Thanks to its decorative leaves and flowers, Clivia miniata Orange Clivia can be a great decoration for both traditional and modern interiors.
It is worth to like this plant, because it looks beautiful and has low requirements.It is long-lived, it tolerates dry and smoky air. Its wide leaves grow in pairs opposite and stick to each other at the base. They are 40-60 cm long and 4-6 cm wide. He althy plants produce 5-6 leaves per year. Orange-red flowers (12-20 pieces) in the shape of bells are gathered in umbels at the apex of the inflorescence shoot. The berries turn a bright red color late.
In florists you can find numerous varieties of kiwi with flowers ranging in color from light yellow to dark orange, with varying degrees of perianth, and the 'Variegata' form with white or yellowish longitudinally striped leaves.
Plants require diffused light, they feel best near a north or south-east window. In summer, they can be put out in the garden, in a shady and warm place. In order to bloom, clivia needs a winter rest (about 60 days). From October, watering and fertilizing should be limited. In addition, we lower the air temperature to approx. 10-15 ° C and provide the plant with access to light.
Kliwia likes humid air. From time to time it is good to sprinkle the leaves or place the pot on a base of water and stones or gravel so that the pot does not come into contact with water and the roots do not get too much moisture.
We feed the clivia every 2 weeks from March to August with a multi-component fertilizer. In summer, it should be watered abundantly, but so that the water does not remain in the pot. Dusty leaves should be cleaned with a damp cloth. Plants do not tolerate frequent change of place and turning the pot.
Clivia blooms from the age of three, in the spring (II-III or IV-V). In good conditions, it repeats flowering in the fall. If we lower the temperature in August, flowers may appear at Christmas. Flowering will take longer when the air temperature is lower. It is best to cut the entire inflorescence at the base after blooming. If seeds are allowed to develop, the plant may not bloom in the following year.
Cliquia is transplanted after flowering (preferably in February) every 2-4 years. Replant young suckers with 4-5 leaves and own roots into a separate pot. Propagation by seeds is possible, but we sow them right after harvest.
What a kiwi lover should know
For plants to be he althy, you need to provide them with the right conditions.Brown burnt leaves are a reaction to direct sunlight (the plant should be moved to a shaded place). The lack of inflorescences, weak new leaves indicate that the air temperature is too high, and the growth inhibition is too low. Too moist a substrate causes the plants to rot at the base. In the absence of fertilization, the leaves are poorly colored and flowering is weak. Wrinkled pale leaves may indicate too much or insufficient watering. The reason for the lack of flowering may be too early watering in spring or insufficient watering of the plant during the flowering period. Light green spots turning into brown corks - this is a symptom of excessive moisture. The white glomerulus on the underside of the leaves are mealybugs. A too warm room in winter promotes the occurrence of scale and scum. Beware, clivia contains poisonous alkaloids!
