How to grow potted Clivia? A detailed guide to cultivation methods
Clivia is also known as sword-leaf lycoris, large-leaf lycoris, etc. It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Clivia in the Amaryllidaceae family, native to southern South Africa. Its plant form is dignified and graceful, its leaves are verdant and upright, its flowers are large and brightly colored, and its fruit is bright red. Leaves, flowers, and fruit are all beautiful, earning it the reputation of flowers to view for one season, fruit to view for three seasons, and leaves to view for all four seasons. In China it is often grown in greenhouses in pots for ornamental purposes. Let us take a look together below.
Clivia's growth habits
Clivia is native to the subtropical mountain forests of southern Africa, growing beneath trees. It fears both heat and cold, prefers a semi-shaded and humid environment, and fears strong direct sunlight. The optimal temperature for growth is between 18-28°C, and growth is inhibited below 10°C and above 30°C. It likes a ventilated environment and prefers deep, fertile, loose soil, and is suitable for growing in loose, fertile, slightly acidic organic soil.
Clivia's propagation methods
1. Sowing: Before sowing Clivia, soak the seeds in warm water at 30-35°C for 20-30 minutes, then take them out, air-dry for 1-2 hours, and sow them into the cultivation soil. After sowing, place the flower pot in an environment at room temperature 20-25°C and humidity around 90%, and the radicle will sprout in about 1-2 weeks. There are many materials that can be used for cultivation soil, but one that is relatively easy to obtain is loose soil taken from the surface layer of forest land with sufficient humus, mixed with 1/3 clean fine sandy soil.
2. Division: When dividing Clivia, first take the mother plant out of the pot, remove the old soil, find the axillary buds that can be divided, and break off the offsets. Never force them off, so as not to damage the young plants. After the offsets are cut off, immediately coat the wounds with dry charcoal powder to absorb the flowing sap and prevent rot. Then plant the offsets in pots. Generally, it takes 1-2 months to grow new roots and 1-2 years to bloom.
1. Soil: Clivia's place of origin is beneath large trees in the high-altitude forests of southern Africa, where its root system grows on leaf mold layers accumulated over many years. For cultivating Clivia, loose, fertile neutral or weakly acidic humus soil should be used. The cultivation soil can be made by mixing 65% humus soil, 20% clean sand, and 15% fine furnace ash, and the relative humidity should preferably be around 40%.
2. Fertilizing: Clivia should be given one application of solid fertilizer in winter, with less nitrogen fertilizer and more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Eggshell powder and fermented fishy water are very good phosphorus fertilizers, while bran ash and tobacco ash are readily available potassium fertilizers. A compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium can also be applied to promote the sprouting of more new plants and leaves. Fertilization must be done in the right amount, and it is absolutely important not to apply concentrated fertilizer or unfermented raw fertilizer, otherwise it can easily cause scorched or rotted leaf tips.
3. Watering: Clivia should not be too dry or too wet. Each watering must soak through, and after buds appear, it should be watered a little more. About every 20 days, combined with watering, apply once fermented soybean cake water, diluted fishy water, or water from soaked water chestnuts, combining watering and fertilizing. When room temperature is low, watering should be controlled to prevent the potting soil from becoming too wet. Too-wet potting soil will cause root rot and death of the plant, but the potting soil should not be allowed to become too dry either.
4. Temperature: The most suitable growth temperature for Clivia is 15-25°C. Growth stops at 10°C, and freezing damage occurs at 0°C. Therefore, in winter it must be kept warm and protected from freezing. After the flower stem emerges, maintaining around 18°C is suitable. If the temperature is too high, the leaves and flower scape will grow leggy, thin, and long, the flowers will be small and of poor quality, and the flowering period will be short. If the temperature is too low, the flower stem will be short, and it is prone to "clamping the arrow" and premature birth, affecting quality and thereby reducing ornamental value.
5. Light: Clivia is a medium-light plant, and during growth diffused light is best. It does not need strong light during growth, especially in summer when direct sunlight must be avoided. Proper shading is beneficial to leaf growth. If strong light is encountered during the winter flowering period, the flowering period will be shortened. Medium light can prolong the flowering period. If earlier flowering is desired in winter, short-day treatment can be used.
Clivia's four-season management
1. Spring: In early spring, after Clivia comes out of winter dormancy, its root system begins to revive. Due to the lack of nutrient supply, once exposed to wind and sun, the leaves will show dehydration, causing their luster to fade and their hardness and thickness to decrease. In severe cases, yellow leaves, rotten leaves, and other conditions may even occur. Therefore, keeping the potted plant generally moist is enough. Too much watering can easily cause root rot. Do not spray water before the arrow emerges and flowering begins. Apply fully decomposed liquid fertilizer once a week or every half month, but follow the principle of "light fertilizer applied frequently," and absolutely avoid concentrated fertilizer or raw fertilizer to prevent leaf scorch and root rot.
2. Summer: Clivia is not strict about light requirements, likes semi-shade, and fears direct light. Because summer air temperature and soil temperature are relatively high, it is easy for the root system to become disordered, leading to unbalanced nutrient absorption and phenomena such as stretching the neck and bolting leaves. In addition, due to strong sunlight, transpiration is greatly increased. If watering is improper, the leaf color will become dull and scorched yellow, or even wilt.
3. Autumn: After the beginning of autumn, the climate gradually turns cooler. During the days of continuous autumn rain, adult Clivia has more opportunities to cut the arrow and set seeds and to send up arrows and bloom. If it is exposed to rain or watered too much at this time, it will lead to root rot, arrow rot, heart rot, and other conditions. Therefore, when the arrow emerges and it blooms, do not spray water. About every half month, water once with decomposed soybean cake fertilizer water (1:3). When watering, prevent water from entering the center of the leaf rosette, and do not let rainwater pour into the leaf rosette, so as to avoid rot of the core. In severe cases, it can even cause the whole plant to rot and die.
4. Winter: In winter, when Clivia is at a low temperature below 5°C, the potting soil must be kept at about 70% humidity, so it will not be frostbitten due to dryness. If the moisture is less than 20%, it is likely to die from dry freezing. Before Frost's Descent, indoor plants should be placed in a sunny place indoors, paying attention to freeze protection and warmth. About every half month, the potted plant can be rotated 180 degrees. When the indoor temperature is kept at 6-7°C in winter, it can overwinter safely. When Clivia enters dormancy, water evaporation will relatively decrease, and the potting soil only needs to be kept moist, but it is better to keep it on the dry side.