How to Grow Clivia? A Complete Guide to Cultivation Techniques

Clivia, also known as sword-leaf lycoris and large-leaf lycoris, is an ornamental flowering plant in the genus Clivia of the Amaryllidaceae family. It is native to southern South Africa. It is a perennial herbaceous plant with a flowering period lasting 30-50 days, mainly in winter and spring, and it also blooms around New Year's Day to the Spring Festival. It dislikes strong light and is a semi-shade plant; it prefers cool conditions and dislikes high temperatures. The optimal growth temperature is 15-25°C, and growth stops below 5°C. It prefers rich, well-drained soil and moist soil, and dislikes dry environments. Clivia has high ornamental value and is often grown in pots in greenhouses for viewing.

Many flowering plants are heavy feeders, but even for fertilizer-loving flowers, fertilizing must have a limit; too much fertilizer is harmful to growth and can even cause root rot or scorching of the plant. Clivia also belongs to this category of plants, so fertilizer must be applied in appropriate amounts. Flowers have different nutrient requirements at different stages of growth and development. Therefore, different fertilizing methods suited to the plant's needs should be adopted at each stage, such as applying base fertilizer, top dressing, and foliar feeding.

(1) Applying base fertilizer (also called basal fertilizer)

The purpose is to create conditions for plant growth and development and meet its nutrient needs. Base fertilizer for Clivia should be applied when repotting, which is done once every 2 years. Commonly used fertilizers mixed into the soil include barnyard manure (that is, poultry and livestock manure), compost, green manure, and soybean cake fertilizer.

(2) Top dressing

This mainly promotes plant growth. For Clivia, fertilizers such as cake fertilizer, fish meal, and bone meal can be applied. Apply less at the initial planting stage, and then as the plant grows larger and the leaves increase, the amount of fertilizer should gradually increase accordingly. When fertilizing, dig open the potting soil and apply it 2-3 cm deep into the soil, but note that the fertilizer applied should not be too close to the root system, so as to avoid the root system. Applying this kind of solid fertilizer once a month is generally enough, and it should not be more frequent.

(3) Applying liquid fertilizer as top dressing

Applying liquid fertilizer as top dressing means diluting the clear supernatant of soaked and decomposed animal and plant materials with 30-40 parts clean water and then pouring it onto the potting soil. For small seedlings, it is best to dilute with 40 times water; for medium seedlings, 30 times water; for large seedlings, only 20 times water. After applying the fertilizer solution, water once with clean water 1-2 days later (the amount of water should not be too much), so that the fertilizer penetrates to the root system in the potting soil and gives full play to its fertilizing effect. Do not water 1-2 days before applying the liquid fertilizer; let the potting soil become somewhat dry before applying the fertilizer solution, which is more effective. Fertilizing should be done in the early morning; when pouring, the fertilizer solution should be poured along the edge of the pot, and care should be taken to avoid applying it on the plant and leaves. In addition, the type of fertilizer applied should also vary according to the season. For example, in spring and winter, it is best to apply some phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, such as fish meal, bone meal, and hemp cake, which help form leaf veins and improve leaf glossiness; in autumn, it is best to apply the leachate of decomposed animal hair, horns, hooves, or soybean cake, diluted with 30-40 times clean water before pouring, to promote leaf growth.

(4) Foliar feeding

Fertilizing by this method mainly makes up for the deficiency of nutrients in the soil, solves the problem of nutrient deficiency in the plant, and enables seedlings to grow quickly and flowers and fruits to grow plump. Foliar feeding means spraying the diluted fertilizer solution directly onto the leaf surface of the plant with a mist sprayer, allowing nutrient elements to penetrate through the leaf epidermal cells and stomata into the leaf tissues and then be transported throughout the plant. Commonly used fertilizers include urea, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, and superphosphate. When spraying, spray evenly on both the front and back sides of the leaves. Spray once every 4-6 days during the growing season, and once every 2 weeks during semi-dormancy. Generally, spray after sunrise, and stop spraying once the plant has bloomed. It must be noted that this method can only be used when the plant is found to be deficient in fertilizer. If the plant has sufficient nutrients and is growing vigorously, it should not be used.