Not saying this is the best. But I will tell you what works for me in my area.

The soilless mix Al has shown us to make on the "container forum". My clivias are so much happier, healthier, and vibrant.
It is a gritty mix of bark fines,crushed granite, and turface in equal parts.

Very porous, well draining, and allowing lots of air to the roots without fear compaction, overwatering and root rot. :-)

Thanks for the info. I might have to pop into the container forum and see whats going on over there.

Thanks again!
Ryan

Ryan,

How do you like growing clivias? Where did you get it from?
It is funny, we all probably have a story of how we first got interested in this plant.
Maybe someday, someone here will start a thread on it. How did we discover the "Clivia" plant?

It is amazing to see how many of us are interested in Clivias, since so many people I know have never even heard of them before.. Everyone is always asking me what the heck my plants are, especially in bloom...Lol.

By the way, if you really want good info on soil, and care for your clivia, check out the thread "Not enough interaction on this post", at the top of this forum.
Craig mentions another type of soil he is doing well with, since he lives in about the same climate zone as you.

He is experienced at growing in your type of weather and has help many of us here. You should see all the beautiful pictures there, of some of our friends clivia plants on that thread.... They must all be doing something right..

Keep in touch, ok.

Mike:-)

This is still my first clivia. I picked it up last spring at Home Depot. It bloomed through most of the summer last year, but has been slowly declining ever since. I'm going to remove it from the potting soil its in now, and get something more like you've described.

I had read Craig's post on a previous thread about how if you asked 10 clivia growers you'd get 20 different answers on what soil is best. Which is why I made my post, hoping to get a variety of responses, and whittle them down to something that might work for me.

Thanks for the assist. I'm sure I'll have more questions later!

Ryan

Ryan,

What did you end up doing? How is your plant doing now?

Mike:-)

I ended up using the same mix as I used for my Amaryllis.

Equal parts Orchid potting soil, regular potting soil, hydrotin growing medium, and potting bark.

Given that I'm in such a dry climate, I figured using more potting soil than others do, wouldn't hurt me. I guess we'll see!

Ryan

that's interesting about the orchid potting soil; I use my old orchid mix (bark) as part of my clivia soil mix as well.

Sounds great ryan!

Definately lets us know how your plant does. I bet he'll or she'll, depending on what name you gave it, will be ok..:-)

I had a feeling you would use more soil, considering your climate is extremely different than mine...

Winnjoe, probably good choice for you too...Take care for now!

By the way, if you really want good info on soil, and care for your clivia, check out the thread "Not enough interaction on this post", at the top of this forum.
Craig mentions another type of soil he is doing well with, since he lives in about the same climate zone as you.

Lisa11

Hi All,

I'm new to clivias too. I just planted some seeds in miracle grow potting mix a couple of weeks ago. Have them a tray with a dome under grow lights and on a heat mat. No sign of anything yet.

Is this okay or should I dig them out and use another mix?

Thanks,

Peaches

I don't have any experience with clivia seeds. But I imagine that it would not be wise to disturb them.

One of the important things to be aware of about clivia seeds is that they have to be absolutely fresh or forget it. They should be planted as soon as received. And hopefully, you are dealing with vendors that take this into account.They should be planted on top of the soil. I do believe that keeping them stored moist extends their shelf life , but frankly have never received any that were delivered this way.