How to care for a clivia well, and how to fertilize a clivia
Clivia is a flowering plant that loves fertilizer, and fertilizer is crucial to its growth, so it is best to use organic fertilizer for clivia. Every year in autumn and the following spring is the time to repot clivia and change its soil. In this season, clivia is moving from its weak period in summer or winter into its vigorous period in autumn or spring. Before changing the soil, prepare the soil, then mix in a certain amount of base fertilizer (such as hemp seeds, castor seeds, bone meal, etc.) as bottom fertilizer. If the root system is poor, do not add bottom fertilizer, so as not to harm the plant.
Generally, it is good to apply liquid fertilizer in spring, autumn and winter, but it must be in the right amount; if the concentration is too high, it easily burns the roots. Bean cake fertilizer water is usually at a ratio of 1:30. When the bottom fertilizer is thin and light, liquid fertilizer can often be applied along with watering, that is, whenever you water, bring in a light liquid fertilizer with the water. After the start of the dog days, in principle no fertilizer should be applied. The reason is very simple: because summer temperatures are too high, topdressing will make clivia leaves grow excessively, and with high summer temperatures and poor ventilation, topdressing fertilizer will cause the root system to rot.
Fertilizer and water complement each other and neither can be missing. If fertilizer is applied properly but water cannot keep up, the fertilizer cannot produce its due effect. At the same time, light conditions, temperature, humidity, ventilation and so on must also coordinate closely, so that good results can be achieved.
Although clivia loves fertilizer, applying too much or too little fertilizer will affect its growth and flowering. With excessive fertilization, new leaves easily turn yellow, and in severe cases the fleshy roots rot; when fertilizer is lacking, the leaves are narrow and thin, pale in color and lusterless, and the flowers are small and dull in color. With reasonable fertilization, clivia leaves are upright and emerald green, with good gloss and broad, thick blades, and the flowers are large and brightly colored.
For fertilizing clivia, it is best to use the method of light fertilizer applied frequently, and by all means avoid applying heavy fertilizer and raw fertilizer. Spring is the peak growth season for clivia, when nutrient requirements are relatively high. Besides applying base fertilizer when repotting, during the growth period generally apply a light fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer about every 10 days to promote the growth of branches and leaves. In summer, when the weather is hot, generally do not fertilize, so as to avoid root rot. In autumn, apply a light fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus fertilizer every 7 to 10 days, to help the flower scape emerge and promote large, brightly colored flowers. The fertilizer used can be fully fermented dilute bean cake water, etc., or fried castor seeds, sesame and other oil-bearing seeds can be crushed and buried in the potting soil.
Clivia loves fertilizer, but it should not be fertilized too much, otherwise its growth and flowering will be affected. Fertilizing clivia should adopt the principle of "light fertilizer applied frequently" and the following points should be grasped:
1. Spring is the vigorous growth period of clivia, requiring more nutrients. In addition to applying base fertilizer when repotting (that is, bottom fertilizer, described in detail in item 9), apply a light fertilizer mainly based on nitrogen fertilizer (liquid fertilizer from bean cake, castor seeds, soybeans, hemp seeds and other oil-bearing crops) about every 10 days, to promote lush growth of branches and leaves.
2. In summer, when the climate is hot and the temperature is above 25 degrees, do not fertilize, so as to avoid root rot. If the temperature can be lowered below 25 degrees, apply an extremely dilute liquid fertilizer every 15—20 days to promote growth and shorten the dormant period.
3. In autumn, because the climate is cool, apply a light fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus fertilizer liquid fertilizer (bone meal, fish scales, rice bran, livestock manure, etc.) every 7-10 days. Use fully decomposed dilute bean cake fertilizer water or bury other bean cake powder into the soil, to help the flower scape emerge and promote large, brightly colored flowers.
4. Only by fertilizing reasonably will clivia have upright, emerald-green leaves with good gloss and broad, thick blades, and large, vivid flowers. When fertilizer is excessive, new leaves easily turn yellow, and in severe cases the fleshy roots rot; when fertilizer is lacking, the leaves are narrow and thin, pale in color and lusterless, and the flowers are small and dull in color.
5. There are many reasons why clivia does not bloom, among which the main one is lack of nutrients. Because a plant that has already bloomed consumes a large amount of nutrients, the nutrition in the potting soil is already quite lacking. If fertilization cannot keep up or new culture soil is not added, it is difficult for it to bloom, and even if it blooms, the flowers will be thin and small, pale in color, and of low ornamental value.
6. Sometimes when clivia blooms, the phenomenon of "stuck scape" occurs. To prevent this phenomenon, clivia that has been grown for a full 3 years needs an increased number of fertilizer applications and more phosphorus-rich fertilizer when entering autumn, and when the scape bud emerges, spray the leaves with a 0.3% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution, to prompt it to quickly produce the scape and bloom earlier.
7. Fertilizers with relatively high potassium content (plant ash, charcoal) can be mixed in a small amount when changing soil in spring and autumn.
8. Trace elements (furnace slag, river sand, eggshells) can be added when mixing the soil.
9. Bottom fertilizer has a long fertilizer effect. When changing soil in spring and autumn, add solid fertilizers such as fried or boiled hemp seeds, perilla seeds, sunflower seeds, castor seeds, etc. The method is to first put a layer of soil, then sprinkle a layer of raw materials, then cover with a layer of soil, and then plant the flower on top. By all means do not let the raw materials come into direct contact with the roots, as this will burn the roots. Oil-bearing crops with shells should not have their shells removed, also for fear of burning the roots.
As the saying goes, "A crop's beauty depends entirely on fertilizer." Clivia is no exception. Clivia is a plant with many roots and many leaves, and during growth, flowering and fruiting it needs sufficient nutrients. If fertilizer is lacking, the leaves will turn yellow, lose gloss, and the growing leaves may even become narrower and thinner. When blooming, if fertilizer is insufficient, the number of flowers will be small and the petals small. Therefore, applying various fertilizers in a timely manner is an indispensable and important condition for growing clivia well.
Commonly used fertilizers include:
1. Solid fertilizer
The seeds, oil meal, horse hooves and bone meal of various oil-bearing crops all belong to solid fertilizers. Such as hemp seeds, perilla seeds, castor seeds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, soybeans, sesame, etc.
2. Liquid fertilizer
These include various fermented cake types, blood types and fresh fish fermentation water, all of which are liquid fertilizers. For example, well-fermented soybeans, bean cake, sesame residue, horse hooves and fish in water are all excellent liquid fertilizers.
Nowadays there are many raw materials for composting fertilizer, and many methods as well. Here two are briefly introduced: one is mixed composting, placing raw materials containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium together for composting. The other is classified composting, composting raw materials containing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium separately, and when using them, temporarily mixing them according to the nutritional needs of the clivia at its plant age.