How do you fertilize clivia
Isabella Wilson
Published Feb 16, 2026
Fertilize the clivia with a 20-20-20 nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium formulation water-soluble fertilizer every month during the growing season. Follow the package instructions, but apply the fertilizer at half strength, advises White Flower Farm.
What do you feed clivia plants?
A 6-6-6 nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium slow-release fertilizer will feed the plants for at least three months. Don’t use fertilizer during the cold winter months because that’s when the plant is resting. You can resume once your clivia produces its first flowers (usually in late winter or early spring).
Why are my clivias not flowering?
Clivia are subject to weather conditions like other plants. They need at least 6 weeks of cold weather to flower. After this cold spell, the warming temperatures prompt the plant to commence flowering. Plants that are kept in pots inside a warm house may miss this cold spell and not flower.
Why are the leaves on my clivia turning yellow?
Clivias develop yellow leaves and root rot if they are over-watered. They grow best when kept barely moist in pots with excellent drainage. Clivias bloom more freely when their roots are crowded, so don’t re-pot until the bulb starts to push out of the container.How do you look after a clivia plant?
Grow clivia under cover in a frost-free place, avoiding hot rooms, in good light but out of direct sun. Water regularly in summer but sparingly in winter, when the plant should be ‘rested’ in a cool place. Feed in spring and summer, and deadhead once flowering has finished. Propagate from offsets, in spring.
When should I fertilize clivia?
During the spring and summer growing seasons, a clivia needs regular watering but should be allowed to become dry to the touch between waterings. An automatic weekly watering will often be too much and can cause rot. Fertilize once a month with a half-strength dilute solution of 20-20-20 fertilizer.
What is the best fertilizer for clivia?
Clivia plants need to be fertilized in the spring just after blooming. Once you begin the fertilization process, you can do so monthly with a water-soluble, potassium-rich fertilizer. The mixture needs to be 20-20-20 at half the recommended strength.
Do you deadhead clivias?
Clivia hate hot and dry conditions but if planted in a suitable spot, caring for them is pretty simple. Water well in spring and summer but keep soil drier in autumn and winter to avoid root rot. If you don’t want the plants to propagate, ensure you deadhead spent flowers.Should I cut Clivia leaves?
Once flowering season is finished, cut back the flowers right at the base of the stem. It is also a good time to clean up the rest of the plant by removing any yellowed, brown or damaged leaves. Clip leaves right at the base. You may also want to prune back clivias to prevent them from becoming overgrown or unruly.
How do you treat clivias worms?This caterpillar can cause a lot of damage to your Clivias. Keep an eye out for early detection. We recommend you spray with Protek Knox Worm. Alternatively use Margret Roberts Biological Caterpillar Insecticide.
Article first time published onHow do I get my clivias to flower?
Clivias are slow growers and it can take up to five years for a seed to grow into a flowering plant. Keep in a warm, protected, ventilated spot out of direct sunlight. Water in spring and summer, ensuring soil is damp but not wet and fertilise every couple of weeks.
How many times a year do clivias flower?
A. Miniata, Gardenii, Robusta and Caulescens seedlings should flower at three to four year with slightly longer for the yellow varieties.
When can I divide clivias?
Do this every three to four years, when the clumps are congested, and the best time is in early autumn. Clivias can be divided now too. Just lift the clump with a spade and divide. Look out for any young ones growing from the side, chop these off and plant them.
What causes brown spots on clivia leaves?
In the humid Southern Cape most Clivia growers will encounter rust at some time, especially when it is hot and humid. Rust is caused by many different fungi and appears as reddish-brown or yellow patches on the leaves. … Many of diseases in clivias are caused by fungus and bacteria entering the plant through wounds.
What do you do with clivias after they bloom?
After flowering, remove spent flower stems near the base, unless seed is required, and reduce watering. Water sparingly through winter, but do not allow the containers to dry out. Repotting, where necessary, can be carried out in early spring using a slightly larger container.
Do clivias multiply?
Clivia’s natural multiplication by offsets. Clivias are one of many plants that produce offsets. These are the tiny plants that cluster around the base of the mother plant and grow up to be exactly like their parent. … These young plants can produce multiples in no time, provided they are handled properly.
What do you feed Clivia seedlings?
Clivia in pots should be fed once a month with a liquid fertiliser such as Seagro. Mealie bug might become a problem due to bad air circulation. In this case, thin the plants out and wipe the leaves with a methylated sprits solution (50% water, 50% spirits).
Is Seasol good for clivias?
Seasol is not a fertiliser. It is more of a tonic. I find it great to give to a stressed plant or when I have just repotted a plant. I use it on plants that seem to have a problem or have dried out too much.
Is potash good for clivias?
The clivias are healthy but they are slow growing and not thriving. … You can apply potash once a month to help promote flowering but it would be best to also apply a general fertiliser for the overall health of the clivias such as Yates Thrive Flower & Fruit Soluble Plant Food.
What fertilizers are high in potassium?
Fertilizers that are high in potassium include: burned cucumber skins, sulfate of potash magnesia, Illite clay, kelp, wood ash, greensand, granite dust, sawdust, soybean meal, alfalfa, and bat guano. Some of these fertilizers also contain nitrogen, phosphorus, and other important nutrients for plants.
Does clivia like to be root bound?
Clivias love potbound living conditions and produce more blooms when the roots are crowded. They only need to be repotted every three to five years.
Can I put my clivia outside?
While most clivias are grown as interesting houseplants, in suitable locations they can be grown as outdoor container plants. However, they must be brought indoors for overwintering.
Should clivia be cut back?
Cut back clivia to maintain a desired size. Do this after flowering. Cut stems to a healthy set of leaves or the parent branch where they originate. It’s best to prune lightly each year rather than prune hard every few years.
What is eating my clivia leaves?
The lily caterpillar is an avid fan of clivia foliage. To control this hungry beastie, thoroughly spray the underside and upper foliage with Yates Success Ultra. Once the caterpillars ingest this chemical they will stop feeding immediately but they may take up to 3 days to die.
Why is clivia expensive?
Prices are high, he added, for a reason. “It is not an easy plant to propagate, and a flowering clivia will be several years old,” Wadsworth said. … (These cost less because they are smaller and younger; also, they may need more time to reach blossom age, and the variety may be less rare).
How do you prune clivias after flowering?
- Trim flower stalks at their bases to remove them from the plant when the petals begin to drop. …
- Trim damaged or browning leaves with scissors. …
- Remove the cut flower stalks and trimmed foliage from the ground and place them in your compost pile or in the trash.
Do clivias need fertilizer?
Feed clivia in early spring and autumn with a controlled-release organic fertiliser for flowering plants, avoiding high nitrogen fertilisers. Specialist growers apply regular liquid fertiliser during summer to early autumn, using a high potash fertiliser to promote increased flowering.
How do you get rid of mealybugs on clivias?
Thoroughly check plants when purchasing clivias and other indoor plants. Avoid mealybug infested plants. Mealybugs on lightly infested plants can be controlled by dabbing the insects with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab or with frequent applications of an insecticide soap.
How long do clivias take to flower?
Young clivia plants can be much less expensive, but you will need to be quite patient to ever see it bloom, as it can take anywhere from two to five years for a clivia to bloom for the first time. It is better to purchase an already blooming clivia plant, which is usually in February and March.
How do you revive clivia?
Add a generous sprinkling of steamed bone meal and dehydrated cow manure. Water well to settle the new soil about the roots. Add more potting mix as necessary to fill, and water again. Clivia is a subtropical that needs abundant warmth and moisture in spring and summer.
What's eating my clivia flowers?
Scale insects, nematodes, snails and slugs and grasshoppers will also damage clivias. The best way to treat clivias pests is to spray them with an insecticide or to put granular systemic insecticides on the soil around the base of the plant.