Caring for Clivia Miniata in Winter
Today, I will explain in detail the knowledge of caring for Clivia Miniata at home for netizens. It is important to care for Clivia Miniata meticulously in winter. Let's understand this together next.
Clivia Miniata is a popular flower loved by many. It prefers warm temperatures and sunlight, is intolerant of cold, and is easy to grow but difficult to cultivate well. To care for Clivia Miniata well in winter, special attention should be paid to strengthening management and focusing on the following five aspects.
1. Soil and Fertilization Management
Clivia Miniata prefers loose and fertile neutral or slightly acidic humus soil. The cultivation soil can be mixed with humus soil 65%, clean sand 20%, and fine cinder 15%. From the autumnal equinox to the winter solstice, a solid fertilizer should be applied to Clivia Miniata, with less nitrogen fertilizer and more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Eggshell powder and matured fishy water are good phosphorus fertilizers, while bran ash and tobacco ash are easily obtainable potassium fertilizers. Compound fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium can also be applied to promote the growth of more new stems and leaves. Fertilization must be moderate, and avoid applying concentrated fertilizers or unfermented raw fertilizers, as this can easily cause the leaf tips to scorch or rot. If new leaves develop spots or the roots turn yellow in winter, it indicates excessive fertilization, while narrow, thin, and very light-colored new leaves are a sign of insufficient fertilization.
2. Watering
The soil should not be too dry or too wet. Each watering must be thorough, and more water should be added after the buds appear. Every 20 days or so, you can combine watering with applying fermented soybean cake water, light fishy water, and water chestnut water, etc. When the room temperature is low, control watering to prevent the potting soil from being too wet, as excessive moisture can cause root rot and death, but the soil should not be too dry either.
3. Insulation
The suitable temperature for Clivia Miniata in winter is between 15°C and 20°C, and it is best not to be lower than 10°C. After the flower spike appears, the temperature should be maintained at about 18°C, with a day-night temperature difference of about 10°C, otherwise the flower spike will not reach the proper height before blooming and easily form "arrow trap". Therefore, when the outdoor temperature at night is lower than 10°C, it should be moved indoors. When the indoor temperature is lower than 10°C, in addition to covering the surface of the potting soil with a 1 cm thick layer of charcoal powder for insulation, it should also be placed in a sunny and warm place indoors. When the indoor temperature is particularly low, a film can be covered on the flower pot to raise the temperature, but the temperature inside the cover should not exceed 25°C. If it does, ventilation should be provided to lower the temperature.
4. Adjusting Light
Although Clivia Miniata prefers a semi-shaded environment, the longer the sunlight in winter, the better. Strong light during flowering will shorten the flowering period, while weak light can extend it. It prefers warm and cool conditions and dislikes severe cold and heat. It grows well at temperatures between 18°C and 20°C, stops growing below 5°C, and is not harmed above 0°C. After Clivia Miniata is brought indoors, the light is limited and needs to be adjusted by manually moving the pot. Normally, it should be placed in a sunny area of the room during the day to receive sunlight and maintain its original color. Before flowering, it should also be placed under a daylight lamp for indoor supplementary lighting at night. Since the two rows of leaves of Clivia Miniata are opposite each other, if the light is long-term in one position, it will cause the leaves to grow unevenly, affecting the ornamental effect. Therefore, adjusting the light should pay attention to the direction of the leaves, and the sunny side should be changed every 10 days or so. There are two ways to place the pot in the room: one is to place the leaves parallel to the sunny window, and the other is to place them perpendicular to the sunny window, with the latter being more effective.
5. Measures to Extend the Flowering Period
The flowering period of Clivia Miniata is usually from December to the following March. The method to extend the flowering period is to place it in a shaded area when the flowers are about to open, control watering appropriately, and maintain the temperature between 8°C and 12°C. In this way, the flowering period can be extended by 10 to 20 days.
The comprehensive knowledge of caring for Clivia Miniata in winter shared above is hoped to be helpful to you.