What should you do when a clivia's flower stalk gets stuck? Let me teach you the correct way to handle it

The clivia's blooming period falls right around New Year's Day and the Spring Festival, making it a very important festive flower. Its appearance is dignified and graceful, verdant and upright, with large and brightly colored flowers that are especially pleasing to look at. But some friends have noticed that although the clivia's flowers do bloom, they get stuck in the middle of the leaves? This phenomenon is what we call "stuck arrow" (jiejian). So what should you do when this happens? Below, Xiaozhi has put together some causes and solutions for you.

1. Unsuitable temperature

The blooming of the clivia and the growth and emergence of the flower stalk require stimulation from a certain temperature environment, that is, "temperature difference stimulation." This is just like how some plants need a certain low temperature "vernalization" to promote flower bud development before they can bloom normally - the principle is the same. The clivia's blooming requires a day-night "temperature difference stimulation" of 5 to 10 degrees to promote the normal growth of its flowers and flower stalk. If this environmental temperature requirement cannot be met (the environmental temperature difference is small or there is a constant temperature with no difference), it will affect the growth and development of its flower buds as well as blooming, causing the "stuck arrow" condition during blooming.

Solution: During the day, move the clivia to a warm place indoors, and at night place it beside a cool window. After 3 to 5 days of this adjustment, the flower stalk can basically emerge normally. You can also completely cover the flower stalk part of the clivia with a black plastic bag, using the plant's phototropism to stimulate the growth of the flower stalk.

2. Potting soil too dry

The clivia is a plant that particularly likes water, especially during the period of blooming and stalk emergence, when its demand for moisture is relatively high, so it is even more important not to lack water. If at this time the potting soil is dry and short of water, it will definitely affect the clivia's normal growth. Water and nutrients cannot satisfy the growth of the flower buds and flower stalk, which will lead to "stuck arrow."

Solution: Water the clivia in time to replenish moisture. Spray water mist around the surface of the potting soil to increase environmental humidity, which can promote the growth of the flower stalk and ease the symptoms of "stuck arrow." Xiaozhi reminds you: When spraying water mist, be sure to avoid spraying it onto the flower buds, so that water on the flower buds does not cause rot.

3. Improper fertilizing

During the blooming period, the clivia should stop being given nitrogen fertilizer and should be given more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. If too much nitrogen fertilizer is used, it will inhibit the growth of the clivia's flower buds and flower stalk, causing poor flower bud growth and making the flower stalk difficult to emerge.

Solution: Immediately water the root soil heavily to dilute the excess nitrogen fertilizer in the potting soil. Then appropriately water or spray the leaves with some monopotassium phosphate water-soluble fertilizer at a ratio of 1:1000 solution. This can promote the growth of the flower buds and flower stalk.

4. Root damage

The clivia is a relatively special flower. A mature clivia's pseudobulb stores a large amount of nutrients, and every three leaves it grows will form a flower bud. Therefore, whether the clivia blooms or not has a great deal to do with its leaf storage. The flower buds usually hide dormant in the thick pseudobulb, and when the right time comes they will grow and develop.

If during the autumn and winter blooming period the clivia's root system is damaged and cannot absorb water and nutrients to supply the growth of the flower buds, the clivia's flower buds simply cannot complete normal blooming relying only on the nutrients in the pseudobulb. Even though the flower buds may still grow in the early stage, in the later stage, when water and nutrients cannot keep up, growth will inevitably become weak, so that the flower's stalk cannot emerge normally and ultimately gets stuck between the leaves.

Solution: If the clivia's flowers are "stuck arrow" due to root rot, then at this point we cannot ask it to continue blooming normally. The only thing we can do now is cut off the poorly growing flower buds to save nutrient consumption. And promptly deal with the damaged root system, replant it, and getting the clivia's root system healthy is the most important thing.