The Amaryllis Family: Clivia from Seeds

The following information has been contributed for your enjoyment.

Growing Clivia from seed is very straight-forward.

If you have fresh seeds in a pod, remove the fleshy seeds from the pod and then clean each seed to remove the thin membrane surrounding it.

Plant the seeds on the surface of a sterile potting mix. Place in bright indirect light or under fluorescent plant lights. Keep the medium moist, not soggy. The seed should germinate in a few weeks. Clivia seedlings grow slowly and continuously, so once the first leaf is well developed, start to feed with a weak solution of soluble fertilizer at intervals.

Keep the plant growing until there are at least 12 mature leaves (2 to 4 years), when you can try to induce flowering by storing the plant dry and cool for 8 to 12 weeks in autumn. Keep the plant in the same bright indirect light, and at this point natural light is better than artificial: you want to reduce the period of daylight while forcing induction of a flower stalk.


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For more information about the Great Lakes Bulb Society, contact:
Jim Shields, at jim@shieldsgardens.com.


For information about this account, contact:

James E. Shields, jim@shieldsgardens.com

Last revised: 15 March 2001.

© Copyright 2001 by James E. Shields. All rights reserved.