Growing Clivia: Watering, Light, Repotting, and Pests
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Planting
Clivia is propagated by division or seed. Seeds follow the flowers but take up to a year to ripen, during which time they will turn from green to yellow or red, depending on the color of the flower. Harvest seeds once ripe and color has changed. According to Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin – Madison, the seeds are slow to germinate (allow several weeks) and mature to bloom in 3 to 5 years. If seeds are unwanted, cut off the fruit after the flowers fall and then remove the scape (stem) at its base after it dries up.
Division is preferred. Mature (3- to 4-year-old) plants usually yield offsets—new plants produced by a mother plant, complete with their own roots—on an annual basis. After the last flower fades, when offsets have three leaves (some growers recommend 9 or 10) at least 8 inches long, remove the plant carefully from the pot (it may be necessary to break a ceramic pot or cut through a plastic one).
Brush potting mix from the roots, using a stream of water, if necessary. Identify the offset(s) with roots and separate them from the mother plant by pulling or, if necessary, cutting with a clean, sharp knife. Remove any dead and/or rotting roots. If the offset has been cut off, set it and the mother plant aside overnight or even for a few days (especially if they were hose-soaked) to dry completely before repotting. Keep the bare roots in the shade during this time.
Plant in equal parts peat moss and coarse sand or perlite and place in a warm spot with moderate (not direct) sunlight.
Water lightly to moisten but not saturate. Do not allow clivia to rest in standing water, such as in a saucer under the pot—it needs to be dry when resting in winter. Transplant when roots appear on the surface (it is normal for the roots to push up).
In the wild, clivia grows not in soil but in decomposing leaf mold; in the home, it grows best in a light but rich and well-draining potting mix: Use about 50% organic matter (orchid or cactus mix), plus coconut coir or fir bark to aerate the soil. (Roots can rot in heavy, wet soil.)
Growing
Clivia requires lighting that mimics its conditions in the wild: deep or partial shade. In the home, this means bright diffused light, such as through a north window or an east or west window shaded from sunlight. Outdoors, this means shade. (Too bright or direct sun can burn the foliage.)
Watering Clivia
Water regularly, but allow the growing medium to become dry to the touch between waterings. Clivia’s fleshy roots store water like a sponge, which enables them to tolerate drought, if necessary. (Overwatering or general wetness can cause root rot.)
How to Get Clivia to Bloom
To get them to flower indoors, stop watering and keep the plant in a bright, cool spot, below 50°F (10°C) for at least 40 days and up to 90 days. (If giving it the long 90-day rest, you might need to water if the leaves start to wilt.) After it has rested, put your clivia in a warmer spot, resume watering, and it will flower in about 60 days.
Clivia is one of our favorite Flowering Houseplants to Brighten Winter! To accomplish this, in autumn, stop watering and place the plant in a bright, cool (below 50°F) spot for 6 to 12 weeks. (If foliage wilts during this respite, water lightly.) At the conclusion, place clivia in a warmer spot, resume regular watering, and look for flowers in about 8 to 12 weeks.
After they are done blossoming, start fertilizing the plants by watering them weekly with a half-strength, water-soluble fertilizer. Remember to water weekly. Keep fertilizing until bringing it back inside in the fall.
Stunted Scapes
Sometimes, the flower scape doesn’t get tall enough to clear the leaves, and the blossoms can’t fully open—disappointing after waiting a year for them to flower! This can happen for many reasons—too hot, too cold, too bright, too shady, not a long enough chill time—but usually, the fertilizer is to blame. Look for one that offers more potassium and phosphorus than nitrogen.
Clivia Likes to be Pot-bound!
Clivia bloom best when they are pot-bound. Often, the roots will push up out of the soil at the base of the plant, which is okay. They can go 3 to 5 years without repotting, but eventually, your plant will outgrow its container, become crowded, and cease flowering. This is a good time to divide it and make some plants to share with friends. Once you knock it out of its pot, it is pretty easy to pull the fans apart without doing too much damage to the roots.
There are six species of clivia and many hybrids, but the orange-flowering C. miniata is most commonly grown. Yellow varieties are available, but they are very expensive—around $300! Plant breeders have introduced other colors, like red, white with green stripes or red edges, and yellow with orange tips. There are some clivia varieties with green and white striped leaves, too. All types send up a cluster of 12 to 20 small, trumpet-shaped flowers on a tall stem called a scape.
- C. caulescens, aka stalked clivia: grows 2 to 3 feet tall (some reach 6 feet when fully mature); alone among the species in having a thick stalk that produces leaves at the top
- C. gardenii, aka Major Garden’s clivia (for British Maj. Robert J. Garden, who discovered and collected it in 1855 and sent it to Kew, where it bloomed the next year): slender, tubular, pendulous flowers
- C. miniata (the name refers to minium, the color of red lead, and evokes the common flower hue): the only one of the six species that has upright or nearly upright flowers; varieties are available in other colors, as well—near-white, peach, pink, and yellow
- C. mirabilis (“miraculous”): discovered in 2002, thriving in full sun in southwestern Africa’s Namaqualand
- C. nobilis: plant that inspired the genus and whose name suggests nobility; considerably slower grower than other species; from seeds, takes 6 or more years to flower
C. robusta: largest and newest of the species, named in 2004; thrives in marshlands; boasts the highest scape at 5 or more feet tall
Robin Sweetser
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