An Attempt and Practice of the Wet-Culture Method for Clivia

I have been passionate about clivias for nearly 20 years. Through many years of growing experience, I broke away from the old cultivation method that avoids moisture and favors dryness, and adopted the wet-culture method on my balcony, keeping the potting soil in a moist state for long periods. In practice, this has proven to produce excellent growth. The specific method is: make a galvanized iron tray 3-5 cm high and place it on one side of the balcony; if you grow only a few plants, you can also use porcelain plates, bowls or other ceramic and earthenware vessels. Spread coarse sand about 1 cm thick inside, and set the potted clivia on top. About once a week, pour water into the tray to soak the pot, keeping the potting soil from drying out for long periods.

I have used this method for nearly two years, and the result is that the clivia not only shows no root rot, but also has many roots that are snow-white and thick, and the leaves it grows are glossy, light in color, broad and short. As for why this satisfactory result occurs, I believe it is, first, because this method improves the loose and airy condition of the potting soil. The most crucial thing in growing clivia is to keep the potting soil loose and airy. Using this method avoids the soil compaction problem caused by the old practice of watering from the surface of the pot. Although the clivia roots remain in a moist condition for long periods, because the soil is loose, root respiration is not blocked and rot does not occur. Second, it improves the hot, dry living environment on the balcony.

Clivia originates from the mountain forests of South Africa and likes a warm, moist living environment. On a balcony, it often grows poorly because the air is hot and dry. After adopting this method, a higher air humidity is created; it can lower the temperature in summer and raise it in winter, maintaining a good temperature and humidity environment. Third, it changes the situation in which the potting soil alternates between drought and waterlogging.

In the past, when I used the traditional cultivation method on my balcony, I often failed to control the amount of water properly, so the clivia was sometimes waterlogged and sometimes dry; especially when it stayed dry for a long time, the clivia roots either rotted or shriveled, and the leaves often developed disease spots. After adopting wet culture, the potting soil absorbs water from the bottom upward; when dry it absorbs, and when moist it naturally stops, so it neither dries out nor receives too much water, ensuring a balanced water supply for the clivia, and thus it grows extremely well.