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mircea123

kaffir lily drying out

mircea123
10 years ago

Hello everyone,

I just re-potted a kaffir lilly i got off ebay, but it doesn't look that well.

The flower is 20" tall and has a 10" pot. After I re-potted it, it started flowering and just before the flowers opened, they started drying out so I decided to cut them in an attempt to preserve the plant's energy. One week later, the plant is drying out and it doesn't look like water helps it. It has plenty of light, but no direct sun. Temperature in my room is around 20-25 degrees.

I have been searching for an answer online, but i still couldn't find out what I'm doing wrong. Any help will be much appreciated. Thank you,

Comments (6)

  • birdsnblooms
    10 years ago

    Hello Mircea,

    Temps are 20-25F degrees???
    Although Clivia/Kaffir Lily endures cold temps, most plants will not thrive under 35F...Including Kaffir Lily.

    Can you set your plant in a warmer spot?

    Second, you shouldn't have repotted, especially since your plant was blooming.

    Actually, I leave myt KL in a pot until roots burst the container. lol.
    Tight roots promotes next year's blooms.
    They should be repotted once every three years..if needed.

    Flowers last 5-7-months, but I believe the blooms on your plant were forced.
    Clivia starts budding from Feb through July, depending on light, etc.

    What type of soil did you use? KL needs well-draining and a little fertile soils.
    During winter, soil should dry completely...once buds form, more water is needed, but never soggy.

    You're main priority keeping your KL alive is up'ing temps.

    Toni

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    10 years ago

    The name "Kaffir Lily" is considered offensive because Kaffir is a derogatory term for African natives in South Africa, where the plant comes from. The preferred term is Clivia as Toni said. There is a Clivia forum on Gardenweb but it is not very active. Even so, if you read some of the old postings, you can learn about its culture.

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    10 years ago

    Mircea: I am sorry. I just realized you are in Denmark and your temps must be Celsius, so about the same as 68-77 F. That's a fine temperature for growing them, although many people grow them at 40-50 F (5-10 C) in winter to encourage flowering in the spring. Since yours has already flowered, you don't need to do that since it probably won't flower again until at least a year from now.

    You said it looks dried out. I'm not sure what that means since the leaves typically don't appear wilted or "dried out." Clivias are very sensitive to root rot. They prefer a fast draining potting mix that should dry out between waterings. Is it possible your plant has root rot?

    Here is a link that might be useful: Clivia forum discussion

  • mircea123
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    thank you for your reply Ohiofem. yes, temperature is Celsius, didn't cross my mind to mention it.

    when i say i re-potted it, i mean that i took it out of the plastic container used for shipping and potted it in a proper container. i shouldn't have done that?

    the leaves are basically turning brown from tip down. as far as the soil goes, i used some supermarket soil which in hindsight seems to have been a bad idea. what soil is best to use? thanks!

    i'll also check the other sub-forum for more info.

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    10 years ago

    Mircea: Brown tips suggest your roots are drowning. They need to dry out. In winter, my clivias can go four to six weeks without watering. The best potting mix for them would be made up of larger particles, like chipped bark. Some people in the states use a mix made for cactuses and succulents, with added perlite. I have even grown them in orchid bark. If you think the potting mix they are in now will stay wet for a long time, it might be better to repot them in a more suitable mix. People in South Africa use milled pine bark. I don't know what would be available to you in Europe. I do know that they are popular in the Netherlands, so maybe you could find out what growers there use.

  • Ohiofem 6a/5b Southwest Ohio
    10 years ago

    I found the name of the European Clivia source: id'flor. See the link below.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Id'flor

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