Feeding of Clivias |
Feed your plants weekly with a commercial mixture designed for foliar feeding, add a little Savlon as a “sticker”.
Nick Primich
Newsletter Vol. 1 No 2 Sept 1992
Clivias, in particular C miniata, are gross feeders and benefit greatly from regular applications of liquid fertiliser like Seagro or Supranure, particularly when grown as container plants. Fertilisers are best applied from spring until the end of summer, and established clumps in the landscape can be mulched annually in spring with well-rotted compost.
Graham Duncan
Newsletter Vol. 2 No 1 Jan 1993
The best formula for managing any plant is to go back to the natural habitat and try to replicate the natural situation – it is after all what the plant has adapted to and will for obvious reasons respond to best.
As the natural habitat is the lower forest floor, the soil should be rich in organic material, well aerated and with good drainage. As the roots are well adapted to harsh competition from bigger trees, the clivia do very well in pots, even when the roots are totally overgrown.
As with other similar plants, energy is stored during the latter part of the growing season to overcome the drier winter period and to have enough energy for the initiation and early development of the flower. To help with this process, potash is of vital importance as it is a carrier of energy in the plant.
Starting the growing season with a compound like 4:3:4 (33) will give enough nitrogen to stimulate long leaves and especially a long flower stem, but more important, enough potash to have a better quality flower (and better seed setting).
For top dressing later in the season a 1:0:1 (36) could be used together with foliar feeding of micronutrients every 6-8 weeks especially for container grown plants as the micronutrients can become deficient over time.
The equal ratio of nitrogen and potash is important as the plant is grown not only for flowering but for its lush dark green leaves.
When fertilising any plant it is always better to feed less fertiliser more often, even to the point of more than once a day as with hydroponics. Although the use of slow release fertiliser makes this easier, the rate of release is often erratic in our climate so that frequent feeding with standard seedlings should not flower at the beginning of the third season while the disease and drought resistance of mature plants will greatly improve with good feeding.
Soil preparation
Broadcast 100 grams per square metre of a compound fertilizer like 4:3:4 (33) plus a generous amount (approximately ten centimetres thick) of organic material or compost. Take care to work or dig the fertilizer and organic material well into the soil.
Planting
With the above preparation, both seedlings and mature plants need no fertilising until well established.
When planting, dig a good size hole and mix the soil from the hole with ten grams of fertilizer, and enough organic material to make a sixty percent soil to forty percent organic material ratio. Plant with this mixture.
When planting in pots, or repotting, the same sixty percent soil to forty percent organic material with ten grams of fertiliser per plant, or straight potting soil with ten grams of fertiliser per plant can be used. In all instances, water well after planting.
Upkeep of the plants
At the beginning of the season, before the emergence of the flowers, spread fifty grams per square metre of a compound fertiliser 4:3:4 (33), taking care not to get fertiliser into the crowns. Follow this with a five centimetre layer of compost (not manure). During the growing season spread ten grams of fertiliser 1:0:1 (36) per square centimetre.
Always water well after fertilisation , otherwise damage to the sensitive feeder roots may occur. The compost will act as a mulch and keep the soil from compacting.
For potted plants, apply five grams (less for small pots) of 4:3:4 (33), plus a layer of compost. Micronutrients should not be lacking, so spraying or foliar feeding with a micronutrient solution could be beneficial. Foliar feeding itself will not give enough nutrients for robust plants, and must therefore only be complementry to a fertilisation program in normal garden situations.
Seedlings
Seeds and small seedlings should never receive fertiliser until well established, but soil prepared as for potting can be used to germinate seeds.
Gerhard Reyneke
Newsletter Vol 5 No 2 June 1996 .
In feeding my clivias (growing in the ground) I give occasional feedings using 4:4:1 (an inorganic fertiliser) or 3.5:1.6:3.0 (an organic fertiliser made from chicken manure, steamed and pelleted). These are applied in dry form.
When feeding pasture I usually used 18:18:0 (again dry). But of course never used this on ornamentals. Also for clivias or other ornamental plants I can use a made up fertiliser (in water solution of low concentration) made from “Thrive” which in dry form is 27:5.5:9 or “Bloom Booster” which is 6.2:14.6:16.8 (for low N, and high P and K)
Bill Morris
Newsletter Vol 5 No 3 Sept 1996 .
The last experiment that I did was with “Supafeed’ and ‘Multifeed’. I used a watering can with a mix-nozzle. All that I can say at this stage is ‘much better than 3:1:5 (SR2)!. I still use ‘Chemicult hydroponic mixture + Supranure’ for the seedlings but alternate this with ‘Multifeed’. What a difference.
Christo Lotter
Newsletter Vol 5 No 3 Sept 1996 .
I do not apply fertiliser before the seed has dried out and is discarded by the plant. Then only, a light sprinkling of fertiliser should be applied. My young plants receive foliar feeding only.
Gert Wiese
Newsletter Vol. 8 No 1 Autumn 1999
When fertiliser is added to the growing medium a slow-release formulation such as Osmocote is recommended. When foliar feeding is resorted to, spring applications should contain more nitrogen to stimulate vegetative growth. During summer the emphasis should be on phosphorus to strengthen growth while late summer applications should concentrate on potassium to stimulate the developing flowers. No feeding is recommended during the dormant winter months. 30:10:10; 18:18:18 and 10:20:30 or similar formulations are suggested for the progressing season.
James Haxton
Newsletter Vol 8 No 2 Winter 1999.
Kic-start is a water soluble nutrient with chelated cation micro elements, which increases root initiation, root growth and uniformity of rooting.
Meg Hart
Newsletter Vol. 9 No 1 Autumn 2000
"Starve them to enhance the bloom."
Gladys Blackbeard
Clivia Yearbook 2 Page 45
I'd like to add that plants need all the nutrient elements to grow. I suspect that Clivia, like almost all bulbs and like daylilies
(Hemerocallis) require fairly high levels of nitrogen and of potassium (potash) but relatively less phosphorus (phosphate). Robert makes a very good point about too much phosphate, especially in potted plants. It can definitely be harmful.
A good balance in your fertilizer would mirror the elemental analysis of fresh, healthy Clivia tissue. In absence of such data, I would guess that a good balance would be N-P-K about 15 - 5 - 15 (nitrogen-phosphate-potash).
I don't usually have much loose potting medium at the surface in my clivia pots. When I repot or pot up, I of course do replace much of the old mix with fresh. Since I don't repot as often as I probably should, the clivia roots have usually pushed the surface mix up and out of the pots by the time I get around to it.
Jim Shields
Enthusiast group 021107
The use of Calcium Nitrates on Clivias is rather beneficial, especially to develop stronger cell walls.
Mick Dower
Cape Clivia Club meeting 031115
I must say, in general I question the benefit of foliar feed, but I know some people say they have good results. I always ask myself what part of the solution is washed off and reaches then the plant by soil and roots. In the case of the albino seedlings maybe some good can be done with the sugar solution at the back of the leaf. Maybe someone with experience in that field can react, I have never tried it.
Aart van Voorst
Enthusiast group 031202
We are lucky here in Australia to have a product called "Dynamic Lifter". It is processed chicken manure and can be purchased is several blends and as either pellets or granules. It is great stuff, because being organic, the nutrient level is very low and the risk of 'burning' the plants is therefore low.
Ken Smith - NSW Australia
Enthusiast group 040802
Osmacote is expensive, but it looks like APEX is almost exactly the same and a lot less expensive. Both are slow-release fertilizers. I've used the Osmacote 'Azalea' mix (correct proportions and extra iron) on all my shade plants for years and they love it, plus easy on me as only apply 3 times a year. So far, I haven't found a supplier that has the Azalea-type formula in Apex brand, but will keep looking.
Cathy Grimes
Enthusiast group 050125
It had this problem when I began growing clivias, about 10 years ago. I was told it could be due to nutrient deficiency, or other factors. I was using the general 15-30-15 off-the-shelf formula, with a portion being urea nitrogen also. And, the formula is probably, as I've learned from the masters in this group, not balanced either. Last year, I finally got hold of an orchid formula, completely urea-free (I use soilless mix, which is not compatible with urea nitrogen, I learned here), 20-10-20 (of course, with micro-nutrients). I have to say I have yet to see a leave tip dryoff on my plants. The 20-10-20 supposedly is not the most ideal either, though approaching ideal, I was told. But, it seems to work fine for me, since I'm only a hobbyist, and under no circumstance I would try to formulate my own fertilizer. There may well be other factors to the condition, but so far, at least the formula seems to help.
Sam Mak
Enthusiast group 050311
Calcium Nitrate
I haven't had recent experience in the use of urea but I have, in correspondence with the doyen of Hippeastrum species grower Len Doran, been given dire warnings of the use of ammoniacs in potting media. Ammonia compounds encourage the growth of harmful fungi in the media that is a major cause of root-rot. Nitrogen in the form of Calcium nitrate is much more beneficial and serves the plant in two ways. The nitrogen is not an ammoniac compound and this water-soluble form of calcium is highly beneficial. Calcium is taken up by bulbous plants quite greedily. It imparts vigour and disease resistance.
Len devised this macro-nutrient formula specifically as a Hippeastrum nutrient but I have found it to be excellent on every kind of bulbous plant. The potting medium should be exceptionally free draining and ideally this should be the ONLY liquid the plant receives.
To make 100 litres:
CaNO3 86.43gm
MgNO3 11.14gm
KNO3 16.29gm
H3PO4 11.72gm
Dissolve above in 5lt water then add while stirring to 90lt water in a large drum
KOH 7.72gm
Dissolve KOH in another 5lt water and add very slowly to above mix while stirring vigorously. This adjusts the pH. Do NOT allow mix to precipitate [turn cloudy] as nutrient solution will be destroyed. Stop adding KOH solution at slightest suggestion of precipitation. Make up to 100 lt if you do not use all the KOH solution [which is very likely].
Warren Glover
Enthusiast group 050518