A clivia grown for thirty years in home-mixed soil has broad leaves and roots as thick as a finger, and blooms twice a year.

The clivia's full, abundant blooms and brilliant colors symbolize wealth and good fortune, prosperity, and happiness and contentment, making it widely loved and a common houseplant. Although clivia is very easy to grow, it is very difficult to get it to produce thick, strong roots, broad leaves, and flowers every year, let alone twice a year.

Clivia is a fleshy-rooted plant, and to grow it well the most important thing is to grow the roots well first. Besides proper watering, soil is the most important factor in getting thick, strong roots. My father has grown clivia for more than 30 years, and from beginning to end he has always mixed the soil himself. Clivia grown in this soil develops thick, strong roots and blooms every year, often twice a year. More importantly, it needs no fertilizer and no special care in everyday growing, making it very low-maintenance.

This soil is very simple to mix, anyone can do it, and it just requires combining a few things together. They can all be bought at flower markets or online. The recipe is: 40% humus soil, 20% oak leaves, 20% pine needles, 5% bone meal, 15% sand, plus a suitable amount of organic fertilizer and charcoal. This soil can be collected yourself in the countryside or bought in the city; the amount for one pot costs only a few yuan, but it makes all the growing that follows effortless, with no worry about root rot or poor growth. In everyday care you only need to pay attention to watering and the environment.

Growing clivia is actually very simple. Apart from the soil described above, all that is needed is watering and the right growing environment. When watering clivia, it is better to let it be a bit dry than to overwater; just keep the soil moist in normal conditions. For indoor growing, simply place it in a bright, well-ventilated spot, and do not let strong sunlight hit it. With the soil above, clivia can be repotted once every two years, with no fertilizer needed in between, and it will naturally grow strong seedlings with thick roots and bloom every year.