Clivia may be dying

[NancyMcQ]

I live in a Zone 3b climate zone. I was given a Clivia in the summer of 2019. She was outdoors that summer and then spent last winter indoors - no direct sunlight but in a bright spot. She lived at my mother-in-law's and did quite well. This past summer, I had her outdoors where she receive a small amount of sun at the end of the day. Otherwise she was in shade and thrived. Now I have brought her indoors. This year, she is at my house and in bright light during the day but no direct sunlight. Over summer, she received lots of water and by the time I brought her indoors about a month ago, the soil was very wet and it has taken until today to dry out, according to my meter. In fact, the meter still shows a little moisture still in the soil. The leaves are turning yellow and the ones that are still green aren't looking very healthy either. I gave her lots of fertilizer over summer and, as I said, she thrived. Now I am at a loss. I thought that her place in my home would be ideal. I need help for this poor baby! I don't want to lose her!

 

[Tetters]

It rather sounds like this plant was overwatered, and the roots have rotted. The Clivia likes to live in very well drained conditions and is happy to stay in a smallish pot. In the winter months it likes to stay even drier, and should be watered even less frequently.

 

[NancyMcQ]

Thank you. With any luck, now that the soil is getting close to dry, it will turn around. I guess I won't water it now for 3-4 weeks. During winter is it in a "resting phase" or might it continue to grow over winter? My understanding is that winter is when it is supposed to bloom? Is that correct? I suspect not this year!

 

[Tetters]

Most of them flower in the spring, but some will perform during the winter months if encouraged. If the roots of your plant are rotted they cannot support the plant. The only way to find out is to take it out of the pot and have a look. If in doubt you could always post a photo on here.

 

[NancyMcQ]

I might as well take it out of the pot and see. Maybe there will be some part of it that is salvageable. I will let you know what I find. Thank you again.

 

[NancyMcQ]

So....I repotted her today. Interestingly, every part looked perfectly normal - no rot! So she got some new soil with excellent drainage and a little water. Any other ideas for her over winter?

 

[Tetters]

Good. Now rest it. Leave it in a cool room with plenty of light and watch it carefully. Only give it a little water if it droops, otherwise keep it dry. Do not mist the leaves on this one as it could cause problems. In early spring begin to water normally. Water meters are not a good idea. You only need to stick a finger in the compost to check it`s damp enough. Always make sure the water runs out through the bottom of the pot. If it`s going to flower it will do it around 6 to 8 weeks after the normal watering started. When it has finished flowering start to feed it with a liquid fertiliser making sure you follow directions carefully. Too much fertiliser won`t help. Stop the fertiliser when next September comes around.
Good luck

 

[NancyMcQ]

Perfect! Hopefully it will survive the winter now. I will let you know in spring how she does. As always, thank you for the help!

 

[LordJoshaeus]

I'm not sure how much help I can be here (my clivia is being grown hydroponically under artificial lighting and is showing odd behaviors as a result), but they are such magnificent plants and I hope yours does better now I had kept a prior clivia (not in hydroponics, which I had not adopted yet...I wasn't very good with houseplants at the time) outside, but made the mistake of putting it in direct sun for part of the day and it was burned; it was then damaged severely by bad weather. I ultimately tossed it.

 

[NancyMcQ]

Thanks for the feedback. I will report back over time how she does. I will just be happy if she survives the winter and I can get her back in to her happy place outside. I was thinking that the whole problem started when she came in the house so I wonder if it was the shock of the move.

 

[NancyMcQ]

Reporting back on my Clivia. I have continued to monitor over winter, watering occasionally and here is where we are at. Interestingly, there have been a few little green “nubbies” as well as 4 straggly green leaves that have remained dormant al winter. Now they, plus new ones are starting to sprout. Another month before we will be moved outdoors but it looks like she will survive and thrive! Persistence has paid off. Now I just have to figure out what I did wrong last fall so things will go better next winter. I will continue with updates.

 

[Tetters]

It is looking good