The correct way to fertilize clivia in autumn

Autumn has now arrived, and potted clivia has also begun to grow rapidly. Observant growers may notice that the plant clearly already has new leaves growing outward. In this case, then, we need to fertilize the potted clivia in time. So, how should it be done?

If the clivia plant is already large enough and has reached the age at which it can bloom, that is, the plant already has more than 12 intact leaves, we need to fertilize it in time so that it has enough nutrients to successfully form flower buds.

Generally, we use some monopotassium phosphate to supplement nutrients. Applying this fertilizer is mainly to supplement phosphorus and potassium, which is very important for flowering plants to develop flower buds. As long as we fertilize in a timely and scientific way, the clivia will soon send up a flower scape and bloom.

However, the frequency of using monopotassium phosphate should not be too high; generally, using it twice a month is enough. Of course, during this period, we should also keep applying a multi-element compound fertilizer once a month as a supplement. We can sprinkle some multi-element slow-release fertilizer on the surface of the pot so that the fertilizer evenly and slowly penetrates into the potting soil for the clivia to absorb. The main purpose of doing this is to achieve balanced nutrition.

Autumn topdressing can continue until its flower buds have grown out and are about to open, but we should not stop topdressing as soon as we see a flower scape emerging. This is because doing so may lead to flower scape entrapment, and flower scape entrapment is usually a sign of insufficient nutrients. Therefore, we should generally continue topdressing until the flower scape has fully emerged before stopping, so as to avoid flower scape entrapment.

When fertilizing potted clivia in autumn, the main thing is to apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, with one supplement of multi-element compound fertilizer along the way. In this way, the clivia will bloom smoothly around the Spring Festival, and the flowering effect will be very good.