Growing Clivia

Latest Update 20th September 2016.

Clivia.

• An evergreen plant in a warm temperate climate.
• It prefers dappled shade and is drought tolerant.
• It is extremely hardy and almost indestructible. Mine have survived about 20 years of neglect.
• Its large strappy leaves are dark green and it produces a large cluster of bright orange bells in early spring.
• If left to mature, each bell will produce an inedible green fruit ripening to a deep red.

Details.

• Binomial Name:                                  Clivia Miniata.
• Family:                                              Amaryllidaceae
• Garden bed type:                                Drip line irrigated.
• Plant Spacings (centres):                    300mm.
• Climate:                                             Warm Temperate.
• Geography:                                        Southern Hemisphere.

Growing Conditions.

• They tolerate partial shade.
• They are very drought and heat tolerant.
• They survive in poor soil, but benefit greatly when fed with compost once a year, and are grown in moist soil.
• Always minimise soil disturbances to maintain a natural soil structure.

Soil Preparation.

• Prepare a new bed for them in spring by removing old mulch, fallen leaves and other decaying organic material and disposing of them in the compost heap.
• Apply a 60mm thick top dressing of home made compost, and cover with fresh straw mulch.
• Do not dig the soil. 
• Leave for 4 weeks so worm and microbe activity can build up in the soil.
  

Propagation.

• Propagate Clivia by division or from seed. They benefit from being divided every 4 or 5 years.
• Dig the whole plant up and cut it into smaller pieces. Each piece should have a leaf cluster and its own roots. Remove any damaged or infected roots and reduce the height of the plant. This video explains how to divide a Clivia plant.
• Plant the new Clivia in the prepared soil burying it to the same depth as the original plant. Water the plant in well with dilute seaweed extract.

Growing Instructions.

• In winter clear the ground of waste organic material and spent straw mulch beneath the plant and dispose of it in the compost heap.
• Feed the soil surrounding the plant in late winter by applying a dressing of about 60mm deep homemade compost and cover it with about 50mm of fresh straw mulch.
• Remove any dead or damaged leaves.
• Spray the foliage of the plant with aerated compost tea every month at the same time as the edible plants are sprayed.

Organic Pest Control.

• If Clivia is left in the same spot for too long, its likely to be infected with a fungal disease. This can be prevented by dividing and replanting in a new location.
• Sensible preventive measures like regularly spraying with aerated compost tea boosts natural defences against pests and disease by colonising the leaf surfaces with beneficial microbes.
• Similarly, proper soil preparation including regular applications of home made compost boosting the community of beneficial microbes in the soil and defending roots against plant pathogens.