What to Do About Root Rot in Clivia? Here's the Correct Way to Handle It

First we need to remove the rotten roots: take the Clivia with rotten roots out of the pot, shake off the soil, rinse the roots clean with water, and trim away the rotted root system with scissors. If some leaves have turned yellow or gone limp, cut off the damaged leaves too.

Then disinfect: soak the cleaned roots in a 0.1% potassium permanganate solution for about 5 minutes, then dab on a little sulfur powder, plant ash or carbendazim, and let them dry in a cool, shaded spot (about 2 days is enough).

Repotting Clivia After Treating Root Rot

We replant the treated roots, and can add some river sand to encourage rooting. You can raise the plant's temperature appropriately, keeping it at 22-30°C; after about two months new roots will grow, and then it can be replanted into nutrient-rich potting soil. After planting, control watering, following the standard of not watering until the soil is dry, to avoid root rot again; just place it in a cool, ventilated spot.

How to Deal With Root Rot in Clivia

Flower and Bonsai Network introduction: Today, the editors of Flower and Bonsai Network bring you an article on how to deal with root rot in Clivia. Let's take a look.

This Clivia with root rot was picked up next to the neighborhood trash can during a walk last year. For one thing, frost damage had left only a few leaves; for another, the roots had basically all rotted away. Only the bulb remained. It seemed the owner had lost confidence in it and discarded it. But feeling it could still be saved, I took it home.

1. The roots have completely rotted, leaving only the bulb

Step 1

The few remaining roots also showed signs of rot, so I decisively cut them off, leaving it completely bald.

Step 2

Soak the bald Clivia bulb in a potassium permanganate or carbendazim solution for 10-15 minutes, then take it out and leave it in a cool, ventilated place to dry for 12-24 hours.

Step 3

Prepare some sphagnum moss and soak it for 10-20 minutes, then take it out and squeeze it in your hand, without squeezing too hard. Of course, the sphagnum moss can also be replaced with coarse sand, sawdust, vermiculite or perlite.

Step 4

Wrap the Clivia bulb in the sphagnum moss, plant it in a flower pot, and place it in a spot with diffused light and good ventilation, at a temperature above 25°C.

Step 5

If you feel the surface of the sphagnum moss is dry down to 3 cm, spray water on it. Don't spray the leaf core or the bulb, only the sphagnum moss. If there is standing water at the bottom, take the whole thing out and shake off the water.

Step 6

After about 30 days, the Clivia will have grown lots of plump white roots! How delightful. At this point it can be transplanted into soil, though it's also fine to keep growing it in sphagnum moss the whole time, just apply a little nutrient solution regularly.

Step 7

After half a year of careful care, it bloomed, how happy! Although there are few flowers, I believe it will certainly bloom even more next year!

For mild root rot, cut off the rotten roots

Step 1

For Clivia with not-so-serious root rot, you only need to cut off the rotted roots, soak them in a potassium permanganate solution, and let them dry for 1 day.

Step 2

After the roots have dried, replant the Clivia back into the potting soil and water it. Of course, the potting soil must be loose and breathable; it's best to put it in the sun beforehand to disinfect it.

How to Prevent Root Rot?

1. The soil must be loose and breathable

Clivia has fleshy roots and likes loose, breathable soil. If your potting soil is very compacted garden soil, then I suggest you take advantage of the lovely spring weather now and change the soil for your Clivia. The soil mix can be prepared in the ratio of leaf mold : coarse sand : charcoal : base fertilizer = 8:1:0.5:0.5.

The charcoal can also be replaced with pine needles, vermiculite or perlite, and the base fertilizer can be chicken manure, bone meal, castor beans, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.

2. Don't water too much

Clivia is fairly drought-tolerant; a Clivia in the office is fine without water for 1 month. So friends, keep your hands in check: water once a month in spring and autumn, and once every 2 weeks in summer and winter, watering thoroughly.

To prevent standing water, you can use the immersion method: put the flower pot into a basin of water and let the water seep up through the bottom holes; once you feel the surface of the potting soil is moist, you can take it out.

2. Fertilizer must be decomposed

The fertilizer for Clivia must be fully decomposed and fermented, otherwise the raw fertilizer will produce heat during fermentation, which easily burns the roots and causes root rot.

1. It's best to apply some fertilizer in spring and autumn. If it's a liquid fertilizer applied with water, such as rice-washing water, it must be fermented and diluted with water.

There are also special liquid fertilizers for Clivia on the market. When using them, flower lovers should also read the dilution ratio clearly to avoid fertilizer burn to the roots. A dilute liquid fertilizer once every 2-3 weeks is enough; don't do it too frequently.

2. If using chicken manure or kitchen scraps as base fertilizer, they must also be fermented in advance.

If using oil-based base fertilizers such as castor beans, sesame seeds, walnuts or sunflower seeds, you can first fry them cooked, then place them at the bottom of the pot. Note that the fertilizer must not come into direct contact with the Clivia's roots; there must be a 2-3 cm layer of soil in between.

Flower lovers, have you learned it?
From now on, don't casually throw away Clivia with root rot,

If you throw it away, someone else might pick it up and it will bloom!

Can Clivia Survive Without Roots? What Are the Ways and Measures to Deal With Root Rot in Clivia?

Speaking of Clivia, I believe everyone is familiar with it. Clivia symbolizes elegance and has extremely high ornamental value, so it is deeply loved by many flower lovers. Many flower lovers find its root rot problem quite a headache when growing Clivia. Today, the editor will introduce the solutions in detail for everyone.

Root rot in Clivia is a problem commonly encountered by orchid lovers. So can Clivia survive without roots? As long as the root damage is not too severe, it can grow roots. How to make your beloved orchid grow roots as quickly as possible in a short time is a matter of great concern to orchid lovers. This spring, due to my own carelessness in changing the soil (the soil was not well rotted), two of my Clivia plants developed root rot. After some effort, both plants have now returned to normal, so I'll share some of my insights from the process of rooting these orchids; please correct me if anything is wrong. To make a rootless orchid grow roots as quickly as possible, you must pay attention to the following points:

1. It should be thoroughly disinfected (including the orchid and the rooting medium) to prevent it from continuing to rot.

2. It's best to use plain soil or pine needles for rooting.

3. Suitable temperature. The ambient temperature should be kept at 20-25°C.

4. Note: after planting, do not water too much; overly wet potting soil is not good for rooting.

5. Place the flower pot in a spot with diffused light, avoiding direct sunlight.

6. Don't keep pulling it open to look. This makes it prone to bacterial infection.

7. Soak the pseudobulb area with a rooting agent. This helps rootless orchids grow roots.

8. Remove old leaves to expose the new root growth points, making rooting easier.

The above is all the content I have learned today about Clivia. I hope flower lovers will find it helpful after reading this article. To learn more about Clivia, please continue to follow Succulent Garden; we will provide you with more related knowledge!