Clivia

Name: Kaffir Lily
Scientific Name: Clivia and Clivia Miniata
Family: Amaryllidaceae

Soil: Well drained soil that contain some peat moss is what I use for mine.
Sun: in order to see it flower, it needs some sun light, but it does not like direct sun light. East or north facing windows are a good place for it.
Water: Water as needed during spring and summer. Like Amaryllis, it needs a rest period. Cut back on its water during winter period to induce the rest period.
Fertilizer:I give it some diluted Iron Plus once a while as well as some diluted Schultz Expert Orchid Food once a week during spring and summer.
Care: the green leaves of clivia attract dust and mites. Wash the leaves occasionally with clean water. Also mist it with water on hot days.
Tips: A friend of mine has been growing clivia form years. She told me to gather fallen needles as well as a layer of soil from beneath a pine tree. These may be used to mulch the clivia plants. Also, clivia prefers to be a bit pot bound. Try not to repot it often since it does not like to be disturbed. As a matter of fact, once it is used to a single location, try not to move it. It is better to double-pot clivia, use a small and light weight pot inside a large heavy pot to give it support since clivia tends to be top heavy.

Description:

Clivia is believed to be one of the most cherished houseplant. It always gives quite show in spring, displaying a group of exquisite flowers in various shades of red, orange, and yellow. The hybrid Clivia is hardier and offers more interesting colors.

The two clivia I have are clivia minita. They are hybrids and one of them is a bit orange and another one is more yellowish. Even without flowers, the two clivias are beautiful to look at with their deep green color leaves in nice peacock-tail like stands. At the same time I got them, I also purchased two heavy ceramic pots to put them in there. They are top heavy and would have been easily overturned if I had left them in small pots.

Small red fruits form after the clivias flower withered. Let the fruits mature on top of the stem. Once they became a bit hard, take them down and put them in moist soil. The new plant often grows slowly and it will take a few years before it can flower.