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My Clivia Update -- 1.5 years in

I'm sort of embarrassed to post this.

Back when I first saw clivias that you guys were growing, I was so enthralled that I bought one, too. Things seemed to go fine for awhile and then I was out of town a lot and sort of lost interest in my indoor plants. So, I gave things away but I kept the clivia -- but with almost everything else, I chucked it outside on the balcony to haphazardly water when I feel like it, rarely fertilize and then just hope for the best.

Towards the end, they were lucky if they got watered. Undoing the faucet to bring out the indoor hose to hook up and drag out to the balconies, and then put away was just becoming tiresome.

Fast forward 5 months or so, and I moved to a much hotter area inland, and with much more gardening space than a balcony -- I have been making a good attempt to bring everything back.

Including the clivia.

{{gwi:572413}}

I somehow managed to STILL rot a few roots to a small extent even though it was in gritty mix and I totally ignored the plant. Arrghhh.

Over the span of neglect, two leaves yellowed up and died, so I pulled those as it happened. Two other leaves were a bit orange on the ends with a couple of miniscule holes in the orange areas -- don't know what that was so I cut those parts off -- just a couple of weeks ago. It had been outside in basically full sun for a few weeks while I settled in, so I repotted it into a 5-1-1 of sorts (maybe slightly wetter than a real 5-1-1) and brought it in at that point.

It's in the brightest spot in my house right in front of a terrifically bright east window and also facing the other end of my house that has three large west windows. Despite the injuries and amputations, she is starting to look quite happy, I think. I believe that the leaf coming up now is the twelfth.

The growth is a little split. Instead of coming up symetrically left and right, it's moving around a little. I don't know if it's something I did or if the plant just grows like that.

Anyway, here she is.
{{gwi:572417}}

Ohiofem, I recall you telling me to keep the stem area where the roots come out flush with the top of the soil. I planted it and inadvertently, I can actually SEE the very top of the roots. I hope that's fine....they were climbing out of the last pot I had it in anyway so I figured it's not a big deal.

No flower yet. I'm lucky I still have the plant never mind a flower, but the middle of the plant is looking and feeling a bit funny. Usually, by the time the new leaf is around that height, I'm able to open up and see the tip of the next leaf. This time, it seems to have no interest in letting me see the middle, so I'm just letting it be.

Grace

Comments (8)

  • RedSun (Zone 6, NJ)
    9 years ago

    The plant looks healthy. Keep it watered, let it dry a bit, then water again.

    When I grow the pot outdoor, I put in in bright shade, never in full sun. Some leaves got burned in full sun. When indoor, I have the bamboo shade on and the plant gets only filtered sun, again no direct sun.

    I had my plant for about 5 years, never any bloom. Last year, when I re-potted the plant, I found a lot of dead roots near the pot. So I cut off the dead roots and settle the plant in the same pot. The next summer, it bloomed. Then in the fall, it sent several baby plants. I cut off the babies. The mother plant still bloomed again this summer, but smaller since it lost more than half of the roots.

    All the baby plants are just like yours, still very green, but no growth at all. I may put in a fertilizer stick, or just wait....

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    9 years ago

    Just saw this post. I don't remember what advice I gave about how deep to plant, but I like seeing the base of the plant with roots showing, especially if I've had problems with root rot on a particular plant. I don't know if you are still following the same practices or if things are still going well. In general, I would recommend less sun, heat and water, and more regular fertilizing. Your plant is still juvenile, so I would try to keep it growing for another year. And then, if it has gained some size and another four leaves, you could give it a cool (under 50 degrees F, if possible) dry period for about two months in late fall. That might bring on flowering. I grow my clivias in gritty mix and water only when the mix is very dry. For young plants, that might be every two weeks. A mature plant in a 2-3 gallon pot can go a month between waterings. In my experience, clivias in pots need to be fertized every time I water them. I use a controlled release fertilizer in the potting mix and Foliage Pro 9-3-6 with every watering.

  • callirhoe123
    9 years ago

    I keep clivias potbound and dry in winter(just a splash of water monthly and never fertilize them. They bloom faithfully on the patio each summer.

  • Bill
    9 years ago

    Grace, If you don't keep the plant oriented to the sun exactly the same way every time you move it, the leaves will "corkscrew". Doesn't hurt the plant, just doesn't look quite as nice as a symmetrical plant. I grow mine in winter in a southeast facing window, and if I give someone a mature plant I mark the pot to indicate the direction toward the window. If possible I recommend the new owners orient that mark to the SE. That usually minimizes the leaf disorientation.

    Bill

  • User
    8 years ago

    bill could you post a picture of which direction you face the plant toward the light? do you go side to side or end for end? does that question make sense? :)

    su

  • Bill
    8 years ago

    Yep, that question makes sense, I'm just not sure I know what side to side or end to end is.....☺ And if I did, I'm not sure I could put it in words that would make sense to anybody but me.

    Lets try a photo, someone once told me they were worth 1000 words.

    Here is the smaller of my two original plants. The window you see on the left is a 4X6 foot plate glass: one of three. Looking straight out the window you are looking generally south east. As you see, the leaves from one side of the plant point straight toward the window, and the other side away from the window. I do not even bother to reverse the pot. I once gave this placement some thought, and convinced myself that if I turned the plant 90 degrees in either direction that the crown might begin to lean towards the light. I never tried it to prove my point to myself, but I have never had any problem growing the plants oriented this way, and my philosophy is that if is not "broken", don't fix it.......My wife hates that, but that's what she got the day she said "I do".

    Hope this helps.

    Bill

  • User
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Oooh... I'm seeing what my problem was. I was keeping my plants side to side in front of the window... and it is "pinwheeling" like crazy. I guess the correct term would be parallel? But you have your plant at a right angle to the light source. Correct? I think those terms are right. Been a long time since high school! :-P

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