Identification and Control of Common Diseases in Clivia

Root rot is a common and frequently occurring disease of Clivia, and it is also one of the conditions most harmful to the plant. To rescue a plant with root rot, take the affected plant out of the pot, shake off all the soil, remove the rotted roots, and wash the roots with potassium permanganate solution to disinfect them; then apply sulfur powder, plant ash, or charcoal powder to the wounds. If less than 1/3 of the roots are rotted, replace with fresh potting soil, control watering for 7~10 days, and keep the potting soil slightly dry; after about two months, the plant can recover its vitality.

Heart rot is a disease caused by a fungus and mostly occurs during the high-temperature period in summer. The causes are, first, the plant being exposed to rain or careless watering or spraying, which splashes water into the leaf rosette and causes the central leaves and even the pseudobulb to rot; second, the pseudobulb being damaged by scale insects. After being affected, the leaf center and pseudobulb parts of the plant look as if they have been scalded with boiling water. For prevention, try to avoid water accumulating in the leaf rosette and promptly eliminate scale insects by hand or with chemicals. The measure to rescue heart rot is to remove the rotted parts, wipe clean the exudate from the wounds, apply plant ash or charcoal powder, let them dry in the shade, then plant in fresh potting soil and place in an environment of 20~25°C; after about 1~2 months of careful management, new leaves can grow from the pseudobulb, or offsets can grow around the rhizome.