We often hear complaints that "my Clivia won't bloom!" This is no longer a mystery. The details have been worked out and were published. Here is the gist of it:

First of all, clivia plants must reach a size large enough to support formation of a bloom scape. Until then, there is probably nothing one can do to induce it to bloom. For seedlings, we usually say that this is when it has 12 or 13 leaves.

Once large enough, Clivia miniata and its hybrids require a period of chilling at about 10°C for three to four weeks to initiate bloom. Without this, even the largest clivia plant is not likely to bloom.

After the period of chilling, the plant must be returned to a warmer temperature situation for the bloom scape to develop. At least 15°C but less than ca. 25°C is probably the best temperature range for this.

If the temperatures become too warm, Clivia miniata hybrids grown indoors tend to suffer from too short a scape (bloom stalk). That is, the flowers develop and open down in the neck of the plant, among the leaf bases. There are several possible remedies for this, any one of which might or might not work.

These include:

• Move to less bright light
• Move to somewhat cooler temperatures
• Feed the plant with dilute soluble fertilizer solution

Clivia as Houseplants

Clivia are of necessity houseplants in the colder months. Indoors, they should be located where they will get morning sun or bright, indirect light. Avoid North facing and West facing windows if they are unshaded.

Clivia on the Patio or Deck

In the warmer months, it is good for Clivia plants to go outdoors. There are only a couple of points to keep in mind when deciding where to set your Clivia outdoors.

First, Clivia will burn in full direct sun. So pick a spot with dappled shade from at least midday on. The morning sun and the very late afternoon sunlight will probably not burn the foliage.

Second, where there is abundant rainfall during the period when the clivia is outdoors, you may have to protect the plant from excess moisture. While an occasional rain is very good for the plant, heavy or prolonged periods of rain will increase the danger of rot. A good potting mix can compensate for this somewhat.

Potting Mixtures

In the wild, Clivia grow naturally in forests. The plants grow on the ground under the trees, with their roots running through the natural litter on the floor of the forest. This provides them with abundant air around their roots and with a good organic mulch to grow through. Wild clivia do not as a rule send their roots down into the soil. In containers, your clivia will need to grow roots throughout the potting mixture.

A good time to re-pot or pot up clivias is in the spring, when they are just starting to grow vigorously again. You want them to be already starting to grow, so that their roots will re-establish as quickly as possible.

Some expert clivia growers plant them in orchid bark mixes. Depending on whether you are just potting up a new seedling or you are re-potting a mature plant, you can use either medium or coarse orchid mixes. Plant the roots spread out through the container and fill well around them with the orchid mix.

We prefer to use a gritty medium, composed of a peat-based soilless potting mix, sand, and granite chick starter grit. We combine them in roughly equal parts by volume, but varying toward more of the peat component in many cases. To fill a one-gallon container, use about 4 to 5 cups of each material. Mix them thoroughly, stirring them in a bucket with a clean trowel, for instance. We mix our potting media in 5-gallon buckets, never in the plant container itself.
 

Watering

In Nature, clivias are found mainly in parts of South Africa that receive all their rainfall in summer. The plants go through the winters nearly bone dry. You do not have to be so extreme with your clivia, but remember to watch the watering indoors.

The roots of your plant will grow to where the water is. To get the most out of your plant, you want the roots to extend throughout the whole pot. You get this by how you water. When you water your clivia, water it thoroughly. Be sure that water runs out the bottom of the pot.

Feeding your clivias: Proper nutrition is also a requisite for a healthy and flowering clivia plant. Using a bubs food will work well with your clivia.