Key Points and Practical Tips for Growing Clivia
Clivia is loved by many discerning enthusiasts for its gentlemanly character and elegant flower shape. For friends growing Clivia, two questions often come up: how to grow Clivia? And how should Clivia be grown? Below we explain these two questions based on the characteristics of Clivia.
Clivia is suitable for indoor growing, mainly determined by its internal structure and physiological functions. Clivia is an evergreen perennial herbaceous plant with strong shade tolerance, thick large leaves, and dark green color. The leaf mesophyll contains a large amount of chlorophyll, which can absorb carbon dioxide and water in sunlight, synthesize organic matter for its own growth and development needs, and release oxygen at the same time. In addition, on Clivia's broad, thick leaves grow many stomata and fine hairs that can secrete a large amount of mucus; during gas exchange, they can absorb a large amount of indoor dust, dirt, and harmful gases, making the indoor air clean. Therefore, Clivia is also praised by people as an air absorber and dust remover, and a guardian of human health. So how can this guardian of health also grow healthily in your home? Household care of Clivia should mainly start from temperature and humidity, soil, water, light, nutrients, and other aspects.
Because Clivia originated in the mountain forests of South Africa, where the natural environment is like spring all year round, all parts and organs of the Clivia plant have adapted to this neither-cold-nor-hot natural environment. Therefore, during daily care, the temperature should be controlled between 15-25 degrees. When the temperature drops below 10 degrees, Clivia's growth and development slow down, and when it drops below 0 degrees, it will freeze to death. Likewise, when the temperature reaches or exceeds 30 degrees, it will also seriously affect Clivia's normal growth and development.
Yellowing of Clivia leaves is mostly a physiological disease, triggered by some physiological factors such as temperature, light, water, and ventilation. To prevent yellow leaves from appearing, the cause should be identified and treated accordingly.
(1) Temperature: The suitable temperature for Clivia growth is 15-25°C. When the summer temperature exceeds 30°C for a long time, growth is inhibited. If the air humidity at this time is below 6Q%, Clivia leaves will become lighter and yellow and even wilt; if the humidity is above 90%, the stems and leaves will grow excessively. To prevent these undesirable phenomena, the temperature should be lowered appropriately, and attention should be paid to ventilation and light transmission, and humidity should be controlled. When the temperature drops below 5C, Clivia basically stops growing. If the temperature drops to around 0C, frost damage may occur, causing the leaf tips and leaf margins to lose green and turn yellow, and even yellow-white necrotic spots may appear. Therefore, in winter, good warmth protection should be done for Clivia to prevent frost damage.
(2) Light: Clivia is a semi-sun-loving flower and prefers scattered light. Too strong light is unfavorable to its growth and easily causes sunscald. However, if the placement location is too dark and light is insufficient for a long time, the leaves will also lose their luster, old leaves will appear dark green, and new leaves will become thin and yellow or yellow-green. Some people call this yellow-leaf phenomenon shade yellowing. At this time, Clivia should be moved to a place with slightly stronger light; when it is not suitable to move it, artificial light can be used to supplement lighting.
(3) Soil and fertilizer: Clivia prefers loose, fertile sandy loam. Soil compaction and insufficient fertilizer supply will cause leaves to turn yellow and affect flowering. At this time, thin liquid fertilizer should be applied more, and the soil should be loosened.
(4) Water: Clivia prefers moisture. If the potting soil is too dry for a long time and the temperature is high, the leaves are prone to turning yellow. But long-term overwatering can easily lead to disease. Therefore, in Clivia cultivation, the soil should be kept moist in spring and autumn, slightly dry during the winter dormancy period, and in summer the potting soil should not be too warm; every morning or evening, clear water can be appropriately sprayed on the leaf surfaces and the surrounding ground to maintain a cool environment.
(5) Ventilation: Placing Clivia too densely and having a closed surrounding environment both hinder air circulation, making the plant weak, yellow, and thin. Therefore, indoor ventilation should be strengthened, and crowded placement should be avoided.
Water is an important component of the Clivia plant. According to measurements, Clivia contains 60%-80% water, and especially its fleshy roots have a strong water-storage function and relatively strong resistance to drought. Clivia prefers neutral water. Clean, unpolluted tap water, well water, river water, and so on can all be used for watering, but because fresh tap water and well water have a water temperature lower than the soil temperature and contain some impurities, they should be left to stand for 1-2 days before use. As for watering, there are quite a few finer points here as well. For Clivia seedlings, the best method is to spray-irrigate with a spray bottle. Point the nozzle upward and spray onto the leaves. The advantage of doing this is that in addition to achieving the purpose of watering the flower, it can also wash off dust, and at the same time leave mist droplets on the leaf surface, ensuring a certain humidity on the leaf surface; under sunlight, water evaporation can lower the leaf surface temperature and prevent sunscald. However, for Clivia that is blooming, spray irrigation should not be used for watering, to prevent water from entering the leaf sheaths and causing heart rot. For Clivia in the flowering period, water can only be poured into the pot. Then what time should you water, and how much water is appropriate? This mainly depends on the environmental temperature where the Clivia is located. The general watering principle is to water when wet and when dry, do not water when not dry, and water thoroughly when completely dry. Watering thoroughly means putting all of Clivia's root system under the same humidity. Judging whether water has been watered thoroughly cannot be decided only by whether water flows out of the bottom of the pot. Because sometimes after the potting soil dries it becomes compacted and shrinks into a ball; after watering, water quickly flows from the pot wall to the bottom of the pot and runs out through the bottom hole. But the central part of the potting soil has not been touched by even a little water. If watering is stopped at this time, Clivia leaves may wilt, and when it is shooting the scape, it may form a stuck scape. Here is a simple and effective watering method: immerse the flower pot entirely in a basin or bucket filled with water, soak for half a minute, and then take it out. However, the disadvantage of doing this is that nutrients in the soil are relatively easily lost, so if you want Clivia to have deep roots and large leaves, you should also pay attention to replenishing nutrients in time. The nutrient elements Clivia needs mainly come from organic fertilizers, such as soybean cake, peanut oil cake, animal offal, and so on. Under normal circumstances, applying them twice a year in spring and autumn is enough. In spring, apply once after flowering, around late April to early May; in autumn, after the fruit is harvested, apply once more around mid-September to late October.
Clivia is a moisture-loving plant and has relatively high requirements for the humidity of the growing environment. Its most suitable humidity range is 70%-80%. Clivia grown in such an environment has tender green leaves, clear leaf veins, and short, wide, neat leaves, with high ornamental value. However, limited by household environmental conditions, ordinary families generally find it very difficult to reach this standard. This is also the main reason many people cannot grow Clivia well. Clivia is a intermediate-day plant and does not have strict light requirements. As long as the temperature is suitable, it can bloom normally whether the light duration is a little longer or shorter. Short-day conditions in winter and spring are more conducive to flowering. Good light is an important condition for ensuring Clivia's large flowers and bright colors. But it still prefers relatively weak light and especially dislikes strong light.
Clivia leaves have phototropism. If it is placed in one place indoors for a long time, the leaves will definitely turn toward the direction of the sun. As far as its plant shape is concerned, it is then difficult to achieve the ornamental effect of a straight line when viewed from the side and like an open fan when viewed from the front.
Clivia must be placed in a north-south direction; if it is not in a north-south direction, the leaves will grow crooked. What should you do if the leaves grow crooked? You can align the two leaves and clip them together. You can surround them with a playing card so the leaves are not damaged. Normally, the leaves will be corrected in 15—20 days.
While Clivia's thick fleshy roots store sufficient water, they also place higher demands on the soil on which they depend for survival. Only nutrient soil with good air permeability, loose texture, and rich humus content is suitable for the growth of Clivia's fleshy roots.
Rotten-resistant tree leaves or pine needles must be fermented before use; they cannot be used without fermentation. Without fermentation, they easily burn and rot the roots. Clivia must have its soil changed once a year.
The time and frequency of repotting and changing soil for Clivia depend on the size of the seedling and the season. For these mature Clivia, the soil should be changed once a year. The best time to change the soil is spring and autumn, because Clivia grows vigorously at this time and changing the soil will not affect the plant's growth. Take the Clivia out of the pot, cut off rotten roots and old roots with no absorption capacity, and remove the spent soil. Cover the drainage holes of the flower pot with broken pot pieces, fill in 2-5 cm of nutrient soil, grab a handful of soil and fill the interior of the roots firmly, then place the plant in the pot, and fill the pot with nutrient soil until it is half the height of the pot; then along the edge of the pot, gently press down with your hand, so that the roots all stand in the pot and are not easily bent. The key point in changing soil is to pack the root area firmly with soil. Otherwise, if there is no soil at the roots, water and nutrients cannot reach the roots, which can easily cause root rot and stuck scapes. After changing the nutrient soil, water thoroughly.
In fact, when it comes down to it, the care knowledge for Clivia is far more than this, and much care knowledge still needs to be explored and accumulated in practice by Clivia growers. But you do not need to worry, because many Clivia enthusiasts also know that growing Clivia well is quite difficult, but killing it is not easy either. Although this is a joke, it also shows from another side that Clivia is not so delicate. As long as you use your hands more and pay more attention in ordinary times, you will certainly be able to cultivate Clivia with lush branches and leaves and bright flowers and red fruits, and life will naturally gain a bit more beauty and pleasure.
How to water Clivia:
Clivia has relatively well-developed fleshy roots, and the roots store a certain amount of water, so this flower is relatively drought-tolerant. However, 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 to fail to sprout and the original leaves to scorch, which not only affects flowering but may even cause the plant to die. But too much watering will also cause root rot. Therefore, it must be well controlled, and attention should often be paid to the dry and wet condition of the potting soil. When it appears half dry, water once, but the amount watered should not be too much. Keeping the potting soil moist but not soggy is just right.
So, exactly how many days should there be between waterings? Under normal circumstances, in spring water once a day; in summer, when watering, a fine watering can may be used to water the leaf surfaces and the surrounding ground together, and on sunny days water twice a day; in autumn water once every other day; in winter water once every other day; in winter water once a week or less. But it must be noted that this refers to general circumstances. It must be flexibly controlled according to various specific situations. For example, on sunny days water more; on cloudy days water less, and during continuous cloudy days water once every few days; on rainy days do not water. When the temperature is high and the air is dry, water several times a day; for large flower pots, because the soil stores more water and does not dry out easily, water less; for small flower pots, water evaporates more easily, so water more appropriately. If the flower pot is placed in a well-ventilated place where evaporation is easy, it is suitable to water more appropriately; 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 should be determined according to specific conditions, with the principle of ensuring the potting soil is soft and moist and not too dry or too wet.
If conditions permit, magnetized water is of course best; next is rainwater, snow water, or living water from rivers; next is pond water; the worst is tap water. Flower growers living in big cities only have tap water available, so a small water vat or basin or bucket can be used: put the tap water in, and water after 2-3 days. This allows some harmful impurities in the water to settle. In addition, it can allow the substances contained in the water to be oxidized and purified, and can make the water temperature close to the humidity of the potting soil, so it will not be too cold or too hot and cause harm to the plant.