On 7 May 2007 18:15:59 -0700, mleblanca wrote:

On May 5, 1:30 pm, Persephone wrote:
On Wed, 02 May 2007 12:05:58 -0700, Persephone wrote

I went to the Web, and found, inter alia, this comment about watering:

**************

Water regularly, spring through fall. Try to water around, not on, the
bulb and avoid wetting the leaves.

**************

Gwacious! Why "avoid wetting the leaves"? Straight question.
I have, in fact, made a point of rinsing them off from time to time
because here (So Calif coastal) there's no natural rainfall to
clean the leaves.

Does this really hurt them? Why?

(Don't forget the original question about when to deadhead!)

Persephone

Hi Perse
I have checked 6 books* clivia
I found absolutely nothing about "avoid wetting leaves/bulb"
The only advice about watering was " keep fairly dry in winter,
increase water in spring, summer" Most of the advice was
about growing in greenhouse/pots. So the only reason I can think
of would be that by avoiding wetting the leaves/bulb in a potted
plant you would avoid rot/fungus in the winter??

The only comment deadheading came from Sunset W
Grden Bk: "Flowers are followed by ornamental red berries."
So if you want ORBs don't deadhead at all!

* AHortSoc, Botanica, Reader's Digest, Time-Life, Wymans
and Sunset WGB
Emilie
NorCal with 94 warm degrees today (shade)

Thank you very much, Nor.Cal. sister for the thoughtful
research! So I get a free pass on rinsing off dusty leaves!

As to the ORBs, if I let them form, won't I be inhibiting
the plant from putting up new flower spikes in next cycle?

IOW, having made seeds, won't the plant think, as most flowers do,
"OK, having provided for the next generation, now I can die."?