Bulbmeister.COM - Discussions

[kmirvin]

Several weeks ago, I moved a new shipment of Clivia miniata to 4" pots and placed under lights. They are doing very nicely. Most bloomed and are now finishing up on that. The plants are greening up nicely and I hope to move them to 6" pots later this spring.

[sportkat2]

Hi Kelly
I have several on the Clivia miniata and one is in a 10in pot. The roots are now over the top and it's very hard to water. It has bloomed every year in the spring. I need to repot it and was wondering if this is a good time? Also, what ratio of good potting soil and sand to you use for drainage? Thank you so much, Kathy

[kmirvin]

Hi, Kathy! I would move the Clivia after you are done enjoying the blooms; just less chance to damage the flowers; and when you first start to see new top growth. Clivia, of course, like to be pot-bound, but even that has its limits, as you have described.

I have not been particular with my Clivia concerning drainage (bad idea), mainly concentrating on thorough watering with gaps between so the roots don't get waterlogged. This usually means at least a week between waterings during the growing season. I don't necessarily recommend that YOU not be particular, by the way.

I have moved to coir (coconut husk) based potting medium which drains pretty well and does not seem to compact as badly as peat-based products. I suspect your ratios may vary based on your preferred base potting medium (how much perlite, vermiculite, course bark, etc. already exists in your mix). People add course sand, additional perlite, pumice, or combinations to achieve good drainage. Others select from already existing orchid growing mixes as these are already designed for excellent drainage. Comments from others about your choices and experience would be greatly appreciated.

If you have a general favorite potting medium, you might want to experiment if you have enough Clivia of the same variety to go around. None of the experiments should hurt your Clivia, but you might find superior mixes this way.

To a gallon pot, you might want to base your experiments on some combination of 1 cup perlite, up to 1 cup coarse silicate sand, and/or a handful of pumice if you can find some.

Your intent with the final product is to get thorough, deep watering, but where excess water drains easily, allowing air to the roots throughout the entire pot. Taller pots drain better than shorter pots, even if they are rated to hold the same amount of medium.

Let us know your fertilizer strategy, if you don't mind. I recommend a balanced N-P-K fertilization throughout the growing season, but I would like to know your preferences.