Clivia miniata care and bloom tips?
 

Hi all--

I've had a Clivia miniata for a decade or so. I've grown it under my system of "benign neglect" and haven't killed it--in fact it's continued to grow leaves, set pups, and so on.

However, the darn thing has never bloomed....

So, finally got onto cliviausa and a couple of other clivia sites to research the winter rest requirements....Cool ( some recommend under 40 F) and dry (water if it wilts)for 10-14 weeks in early winter, and the roots are described as "fleshy ropes" by one of the sites and the recommendation is to grow them is a fast draining mix, including such things as CHC, medium bark, perlite, and so on. Hmmm, I think, this is starting to sound very, very familiar.....Sort of a combo of some deciduous dens (the winter rest), and cymbidium (the potting mix).

I repotted today into a cymbidium type mix, removing lots of dead roots (they look very much like orchid roots, BTW), gave it a drink (mix was pretty dry) and set it back into the filtered light it seems to like.

So, thought I'd put this out for the resident brain trust--am I on the right track with this thing? Any hopes I can get it to bloom next winter? Anything I'm missing?

Thanks in advance!

Catherine

Hi,
I've had this orange Clivia miniata for about 6 years, blooms every year (twice), I've given divisions to friends that in turn bloomed for them already- sorry if it sounds like I'm bragging ;). Here's how I grow mine: indoors in a shady location, very tight, not too much water (every two weeks), no winter rest really, fertilizer for household plants whenever I remember. Planted in regular houseplant soil with some coconut husk fiber I added for improved drainage.
The only problem I have with this one is that the flowers start before the stem grows out, so sometimes some of them rot within the leaf folds. I wish you luck with yours- it's such a majestic plant. If you'd like photos, I can post some.

Thank you, Ula! I've seen photos (including some from the new cultivars that are all sorts of shades of peach and yellow and some with green throats, and the variegated ones) and they're absolutely gorgeous. Sounds like you have perfect conditions for it!

I'm hoping I can bloom it! Though your system sounds a lot like mine, so guess I'll have to experiment a bit....

Catherine

I had mine for 5 years before it did anything. Then i started moving it outside , under shady conditions. Move usually at the beginning of spring and feeding regularly. it's planted in common houseplant soil. Nothing exotic. Then around Halloween, I toss it in the garage and forget about it. It generally starts to spike around Xmas. I now have 6 pups on it.

I've got mine in semi-hydroponics, and it is huge. Sounds like my back porch conditions are similar to Ula's, and I see blooms 2-3x/year.

I have a yellow one that is being more stubborn about flowering.

Hmmmm, I'll try the porch with dappled shade this summer and see what happens. It's been getting reasonable nutrition from aquarium and turtle tank water, and similar conditions to what you've all described inside. Guess I'll have to keep experimenting with it....

Catherine

I have them outside in the garden. Most of them bloom once a year and some never bloom. Not sure why. They are all in shade and in soil with mulch on top. The soil stays moist with a drip system. The one I had as an office plant really perked up when someone in the office fertilized it weekly with her other plants. The office did get cold at night and on the weekend. Office plant bloomed once a year. I grew it inside my home with my orchids for a few years where it bloomed once a year. Inside the house the temperature drops about 10 degrees at night. Then I moved it to the garden and it still blooms once a year. We only get light frosts here so clivias can stay outside year round. Your post reminded me to fertilize the outdoor clivias. Thank!

Ah HAH!!! We may be onto something here.

From what I recall, 5-10 ppm nitrate is about as high as a fish tank should ever go, so that would calculate to about 1- to 2 ppm N. (I assume the ammonia and nitrite levels are much lower, or you'd have dead fish.) I don't know what other mineral elements are in the water, but it seems to me that's essentially no nutrition at all.

Orchids may get away with very low nutrition levels, but the clivia????

Yes, you're right about the water nitrate levels in aquariums--however, the houseplants (as opposed to the orchids) get the mulm that's off the bottom of the tank as well, so lots more "stuff" in the water....And the turtle tank water tends to run higher if I get behind on water changes....

Sounds like clivias are fairly heavy feeders when compared to such things as rhizomatous begonias and Ficus species.....

I have access to assorted livestock manures, so I can easily supplement heavy feeders with either composted manure or manure tea. May have to use some of the sheep manure and tuck it into the edges of the pot since it's already in a convenient pelleted form (lol)....

I've got water that's affectionately known as "liquid rock," plenty of calcium and magnesium in it (along with some iron)--Tanganyikan and Malawian cichlids love it....No problems with blossom end rot on tomatoes around here! The orchids get rainwater in the summer (and intermittently through the rest of the year when the tubs inder the downspouts are not frozen) to try to keep the mineral salts washed out of the potting mixes....

Thanks for your help!

Catherine

Did you know that clivias are native to southern Africa, particularly South Africa, where they are being used more and more for hybridising with some outstanding colourful results. I took this pictures last year of various clivias growing under trees in the Kirstenboasch gardens in Cape Town, South Africa.
So, come on guy's, it's time to get gardening.
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