Clivia, also known as sword-leaf lycoris and large-leaf lycoris, damulan. Amaryllidaceae family, Clivia genus. Native to southern Africa, it is now cultivated all over the world. It is also grown in gardens throughout our country and is widely distributed; it is especially widely cultivated throughout Northeast China.
Cultivation Tips
Light: Clivia is a plant that likes moisture and is suited to growing in high-humidity environments, but it has low light requirements. As long as the temperature is suitable, it does not matter whether the light period is a little longer or shorter. Although good light can ensure that the clivia flowers are brightly colored, it still prefers slightly weaker light, so strong light must be avoided.
Repotting: Once clivia has grown larger, it needs to be moved to a bigger pot; this is what is called "repotting and changing the soil." The best time to change the soil is in spring and autumn, because clivia grows vigorously then and will not have its growth affected by the soil change. The most critical point when changing the soil is to pack the soil firmly around the roots; otherwise, if there is no soil around the roots, water and nutrients will not reach them, and root rot is likely to occur.
Key Points for Soil Planting
Clivia is mainly propagated by sowing, which has given rise to a wide range of varieties. Clivia cultivation is relatively simple. First, choose a good potting soil, and it can be placed indoors near a window, with fertilizer and water managed according to the temperature characteristics of each region. During the growing season, the potting soil must be kept moist; during the semi-dormant period of high temperatures, the potting soil should be on the dry side, and water should often be sprayed on the leaf surface to lower the temperature. Clivia likes fertilizer. Every 2 to 3 years, repot once in spring or autumn and add decomposed cake fertilizer to the potting soil. Each year before the growing season, apply 5 to 40 grams of decomposed cake fertilizer beneath the surface of the potting soil, and apply liquid fertilizer once during growth. During care, the pot should often be turned to prevent the leaves from leaning to one side; if they do lean, they should be straightened promptly. When the temperature is 25 to 30 degrees, leaves are prone to leggy growth, making them long and narrow and reducing their ornamental effect, so when cultivating clivia, be sure to regulate room temperature.
Soil
Clivia is suitable for soil rich in humus. This kind of soil has good aeration and good water permeability, is fertile, and is slightly acidic (pH6.5). The general soil mix for clivia is 6 parts leaf mold, 2 parts pine needles, 1 part river sand or furnace ash residue, and 1 part base fertilizer (hemp seed, etc.). Leaf mold mainly refers to the leaves of Mongolian oak, also called oak. This kind of leaf is thick in texture and is a very good humus material. It is nutritious and has good water permeability. Other leaves are too thin and disappear after rotting, so they cannot be mixed with other media to make soil. When cultivating, the pot size should gradually increase as the plant grows. For one-year-old seedlings, a 3-inch pot is suitable. In the second year, change to a 5-inch pot, and afterward repot into a pot one size larger every 1-2 years. Repotting can be done in spring and autumn.
Watering
Clivia has relatively well-developed fleshy roots, and the roots store a certain amount of water, so this flower is relatively drought-tolerant. However, even drought-tolerant flowers cannot be severely short of water, especially in summer when high temperatures are combined with dry air; do not forget to water in time, otherwise the roots and leaves of the plant will be damaged, causing new leaves not to sprout and the original leaves to scorch, which not only affects flowering but may even cause the plant to die. However, too much watering will also cause root rot. Therefore, it must be managed well, and the dryness and moisture of the potting soil should be checked often. When it becomes half-dry, water once, but the amount should not be too much; keeping the potting soil moist but not soggy is just right.
If conditions permit, magnetized water is of course best; next is rainwater, snow water, or living water from rivers; next is pond water; the worst is tap water. For flower growers living in large cities, only tap water is available, so a small water vat, basin, or bucket can be used: put the tap water in it and water after 2-3 days. This allows some harmful impurities in the water to settle. In addition, it allows the substances contained in the water to be oxidized and purified, and can bring the water temperature close to the potting soil temperature, so it will not be too cold or too hot and harm the plant.
Fertilizing
Many flowers like fertilizer, but fertilizing fertilizer-loving flowers also has a limit. Too much fertilizer is bad for growth and may even cause root rot or scorching of the plant. Clivia also belongs to this type of plant, and fertilizer must be applied in the right amount. Flowers have different nutrient requirements at different growth and development stages. Therefore, different fertilization methods suited to the plant's needs should be adopted at each stage. Examples include base fertilizer, top dressing, and foliar feeding.
1. Apply 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 every 2 years. Apply commonly used manure (that is, poultry and livestock manure), compost, green manure, soybean cake fertilizer, etc., into the soil.
2. Top dressing. This mainly promotes plant growth. Clivia can be given fertilizers such as cake fertilizer, fish meal, and bone meal. Apply less at initial planting, and later, as the plant grows larger and the leaves increase, gradually increase the amount of fertilizer. When fertilizing, scrape 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, to avoid burning the roots. Applying this kind of solid fertilizer once a month is generally enough; it should not be more frequent.
3. Apply liquid top dressing. Liquid top dressing is made by diluting the soaked and fermented clear supernatant of decomposed animal and plant matter with 30-40 parts clean water, then pouring it onto the potting soil. For small seedlings, dilute with 40 times water; for medium seedlings, dilute with 30 times water; for large seedlings, dilute with only 20 times water. After applying the fertilizer liquid, 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 roots in the potting soil and gives full play to its effect. Do not water 1-2 days before applying liquid fertilizer; let the potting soil be somewhat dry before fertilizing, which is more effective. The best time to fertilize is early morning; when pouring, the fertilizer liquid 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 should also vary by season. For example, in spring and winter, it is suitable 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; while in autumn, it is suitable 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 top dressing. Fertilizing by this method is mainly to make up for the lack of nutrients in the soil, to solve the problem of nutrient deficiency in the plant, so that seedlings grow quickly and flowers and fruits grow plump. Foliar fertilization is the direct spraying of a diluted fertilizer solution 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 fertilizer types include urea, monopotassium phosphate, and superphosphate. When spraying, spray evenly on both the front and back of the leaves. During the growing season, spray once every 4-6 days; during semi-dormancy, once every 2 weeks. Generally spray after sunrise, and stop spraying once the plant has flowered. 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.
Beating the Summer Heat
In midsummer, the temperature is often above 30°C, which is extremely unfavorable for clivia growth. For this reason, it is common to build a shade frame to lower the temperature. You can also bury the clivia together with its pot in sand (burying the pot completely), and then sprinkle water on the sand once each morning and evening every day. In this way, the potting soil can be kept moist, and more importantly, the heat absorption from water evaporation in the sand can achieve the purpose of lowering the temperature.
Later-Stage Management
The flowering period of clivia is generally from February to April. After flowering, the flowering period can be extended by appropriately lowering the temperature, increasing ventilation, and reducing light. The length of the clivia flowering period can be controlled through people's cultivation techniques.
Fertilizing: Apply one additional round of bone meal, well-fermented fish innards, and soybean cake water, which can make the flower color vivid, the flowers larger, and the leaves thicker. Otherwise, it is easy for flowers to be small, few in number, and pale in color. At the same time, care should be taken to avoid applying too much nitrogen fertilizer and insufficient phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, which would lead to weak growth or leggy leaves and affect bud formation and flowering.
Light: A certain amount of light must be provided to meet the light requirements for photosynthesis and flowering. Under strong light, the flowering period is short and the flower color is vivid; under weak light, the flower color is pale. Light that is too long, too strong, or long-term shading with insufficient light all affect the production and accumulation of nutrients, preventing bud formation and flowering.
Temperature: Suitable temperature has a clear effect on the quality of flowering. If the temperature is too high, root hairs exist for an extremely short time, and their function of absorbing water and fertilizer is greatly reduced, causing clivia to enter a semi-dormant state; if the temperature is below 10°C, growth will also be inhibited. During the growing season, it should be controlled at 15-25°C, and during the flowering period at 15-20°C. When root hairs exist for a long time and water and fertilizer absorption is good, the leaves grow short and wide, and the flowers are luxuriant. It should also be noted that clivia needs to maintain a temperature difference of about 8°C between day and night, because the organic matter it produces under higher daytime temperatures needs to be stored and digested under lower nighttime temperatures.
Water: Clivia must not lack water throughout the plant's growth period. When it enters the flowering period, its water requirement is even greater, and the growing humidity should not be lower than 60%.