Clivia is a plant native to South Africa belonging to the family of Amaryllidaceae. It is grown as a houseplant in our latitudes. We love its shiny, dark green, ribbon-like leaves, arranged in a fan shape, and its spectacular inflorescences. Let’s find out how to care for a Clivia, how often to repot it and water it, and let’s look at the tips for getting it to bloom again every year.
Entertain a Clivia
The Clivia, also called Lily (or Lily) of Natal or sometimes Lily of Saint Joseph, does not pose any particular difficulty. At most, he is sometimes the target of mealybugs that just needs to be dislodged using a cotton ball soaked in methylated spirit and a little black soap. You also have to think from time to time about dust its leaves with a damp lint-free cloth or with a damp sponge.
From the month of May until the end of August or during September, do not hesitate to get rid of Clivia because it can perfectly spend the beautiful season in the garden, on the terrace or the balcony, provided however that it is not never located in direct sunlight for that would burn its leaves. It is better to choose its outdoor location well from the start because this plant hates being moved too often. Chilly, it must imperatively be returned before the arrival of the first frosts.
As for its indoor exposure, it must be luminousbut it is very important not to position your Clivia too close to a window exposed to the sun, the direct rays of which are seriously detrimental to it.
Repot a Clivia
Ideally, the Clivia should be repotted as soon as its roots come out of the pot or fill the whole tank, because it is one of the plants that rather like cramped. Moreover, it greatly promotes the formation of flowers. In general, it is therefore only necessary to change the pot Clivia once every 3 or 4 years and always after the flowering period.
The Natal lily is repotted in a pot slightly larger than the previous one, with a perforated bottom covered with a drainage layer such as gravel or clay balls. As for the substrate, it consists of a mixture of 50% potting soil30 of sable and 20% of good garden soil well loosened.
Watering a Clivia
The Clivia does not tolerate having the roots in water because it causes them to rot. In summer we make sure water moderately but regularly and watering is reduced throughout the dormant period which we will detail later.
Flowering of the Clivia
Splendid flowers of a beautiful orange-red, or an elegant yellow for the variety Clivia ‘Lemon‘, emerging from the heart of the fan formed by the leaves. They bloom in groups of 10 to 20 and are elegantly arranged in umbels at the top of a very rigid stem which can reach 60 cm in height. The effect of its beautiful trumpet flowers is spectacular.
Every year the Clivia usually blooms between February and April. However, this period may vary somewhat since it must be preceded by 8 to 12 weeks of vegetative rest. This resting of the Clivia must begin in November. It involves:
- A scarcity of watering,
- Complete cessation of fertilization,
- The placement of the plant in a bright room but where the ambient temperature is between 7 and 10°C.
After these three months of resting, we can finally see an inflorescence appear. It is then necessary to install the Clivia in a room with 15°C. As soon as the flower stalk is at least 15 cm high, the plant can finally be placed at home, about 20°C. This is the time to water a little more, but not too much, so as to keep the soil sufficiently cool.
When the flowers of the Clivia are wilted, the flower stem should be cut at the base. You can then give it liquid fertilizer to dilute in the irrigation water every two weeks until September.