be short; if the temperature is too low, the flower stem will be short, and it will easily suffer "arrow clamping" and premature flowering, affecting quality and reducing ornamental value.
4. Adjusting light. Clivia prefers scattered light and avoids direct strong light. When cared for indoors in winter, the pot should be placed in a place with sufficient light. Especially before flowering, there should be good light to help the flower buds develop plump and strong. After flowering, appropriately lower the temperature, avoid strong light, and maintain good ventilation, which helps prolong the flowering period.
5. Protecting leaves. Fat leaves make strong flowers; green leaves make bright flowers. Short, broad, thick, green, glossy, and upright leaves are the characteristics of healthy Clivia and the basis for promoting flowering and improving ornamental value. To maintain strong leaf quality, in addition to providing reasonable fertilizer and water, the leaf surface must be kept clean to improve photosynthetic efficiency. Methods for protecting leaves: first, regularly wash the leaves, spraying and rinsing with clean water or wiping dust off polluted leaves to keep the leaf surface clean; second, promptly spray fungicides to prevent leaf spot, leaf blight, and stem rot, ensuring green leaves and brilliant flowers.
The Uses and Purposes of Clivia
Clivia is a high-grade, precious flower. Its Latin name carries the meaning of wealth, nobility, beauty, and magnificence. China's "Ciyuan" says, "A person of talent and virtue is a junzi (gentleman)." The naming of Clivia implies that it has the character and elegance of a gentleman. The value of Clivia refers to the relationship between human needs and the attributes of Clivia, that is, Clivia can satisfy people's many needs such as beautifying the home, cultivating character, purifying air, and improving health, making your home fully display an elegant and luxurious style, and adding splendor and charm to enrich and adjust people's lives.
Ornamental Value
Flowers are the essence of nature, and Clivia is a rare treasure among flowers. Clivia miniata has a dignified and beautiful plant shape, verdant and upright leaves, large and brightly colored flowers, and red glossy fruit. Its leaves, flowers, and fruit are all beautiful, and it is known for viewing flowers in one season, fruit in three seasons, and leaves in all four seasons. Its flowering period lasts as long as 40 to 50 days, and it can bloom in early spring, making it an important festival flower.
Clivia is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant, but it is not an ordinary grass; it is a treasured grass, just as a diamond is not an ordinary stone but a gem. Clivia is a rare flower and exotic plant, rare because its leaves, flowers, and fruit are all excellent, and its leaves are even better to appreciate than its flowers. "Though many flowers are good, ask not; only the junzi surpasses all others." Other flowers "bloom and fall in their own time" and must "store fragrance for next year," making it hard for people to be captivated for long. But Clivia leaves can be enjoyed every month, every day, every moment, giving people the enjoyment of beauty.
Chinese Clivia has sword-shaped leaves of rare beauty, layered in green fans; standing in pairs, bright and glossy. The lower part of the leaves forms a pseudobulb made of leaf sheaths, some like an exquisite pagoda, some like a gold ingot; while the tops of the leaves have various shapes, some like ovals, some like semicircles as if drawn with a compass. The leaf surface is even more beautiful, some like black pearls scattered on a jasper plate, some like green gems inlaid on a golden plate, forming colorful patterns.
Chinese Clivia has a jade-like upright flower scape and graceful flower posture; regular flower shape, brilliant and colorful; umbel-like inflorescence, elegant and bold; fresh and beautiful flower color, unsurpassed among flowers. Among its glossy green leaves, bright trumpet-shaped flowers appear, like green-clad soldiers playing a spring symphony in all directions. The bright petals are tinged with apricot yellow, the base is milky white, and the corolla also shows bright red and other colors, glistening and enhancing one another, like an ancient jade maiden, beautiful and moving. Especially when reflecting the spring sunlight, it sparkles dazzlingly and is especially enchanting.
The purpose of Clivia blooming is to pollinate, fertilize, set fruit, and form seeds as berries to reproduce. The fruit takes about 8-9 months of growth before it can go from small to large, from green to red, and the seeds can mature, so Clivia is said to be viewed for fruit for three seasons. The fruit of variegated Clivia is even more colorful and truly beautiful.
Viewed from its overall form, Clivia looks like a line from the side and like an open fan from the front. Some look like a peacock spreading its tail, some like a roc spreading its wings, making people never tire of looking, lingering and reluctant to leave, comparable to famous paintings and rivaling handicrafts. But any famous painting or handicraft can be mass-reproduced and imitated, while Clivia (except for offsets) cannot be reproduced or imitated, and no identical second plant can be found. Clivia is like people: even with the same parent plants, their offspring are not all the same. This is the wonder within the wonder of Clivia.
Another wonder of Clivia is that it needs no special cultivation; its flowers bloom in winter, during Christmas, New Year's Day, and the Spring Festival, and the flowering period is long. Outside it is icy and snowy, wrapped in silver; indoors green leaves and red flowers are full of spring vitality, giving a feeling of joy and delight and heightening the festive and lively atmosphere. Rows of neat and beautiful leaves on both sides surround the sturdy flower scape holding up a mass of fiery red flowers, with dozens of small flowers like trumpets sounding in all directions. It tells people that this is truly what is meant by: "When my flower blooms, all other flowers fade."
Another wonder of Clivia is that it can live over a hundred years and seem immortal. Although it is a perennial plant, after decades of cultivation, a section of its rhizome can still be cut off for rejuvenation, making it young again, bursting with vigor, and growing robustly. Precisely because of its extremely strong vitality and wondrous immortality, it is called by people the flower of long life and eternal spring, and people dare to spend tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands in huge sums to buy a fine Clivia for viewing and cultivation. Also, because Clivia blooms in winter (especially during festivals), lower-priced Clivia are also welcomed by countless households. In addition, in recent years some young girls have treated fresh cut Clivia flowers as a symbol of eternal youth and immortality, giving them to their beloved sweethearts.
Among the Clivia family, the striped variegated Clivia, with its magical leaf variegation, has countless charms, a thousand postures, incomparable beauty, and indescribable wonder. As the diamond among flowers, she is beautiful but not seductive, precious but not arrogant. Whoever possesses her possesses the enjoyment of beauty, status, and wealth. She is the hope and hot commodity of Clivia today and in the future. Appreciating her beauty lies in this: (among other standards) more color is superior, less is inferior; evenness is superior, disorder is inferior. Striped variegated Clivia is a favorite child in the Clivia family both at home and abroad. Its leaf surface clearly shows distributed colors such as green, yellow, white, light green, dark green, and gray, with green and yellow (white) distinct, glossy and charming, with a sense of three-dimensionality, transparency, and freshness, and extremely high ornamental value.
Environmental Value
1. Clivia has the function of absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.
As everyone knows, the natural cycles of water, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen are the basic factors in forming a good living environment and maintaining ecological balance. Under normal circumstances, the carbon dioxide content in the air is 3 parts per ten thousand, and the oxygen content is 21%. Maintaining this constant ratio is the result of photosynthesis by green plants. China's first "Indoor Air Quality Standard" was officially implemented on March 1, 2003, clearly stating the requirement that "indoor air should be non-toxic, harmless, and free of abnormal odors," and stipulating control of chemical pollution, physical pollution, biological pollution, and radioactive pollution, among which the daily average standard value for CO2 is 0.1%. But an adult exhales one kilogram of carbon dioxide every day and absorbs 0.75 kilograms of oxygen; more seriously, air pollution makes the ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen in the air far exceed the above standards. Plants, evergreen plants, and Clivia play a very good role in changing this situation, eliminating air pollution, reducing radioactive substances and bacteria, lowering noise, maintaining ecological balance, and carrying out environmental protection.
Why can Clivia purify air? This is determined by the tissue structure and physiological functions of its plant body. The Clivia plant body is composed of many cells, and in each cell there is a micro-battery. According to measurements by relevant experts, there is a potential difference of 70-80 millivolts inside and outside each Clivia cell. Under the action of sunlight, this tissue of Clivia, through the micro-batteries in the mesophyll cells, can emit high-energy electrons and then carry out photophosphorylation reactions. This is the role of chlorophyll under sunlight, absorbing carbon dioxide and water and synthesizing oxygen, that is, plant photosynthesis.
During its growth and development, although Clivia can absorb water and mineral nutrients from the soil to synthesize organic substances (such as amino acids, amides, etc.), this is still not enough for its entire physiological activity. It must use sunlight, temperature, carbon dioxide, and water for photosynthesis. This is of extremely important significance to the growth and development of Clivia, the beautification of the home, the purification of indoor air, and the improvement of people's health.
2. Clivia has the function of absorbing dust.
There are some suspended solid or gaseous particles in urban air, such as industrial dust, smoke from burning coal, and dust raised from bare soil surfaces, some of which also carry microorganisms. They can cause various diseases or allergic reactions in humans and harm people's health. In recent years, environmental protection departments have also detected some carcinogenic substances in the air, which is a major public hazard in people's lives.
The Clivia plant body, especially its broad and thick leaves, has many stomata and fine hairs and can secrete a large amount of mucus. Through air circulation, it can absorb large amounts of dust, dirt, and harmful gases, play a filtering role on indoor air, reduce the dust content in indoor spaces, and make the air clean. Therefore, Clivia is praised by people as an ideal "absorption machine" and "dust collector."
When you are among pots of brilliantly colored Clivia, you will feel the air fresh, your body and mind relaxed, and your energy abundant. Where is the mystery? It is because Clivia can purify air and has high ecological value.
Beautifying the Home
Chinese Clivia has the characteristics of being evergreen all year round, being the most shade-tolerant, and being suitable for indoor cultivation. It is an ideal plant for decorating halls, parlors, pavilions, and offices, and an excellent choice for beautifying parks. It is praised by people as a living handicraft and "money flower." Using it to beautify the home is a beautiful symbol of spiritual civilization and material wealth.
Clivia can not only absorb harmful gases, reduce noise, and kill bacteria, creating a comfortable living environment, but can also cultivate character, improve health, and enhance cultural and artistic accomplishment. Place Clivia in the living room or study, on a desk or tea table, before a windowsill or balcony; under sunlight or lamplight its leaves will glisten, stirring emotion in people and making your home full of vitality and ever-green scenery. If a round flowerpot is placed on a writing desk, tea table, dressing table, or combination cabinet, a saucer can be placed under the pot. This is not only beautiful, but during cultivation and management the water overflowing from the bottom of the pot will not stain the furniture. A flowering Clivia can be placed between two single sofas to increase people's visual and comfortable feeling. Between small pots on a desk, some handicrafts with high ornamental value can also be appropriately placed, and colored lights can even be installed if necessary. In this way, not only will the Clivia stand gracefully, fresh and bright under the colored light, but it can also add artistic and natural beauty to your home. Good flowers deserve good pots. When using Clivia to beautify the home, attention should be paid to the choice of pot material. Clivia has fleshy roots and likes earthenware pots with good permeability. But this kind of earthenware pot is rough and not beautiful enough indoors. Jingdezhen porcelain pots or Yixing purple clay pots can be used; as long as the soil (leaf mold or peat soil) has good permeability, it can also be grown well.
Economic Value
Marxist economics tells us that any commodity is the unity of use value and value. Use value is the property of a commodity that can satisfy some human need. Value is the undifferentiated human labor condensed in a commodity, the expenditure of human physical and mental power. The magnitude of a commodity's value is determined by the socially necessary labor time for producing that commodity, and commodity exchange must be based on the magnitude of value and carry out equivalent exchange. This is the basic content of the law of value. Price is the monetary expression of value, which is what we usually call commodity prices. The market determines price, that is, price is determined by value and affected by supply and demand, fluctuating around value. These principles apply equally to a commodity like Clivia.
Use value is the material bearer of value and belongs to the quality issue of a commodity. According to the Clivia appreciation and evaluation standards formulated by the China Clivia Association, Clivia quality can be roughly divided into five grades: rare, fine, high-grade, mid-grade, and low-grade. Rare-grade Clivia is extremely difficult to produce through hybridization. It is not one in a hundred or one in a thousand, but one in ten thousand. Its pollen can serve as the male parent for Clivia of a certain grade, improving the quality and grade of the next generation, making it possible to cultivate rare-grade offspring similar to the male parent. Therefore, the value of pollen as a male parent is considerable. At 1000 yuan per pollen stick (in reality some have sold for more than 2000 yuan per stick), a mature plant can bloom about twenty flowers each time, and each flower has six pollen sticks (stamens), that is, each rare-grade Clivia can produce about 100 pollen sticks per blooming. If all are sold, it can bring in 100,000 yuan. And the seedlings it produces number at least about 100. The price of its seedlings is also above a thousand yuan. Rare-grade Clivia not only has extremely high ornamental value itself, but can also be used as a male parent to improve the grade of other Clivia offspring, and can also be used as a female parent to produce rare-grade offspring. Rare-grade Clivia has high technological content; its cultivation consumes a great deal of mental and physical effort; and things are precious when rare. Therefore, its price is also quite high. Conversely, the price of low-grade Clivia is much lower. According to China's current national economic development status, national living standards, and the supply and demand relationship of Clivia, the prices of mature Clivia of various grades range from tens of yuan to hundreds of thousands of yuan, which is understandable.
Nowadays, people regard Clivia as a "green stock" - low risk, high return. It is small in size and high in value per plant, so the area required for the same investment amount is much smaller; it is suitable for both prosperity and adversity, easy to plant and easy to keep alive, and can be well cultivated in spare time; it is vigorous and sales are not limited by time, as it can be sold in all four seasons. The return on investment goes without saying. Looking at the domestic market, Clivia has a large number of enthusiasts all over the country, and the enthusiasm for growing Clivia is relatively high. The domestic market for Clivia is quite large, and its development potential is immeasurable. Looking at the international market, the development prospects of Clivia are equally bright. Clivia has won major awards many times at flower expos held in Hong Kong, China. At the Third International Expo, Clivia sales surpassed all others. In the 1995 statistics on the output value of various flowers by the Dutch government, Clivia was one of the 13 potted plant types with the largest output value. All of this indicates that Chinese Clivia has a good future international market.
At present, China has entered a new stage of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and accelerating socialist modernization. Chinese Clivia should be oriented toward modernization, the world, and the future. With China's accession to the WTO and the continuous deepening of opening up, we should bring our own cultivated precious Clivia into the international market and export in large quantities to earn foreign exchange. We should take the important thought of the "Three Represents" as the fundamental guide, unite and cooperate, and work hard.
Clivia is a famous greenhouse flower. China has two species introduced from Europe and Japan. The former has small, drooping flowers and is called Clivia nobilis; the latter has large, upward-facing flowers and is called Clivia miniata, which is currently the most commonly cultivated species.
The flowers of Clivia are not as magnificent as peonies, nor as fragrant as jasmine, and certainly not as colorful and graceful as Chinese roses, but its leaves are verdant and glossy, its flowers face upward like torches, and its flower color is orange-red, dignified and generous, making it an ideal potted flower for beautifying the environment. Clivia nobilis has drooping flowers, reserved and deep, elegant and solemn, with a charm of its own.
The Dietary or Medicinal Value of Clivia
The medical information and health dietary information on Hugarden are for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. Any health issue should be consulted with professional medical personnel, and treatment of any disease should follow a doctor's advice.
The ultimate flower-protecting mission: to love yourself, start from reality and follow a doctor's advice. Toward illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope; face it bravely, warm the silent world with love, and care for the flower field within your heart.
Medicinal Value
Clivia can be viewed and appreciated, and the whole plant can be used as medicine. In addition to beautifying the environment, it also has certain medicinal value. The Clivia plant body contains lycorine and clivine, as well as the trace element selenium. Now pharmaceutical researchers use Clivia plant bodies containing these chemical components for scientific research, and they have already been used to treat cancer, hepatitis, cirrhotic ascites, and poliovirus, among others. Experiments have proved that lycorine extracted from Clivia leaves and roots not only has antiviral effects but also anticancer effects.
Experiments have confirmed that the anticancer activity of lycorine is mainly manifested as a clear inhibitory effect on aerobic or anaerobic glycolysis of cancer cells. The quaternary ammonium salt with a positive charge in lycorine can combine with negatively charged tumor cells, while the negatively charged phenolic ion group can enter the interior of positively charged tumor cells, thereby producing an anticancer effect.
Lycorine is mainly used in the treatment of digestive tract tumors, such as gastric cancer, liver cancer, and esophageal cancer, and also has a certain effect on lymphoma and lung cancer. On February 18, 1985, the "Changchun Clivia News" published a report saying that a liver cancer patient was brought back from the brink of death after taking a Clivia decoction, which is a good example. In addition to the above effects, lycorine also has a relatively obvious emetic effect, stronger than that of ipecac. At the same time, lycorine has low toxicity and can be used as an emetic for various types of poisoning.
The Species Origin of Clivia
In September 1815, the intrepid natural scientist William Burchell first scientifically collected Clivia at the source of the Great Fish River in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Then, around 1820, James Bowie collected some Clivia at the same location and shipped them to England. In 1828, John Lindley named it CLIVIA in honor of Charlotte Florentine Clive, Duchess of Northumberland, England.
At present, there are five types of Clivia in total, namely: Clivia nobilis, Clivia miniata, Clivia gardenii, Clivia caulescens, and Clivia mirabilis. There is also a unique Clivia, namely Clivia robusta, recently discovered in KwaZulu-Natal.
Clivia as a National Flower or City Flower
Clivia is the provincial flower of Jilin.
The Cultural Background and Cultural Value of Clivia
Chinese Clivia is a flower of noble character and reserved standing. It not only has many external beauties such as a dignified plant, regular flower shape, graceful flower posture, bright flower color, and red glossy fruit, but also has a profound inner beauty. People love Chinese Clivia for its simplicity and purity, placing boundless deep affection on it, lodging emotion in it and conveying emotion through it. This is an appreciation of Clivia at a higher level.
Chinese Clivia has the spirit of unity and struggle. The roots, stems, leaves, and other vegetative organs of Clivia each have different functions. The leaves grow densely on the short, thick rhizome, and the leaf sheaths overlap one another. They are closely united and struggle together, creating brilliant and colorful postures and giving people the enjoyment of beauty. Those strong, upright leaves stretch flatly from the base upward at an angle, neither bending nor bowing, symbolizing an unyielding and indomitable spirit and giving people strong confidence to thrive upward and strive forward.
Chinese Clivia has the spirit of courage to innovate. After Clivia shifts to reproductive growth, it blooms and bears fruit, reproduces, and continuously produces new plants. Its vitality is extremely strong. It can survive for one or two months after being pulled from the soil; if the roots all rot, it can grow new roots; if the top is cut off, it can still sprout and continuously grow fresh, upright leaves. At the same time, by using bud sports that appear in asexual reproduction, new and unusual varieties can be cultivated, such as the twin conjoined variegated Clivia and the triplet conjoined green Clivia shown on the homepage. It inspires people: always strive upward, struggle tenaciously, advance with the times, and pioneer and innovate.
Chinese Clivia has a tenacious and selfless character. It is extremely resilient, and its guardian-like leaves can survive in harsh environments. In the severe winter with piercing cold wind, it buds and blooms proudly, letting people know spring in the midst of winter and see the colors of spring amid the severe cold. The saying "red flowers and green leaves announce the spring breeze" refers to this kind of character. Clivia spares no effort and dedicates its brightness and beauty to people.
Chinese Clivia has an elegant and refined posture. Its emerald, upright sword-shaped leaves, full flower appearance, brilliant colors, and delicate petals are dazzling when in full bloom, with an atmosphere of passionate dancing and delicate glowing light, making people relaxed and happy and lifting their spirits. It is a symbol of sweet wealth and happiness.
Chinese Clivia has a quiet and simple character. With its unique quiet and elegant demeanor, Clivia represents lofty virtue. It can cultivate a person's temperament and is a kind of spiritual nourishment. Its charming beauty and grace bring comfort, make you attached, and lead you to love life. Using it to decorate a room will make the whole room shine. Especially on New Year's Day or during the Spring Festival, it will add happiness and joy to your beautiful life.
Domestic Market
There are two types of Clivia cultivated in China: Clivia nobilis (also known as Clivia gardenii) and Clivia miniata (also known as upward-flowering Clivia). Clivia nobilis is propagated most in Beijing and nearby areas. Its leaves are relatively narrow and dark green, 50-90 cm long, the corolla opening is relatively small, and the many small flowers in the inflorescence are all bell-shaped and hang downward; Clivia miniata is propagated most in Hebei Province. Its notable features are short and wide leaves, a thick and long flower scape, a relatively large umbrella-shaped corolla opening, and upward-facing flowers, with relatively high ornamental value.
The Flower Reflects the Person
If you like this flower, you are a person with a calm mind and strong observation skills, but you can be rather impulsive emotionally and prone to love at first sight. You are very devoted in love, and once you become a captive of love, you can sacrifice and dedicate yourself. But a love affair that is too passionate and intense is not suitable for you.
The Flower Language of Clivia
The flower language of Clivia: noble, with the demeanor of a gentleman. The gentleman is modest, gentle and courteous, talented but not arrogant, successful but not proud, and living in a valley yet not self-abased.
Symbolic Meaning
Its thick, smooth leaves stand upright like swords, symbolizing a noble character of strength, firmness, and unyielding dignity; its full flower appearance and brilliant colors symbolize wealth, good fortune, prosperity, and happiness, so people cultivate it widely. In recent years, China has cultivated more than 160 precious Clivia varieties, and it is a common flower variety in ordinary households.
Clivia is especially loved not only because of its bright and beautiful flowers, but also because it has an advantage unmatched by other flowers: it has both pleasing flowers and leaves worth appreciating - verdant and glossy, as if waxed, crystal clear, and dazzling. Therefore, many flower connoisseurs believe that even without charming flowers, Clivia's leaves, as if carved from jasper, are already beyond the reach of some foliage plants.
Clivia Pictures
Cymbidium hookerianum Habits and Key Cultivation Points
Cymbidium hookerianum has a graceful posture and rich, brilliant colors; it blooms easily, usually with two or three flower stems per mother plant, like clustered brocade reflecting one another, very lively, and the flowering period is long, lasting 1-2 months.Cymbidium hookerianum is produced in China's Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xizang, and other places, as well as Nepal, Bhutan, India, and other places, which are major distribution areas of important native species. Hybridization of Cymbidium hookerianum began more than 100 years ago. The British horticulturist John Seden used the variety "Ivory White" of "Duzhanchun," native to China and subtropical regions, and crossed it with "Biyu Orchid" to breed "Ivory Biyu Orchid," opening the precedent for hybrid breeding of Cymbidium hookerianum. To date, compared with native species, hybrid-improved Cymbidium hookerianum has good commercial traits and blooms easily; the colors are brilliant and rich, including white, pink, red, purple, yellow, green, and various transitional and compound colors. At present, hybrid varieties have reached several thousand, with new varieties emerging endlessly, and multiple types have formed, including early-flowering lines, autumn-winter lines that can bloom from mid-autumn to winter, mid-flowering lines, winter-spring lines that bloom after the Spring Festival, late-flowering lines, and late-spring flowering types.
Ecological Habits
Cymbidium hookerianum is an epiphytic orchid. The leaves are leathery, long like belts, extending upward and bending midway, with drooping leaf tips. Some leaves are only 1 cm wide, while others reach 3 cm; leaves are 50-100 cm long, even more than 100 cm long. The leaf color is affected by light, ranging from yellow-green to dark green. The pseudobulbs are either oval or flattened spherical. Leaf buds sprout from the base of the pseudobulb and grow into new plants. One to three leaf buds can sprout at a time, and each formed pseudobulb will send out 1-4 flower buds. Cymbidium hookerianum has no fibrous roots; new roots are thick and white, old roots are pale yellow, and broken roots can regenerate. Many new roots can grow each year, and after years they turn tea-colored and break naturally.
It prefers a warm and humid environment but is not heat-tolerant. It likes shade but needs sufficient scattered light. It likes fertilizer.
Key Cultivation Points
(1) Potting soil
Do not use soil for the potting medium. Sphagnum moss, coconut coir, crushed tree fern, charcoal pieces, crushed brick, stones, bark, peat, etc. can be selected. After cleaning, they are mixed into a mixed growing medium with different water-holding levels according to the needs of different varieties, with a pH between 5.6 and 6. Pots should be narrow and deep with good ventilation, preferably unglazed clay pots. Because the roots of most varieties need relatively high humidity, the pot walls should not have too many large holes.
(2) Watering
If planting newly cultivated small seedlings, since the growing medium is moist at planting time, water should be sprayed on the leaf surface several times after planting. After 5 days, increase the amount of water; after 10 days, new roots begin to grow; after about 2 weeks, the leaf color turns dark green, indicating that the plant has taken root, but temperature and survival conditions still need to be checked frequently.
If transplanting large seedlings, immediately flush out mud, sand, and impurities from the pot after planting, and the water should flow out quickly from the drainage holes until the water is clear. If drainage is poor, replant. One week after planting, only foliar spraying can be done. After division, sufficient water is needed all year round. In winter and early spring, water once every morning; from early summer to late autumn, water once before 8 a.m. and once after 5 p.m. each day.
(3) Fertilizing
Cymbidium hookerianum likes fertilizer more than other Cymbidium orchids. The inorganic fertilizer used is mainly compound fertilizer, with a concentration of about 0.1%-0.2%, once a week, applied year-round. Organic fertilizer can be fermented oil cake mixed with bone meal or superphosphate, made into balls about 2 cm in diameter and placed on the pot surface, slowly releasing fertility as moisture penetrates. Each ball is effective for 1 month, and seven or eight applications are made throughout the year. During the peak growth period, decomposed cake fertilizer should also be applied as a top dressing. In addition, potassium fertilizer should be applied in early summer, before Cymbidium hookerianum begins its 8-month flower-budding period.
(4) Light
The growth process of Cymbidium hookerianum requires sufficient scattered light. When light is insufficient, the pseudobulbs are thin and weak and it is difficult to send out buds. A 50% shade net can be used, with sunlight duration above 6 hours; on cloudy days or in winter, open the shade net to receive direct light. However, orchid plants in the flowering period need weaker light; direct light will cause small flower buds to yellow and drop, and flowers produced under weak light have better color.
(5) Temperature
Cymbidium hookerianum prefers cool climatic conditions. It grows most vigorously at 15-25°C. But one-year-old seedlings cannot overwinter outdoors below 5°C, and the highest temperature they can endure in summer is 35°C.
Propagation
Propagation of Cymbidium hookerianum often uses the division method. The suitable time for division is after the plant blooms and before new buds grow out. Before division, let the potting soil dry appropriately until the roots are slightly whitish and show indistinct shrinkage, so the roots are softer and less likely to break during operation. When dividing, first use the five fingers to firmly support the potting soil and plant, turn the pot upside down, and then gently tap around the pot to separate the pot from the roots and potting soil. During operation, carefully hold the pseudobulbs without tender buds to avoid damaging new buds, and at the same time cut off withered yellow leaves, overly old pseudobulbs, and rotten old roots. Finally, use a sharp knife to divide and cut apart the excessively connected pseudobulbs. Each divided clump of orchid plants should carry 2-3 pseudobulbs, one of which must have formed in the previous year. To prevent wound infection, sulfur powder or charcoal powder can be applied. Place in a dry place for 1-2 days, then pot separately to form new plants.
After division and potting, place in a semi-shaded area and do not water immediately. If it is found to be too dry, a small amount of water can be sprayed on the leaf surface and pot surface to prevent leaves from drying, dropping, and pseudobulbs from severely shrinking.