How to care for Clivia Miniata in summer
The following is an introduction to the knowledge of Clivia Miniata for netizens, detailing how to care for Clivia Miniata in summer, which is sure to help you. Let's learn about it together!
Summer is a test for many plants, and many flower enthusiasts have asked how to care for Clivia Miniata in summer. I have been raising Clivia Miniata for many years, starting from living in a building and always raising it on the balcony. I have tried various methods to solve the problem of safely getting Clivia Miniata through the summer on the balcony, such as hanging shade nets, setting up bamboo curtains, spraying water, and installing air conditioners.
Especially after installing the air conditioner, the cooling effect on the balcony was significant, but there were pros and cons. Moreover, the disadvantages outweighed the advantages, so later I removed the air conditioner, shade nets, bamboo curtains, and spraying equipment, and implemented the current practices: maintain ventilation, expose to more light, water frequently, and do not fertilize.
Specifically, this means: 1. Keep the windows on both sides of the balcony open to maintain natural ventilation, or force ventilation if there is no natural ventilation; 2. Remove the bamboo curtains and other shading materials and only hang white gauze curtains to expose to as much light as possible (without burning the flowers); 3. Water frequently to keep the soil moist, never letting it dry out completely; 4. Do not fertilize during the high temperatures of summer. After years of practice, the results of these methods are no rotting roots, no runners, no soft rot, and good growth.
If you have any good methods, please also share them, so we can learn from each other and improve together.
1. One basic method for safely getting Clivia Miniata through the summer on the balcony: "Maintain Ventilation"
After my post on "Basic Methods for Safely Getting Clivia Miniata Through the Summer on the Balcony" was published, some orchid friends sent messages asking me to elaborate. To answer them, I will explain in four parts. Today, I will discuss "Maintain Ventilation": As the weather gets hotter in summer, whether it's an orchid house or a family balcony, everyone raising Clivia Miniata should open the windows for ventilation. This is common knowledge for raising orchids and an important means of cooling down. Especially on the balcony (the focus of this discussion is the balcony, with orchid house ventilation being a separate matter), the small area heats up and cools down quickly, and if the windows are not opened in time for ventilation, the high temperatures in summer can be like a steamer, causing significant harm to Clivia Miniata. Many diseases of Clivia Miniata, such as rotting roots, yellow leaves, and leaf spots, are related to poor ventilation.
Therefore, it is essential to strengthen the awareness of ventilation when raising orchids in summer; the specific practice is to open the windows on both sides of the balcony. How wide should they be opened? It depends on the geographical location of the family and the strength of the ventilation, to the extent that natural ventilation is possible. If the balcony is connected to a neighbor's and cannot be naturally ventilated, then consider enforced ventilation (such as installing exhaust fans). Therefore, ensuring ventilation during high summer temperatures is one of the important means of raising Clivia Miniata well.
2. The second basic method for safely getting Clivia Miniata through the summer on the balcony: "Expose to More Light"
Everything grows with the help of the sun, and Clivia Miniata is no exception. Clivia Miniata does not like particularly strong sunlight, especially in summer, but it also cannot do without sunlight. Clivia Miniata needs good lighting conditions all year round to grow normally. In summer, to avoid strong sunlight burning the flowers and to cool down (hanging shade nets can reduce the temperature by three to five degrees), the issue of shading is raised. Some people interpret shading (shading) as Clivia Miniata being afraid of the sun, so they put Clivia Miniata far away from the sunlight, even under tables or beds, thinking that this is shading. In fact, this is a misunderstanding. For orchid houses, because it is top lighting, a 50% shade net is enough.
This means that Clivia Miniata in orchid houses can still receive about 50% of the sunlight in summer; it's different for balconies (excluding terraces), as the angle of sunlight changes in summer, only a small amount of light can enter the southern side of the balcony, and Clivia Miniata placed on the balcony, except for those near the glass, cannot receive any sunlight. A little bit of incoming light can be blocked by white gauze curtains to avoid burning the leaves.
Therefore, it can be said that Clivia Miniata on the balcony does not need shading, it does not have enough light. If you are willing to experiment, you will find that Clivia Miniata near the glass that receives sunlight grows better, is more upright, and more vibrant; those that cannot reach the light have dull leaf colors and may even develop diseases (I won't go into the benefits of Clivia Miniata receiving more light, please think and practice it yourself). Since Clivia Miniata on the balcony is at different distances from the glass, the light points are also different, so it should be moved around frequently, especially in summer, to allow more Clivia Miniata to receive as much light as possible (without burning the flowers). By the way, my method of "Expose to More Light" in the "Basic Methods for Safely Getting Clivia Miniata Through the Summer on the Balcony" is conditional, which is to not forget "Maintain Ventilation"!
3. The third basic method for safely getting Clivia Miniata through the summer on the balcony: "Water Frequently"
Water is the key to the life of Clivia Miniata. Without water, the life of Clivia Miniata stops. Water is a carrier, and only when the various nutrients in the soil are dissolved in water can they be absorbed by the roots and transported to the various organs of Clivia Miniata. Some say that raising orchids is easy, but watering takes three years of effort, which immediately raises watering to an important level; what we are discussing today is an important practice (means) for safely getting Clivia Miniata through the summer on the balcony: watering. With high temperatures and fast evaporation in summer, Clivia Miniata's water demand necessarily increases. In addition, with "Maintain Ventilation" and "Expose to More Light," Clivia Miniata on the balcony must "Water Frequently" to maintain humidity. Moreover, watering is an effective means of cooling down and increasing oxygen, so frequent watering is also a basic skill for safely getting Clivia Miniata through the summer. Some say that Clivia Miniata should not be watered until it is dry, and then watered thoroughly. This is only half-right, as Clivia Miniata should be watered thoroughly (but not leaked), and the other half about drying is incorrect. Once Clivia Miniata dries out, the fleshy roots are damaged and it is difficult to recover. Moreover, once it is dry, it is difficult to water thoroughly, and once it is watered thoroughly, it either runs off or rots. Some Clivia Miniata suffer greatly in summer, with diseases such as rotting roots, soft rot, and leaf spots occurring one after another, which is not unrelated to the concept of "Clivia Miniata fearing water but not drought."
We say that frequent watering is to keep the soil moisture consistent from top to bottom; watering thoroughly is based on not leaking, giving Clivia Miniata a cool bath, cooling down, and increasing oxygen. Therefore, the hotter and drier the weather, the more attention should be paid to "Water Frequently" and watering thoroughly. The specific watering time, interval, and amount need to be practiced, summarized, and flexibly applied according to individual circumstances.
4. The fourth basic method for safely getting Clivia Miniata through the summer on the balcony: "Do Not Fertilize"
Clivia Miniata is a flower that likes fertilizer and can tolerate water well. It is essential to have nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers. Common fertilizers include large and small hemp seeds, perilla seeds, and sesame seeds, which are roasted and used as base fertilizers. It can be applied three to four times a year, from the end of September to the beginning of April the following year, and can also be combined with the application of fermented liquid fertilizers that are at least one year old. However, Clivia Miniata on the balcony cannot be fertilized in summer, which is a very important guarantee in the basic methods for safely getting Clivia Miniata through the summer. Because the high temperatures in summer mean that the root hairs of Clivia Miniata exist for a very short time, the function of absorbing fertilizer is greatly reduced, and Clivia Miniata is in a semi-dormant state; if fertilized in summer, the fertilizer will ferment in the pot, the pot temperature will rise, the root hairs will exist for an even shorter time, the ability to absorb water and fertilizer will be further reduced or even stop, and diseases such as running, rotting roots, and high fever soft rot may occur. Therefore, in order to safely get Clivia Miniata through the summer, it is necessary to stop fertilizing. Of course, if you can ensure that your home temperature environment remains at 12 degrees Celsius at night and does not exceed 25 degrees Celsius during the day, you can fertilize.
By the way, some people ask: Why do your basic methods for safely getting Clivia Miniata through the summer on the balcony only talk about maintaining ventilation, exposing to more light, watering frequently, and not fertilizing, but not about temperature? In fact, my four issues are all about temperature. If it weren't for the high temperatures on the balcony in summer, I wouldn't have these four issues.
Here is an explanation: Although the family balcony heats up and cools down quickly, it has a very advantageous aspect, which is its connection to the living room and courtyard. The living room and courtyard are suitable for family life and rest, and the indoor temperature suitable for family life and rest is naturally transmitted to the balcony. Therefore, the temperature on the balcony in summer is only slightly higher than that in the living room and courtyard, and with the four basic methods I mentioned earlier, Clivia Miniata can safely get through the summer on the balcony.
The above introduction to how to care for Clivia Miniata in summer is for your reference, hoping you will like it!