I stopped watering my Clivia 2 months ago and my anxiety level is something fierce!!

I am hoping for a bloom, but it is a fairly young plant.

I am at 15 leaves and one new one coming along.

[Enough to make me start biting my fingernails again.]

Why'd you stop watering it, David? Mine grow out in the jungle (that is my garden) year round, and in winter they do get rain - a good pouring occasionally is the norm here in winter - and a little bit of watering from the sprinklers - but not much.

I've had them bloom at a lot less than 15 leaves, so your plant surely is big enough to bloom.

Almost everything I have read (like 90 + %) says to induce bloom stop watering ~ Nov. 1 and place in a cool spot. Also, they typically do not bloom unless they have > 12 leaves.

From the President of the American Clivia Society:

"Plants should get no water between October 1 and January 22. "

Lots of info here:

http://www.shieldsgardens.com/...

How big is the pot? Mine like to be root bound.

Hmm, maybe I'll move my pot under the overhang to keep it from getting rained on. Sandi, mine are in about a 12in. pot and have been there for at least 5 years.

David, when my clivias start actively growing again after their dry rest period (indicated by new leaves), I usually start watering them very lightly and increase watering as the leaf matures and buds form. From what I read, they only need a rest period of 5 to 6 weeks (no water and cool temps below 50 degrees), before they start active growth again. I keep mine in my garage and bring them indoors when they start growing again. Come to think of it, I need to check on mine. I made the mistake of dividing and repotting one of mine during the dormant period and watered it, forgetting that it was dormant, and when I realized it weeks later and unpotted it, I found lots of rooted roots. My mistake.

@DavidLMO. How big is the pot your clivia is planted in? Mine need to be root bound to bloom.

Sorry Elaine, I wasn't clear that I was asking David.

And I was just agreeing with you on keeping them root bound to bloom well.

I see. I misunderstood. Looks healthy!

7 " which is likely too big. I think I should have put it in a 5" or so. I bought it summer '14 and it had like 4 leaves and I kept it in the 4 " pot it came in for a year. Repotted last summer and just grabbed a pot. I forgot it likes to be pot bound. (Unfortunately my memory has problems sometimes. Ain't quite as it was 30 or 40 years ago. )

I moved it to my back unused bedroom where it will be much cooler (sorta unheated) and adequate light.

David, these plants are not nearly as fussy as the books lead you to believe. I have been growing them for about 40 years and I really don't do anything special.

Elaine, you should try some in the ground. This poor thing lived through 2 of the worst winters in history here; the picture was taken last April. The leaves are shorter than normal this year but if unless we have another wicked winter it will be fine. The potted plant stays out on my front porch and was only covered on the coldest nights. I bring it in when it is blooming so we can appreciate the pretty flowers. The last picture is a friend's. It has been in that pot for years and he does not do anything special either.

ardesia said:David, these plants are not nearly as fussy as the books lead you to believe. I have been growing them for about 40 years and I really don't do anything special.

And here I thought that I really had to fuss over em.

I had a couple in the ground that didn't make it, Alice. Now, I move them around to keep them out of the sun. Plus, with all the oak tree roots under the ground in my yard, some plants do ok and some have a lot of trouble getting established. For what you have to pay for a clivia, well, you know.

I have had them fail to bloom a couple of times, even though the plant looks great. So I'm going to try keeping it dry for a few weeks now that the weather's finally cooling off.

I don't think you have to fuss over them per se, @David, Clvia are very forgiving of many zones. But seeing that you are ignoring planting zones you might have to consider more protection in your zone than say someone in Florida. I got my clivia start from my MIL in Seattle. They would never think to place them outdoors, even in pots. They stay indoors in Seattle getting bright Seattle sunshine. Mine are in pots outside in the shade all year long except for the winter, when they are in the garage protected from frost. Yes, I think clivia are not fussy, as long as the proper precautions are taken. They can live in many planting zones.

My Clivia stays indoors year round. When I say that I ignore zones **, it basically means that I grow things that are out of zone for here - i.e. Zone 9 or 10 stuff. But they do not necessarily go in the ground. Virtually all are in pots. I do push the zone envelope - like 7 Crape Myrtles in the ground. Supposedly Zone 6 is their extreme. Lotsa other Zone 6 stuff - mostly near the foundation. Heck - some cannas in the ground since 2010.

** My phrase there was "Always pushing the Zone envelope" and Mellanie over in the Butterfly group one day said, "David you don't push zones, you ignore them". It stuck. I was telling her I wanted to buy a Firebush. Obviously, had I, I would have to lug it in. But I have tons of stuff I lug in.

For example (from Post Moving stuff indoors - Day 1:

6 ' Tropical Hibiscus
5 ' Tropical Hibiscus Standard
7 ' Weeping Fig Ficus
3 x 25-30 year old tender Agapanthus - very large. Repotted 4 wks ago
Spider plant x 2 (one with a whole brood of babies)
10 year old Lipstick plant
5' var. small leaf Shefflera
3 x bougainvillea
3 YO Lantana
30 YO 6' + Jasmine
2 x 10 + YO Asparagus Fern)
3 x Brunfelsia
3 + foot citronella Geranium pruned by ~ 18 "

And on Moving inside Day 2 I did:

The deck - ck (~ 20 plants)
The screened in porch - ck (~ 30 plants)
My pretend greenhouse - ck ( ~ 60 plants)

This included:

Bird of Paradise, climbing Ylang Ylang, two tropical Gingers, , myrh, Oleander, Brugmansia (3), frankincense, Dierama and Dietes. And lots more.

My Clivia, in a pot gets put in an unheated garage under work lights that are on for 12 hours and watered about once a month. They do just fine.

David, with my first clivia last Dec 2014, I just brought them indoors after its one month cold stay outdoors in a protected area. Then watered it. Then it happily made a bloom stalk in mid January last year. And you would have already read my clivia growing observations in another thread, I just grow them in a container too.

I have seen clivia's in San Francisco, and they are grown in ground but very shaded by the huge trees above them. San Franscisco weather is colder and they get more rain than we do in winter. But rain here in Cali is really sporadic, except this winter, due to El NIno. Anyways, just observing how much cold these plants enjoy.

I am waiting for my clivia's this year to show me if I did right or wrong, one keeping it indoors but kept dry during late Fall to December..and another one kept in our cold garage, no lights, kept dry all December, and now back by the bay window side. I just watered them yesterday for the first time..so keeping fingers crossed, like you. I am really impressed with this plant..how drought tolerant it is really.

[Snipping a lot of good info.]

tarev said:I am really impressed with this plant..how drought tolerant it is really.

Really! If I did not water most of my plants for nearly 2 months they would die on me.

Moved from back bedroom to garage where it is ~ 50. Will leave it there for no more than a week. Then bring in and start watering.

David, it takes me 3 days to take all my stuff to the g'house, and I have a loader tractor at my disposal. Might could get it done in 2, but after lugging and dragging those ginormous pots I need to take a breather or two that sometimes lasts too long. LOL

My clivia has to be so horrendously rootbound I'm surprised it hasn't broken the pot.