On 5/17/12 8:27 AM, Higgs Boson wrote:
On May 16, 10:49 pm, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 5/16/12 6:10 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:









On May 15, 9:54 pm, "David E. Ross" wrote:
On 5/15/12 2:34 AM, Jeff Layman wrote:

On 09/05/2012 17:10, Higgs Boson wrote:
My Clivia is wrapping up its beautiful, beautiful blooms. Is there any
reason NOT to remove the stalks after flowers end? IOW, my q. is:
The nourishment for next bloom is acquired and stored by the
**leaves** I assume. So would removing the stalks hurt or help the
plant. Normally, I wouldn't hesitate to remove them, but in the case
of this Clivia, I want to be sure.

(Incidentally, these are all from few plants given to me by a former
neighbor decades ago. I realize they like to be crowded, but over the
years I have thinned the groups numerous times and started other,
successful, groups).

TIA

As the flower stalks are green, I would expect them to photosynthesise
and add to the general food store. I would leave them until
they start to shrivel or go off-colour, then cut them off. It's what I
do with my Hippeastrum papilio.

I would remove the faded flowers and forming seed pods from the ends of
the stalks but leave the stalks themselves until they are no longer green.

Well, I wish you guys had answered sooner! I thought nobody was going
to address the question, so I removed the stalks!!!! Now I guess I
will have to fertilize big-time -- but that has always been my weak
spot -- I never know WHEN to fertilize. Recommendations?

HB

Fertilize lightly so as not to burn the roots.

OK, but WHEN? Right now, after removing flower stalks? Or when
plant goes "dormant"? Or?

I feed my bulbs only
once a year with a house-brand of lawn food from Orchard Supply (no weed
killer or insecticide, low or no phosphorus).

Lawn food? For Clivia? Interested -- phosphorus exception noted --
but could you clarify why not a more specific food?


I feed my garden in the late winter or early spring. I delay feeding
azaleas and camellias until they finish blooming. Most plants get only
one feeding a year. The exceptions are my roses, dwarf citrus, and
gardenia, all of which require lots of nutrients. I also give an extra
feeding to woody shrubs right after pruning them, which is not every
year. (I prune different shrubs every year, not the same ones. Most of
them get cut every 3-4 years.)

I use OSH's house-brand lawn food because it's the cheapest source of
nitrogen I can find. It also is not a fast-release fertilizer. A lack
of nitrogen is the limiting plant-growth factor in my garden's soil.
For phosphorus, I generally dig a generous amount of bone meal or
superphosphate into the hole when planting something; that lasts 10-15
years.

If you did not feed your clivia already this year, feed it now. Feeding
a plant while it is dormant is wasteful since the plant cannot use the
nutrients while it is not growing.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary