How to grow clivia mirabilis from seed

It is important to know that Clivia Mirabilis grow in a very isolated environment that seems to be free from the different fungal diseases introduced by commercial architecture. Clivia Mirabilis will germinate easily, but to keep them healthy and disease free for the first year when they are still fragile and small might be easier said than done. The first step is thus to clean the seed properly before planting it, by washing it an anti-fungal liquid and dipping it a diluted liquid like Sporekill. Thereafter let the seeds dry out and give them a little bit of weak sunlight.When you get seeds from me I have done this already for you. All you have to do is prepare the growing medium.

In the meantime it is equally important to prepare your growing mix. In nature Clvia Mirabils grow in a soil mixture made up of leaf litter and grit stone with a ph value of close to 7. The other civia species prefer a ph around 6. It is therefore important to treat your growing mix as well before planting the seeds. The best way is to sterilise it with steam. You can do the same with a microwave oven by putting the damp soil in the microwave oven and heat it for a few minutes. A safer alternative will be to use sterilised peat as a growing or germination method and then to replant the seedlings in an oak leaf litter mix when they are a year old.

The third important thing to keep in mind is the growing conditions. Like most bulbous plants in the Western Cape, Clivia Mirabilis seeds ripen just before the winter rains arrive. They thus wait for the first cold spell and rain before they start germinating. Germination can take place over a period of say 4 weeks. Some will be quick and some will be slow - this is a nature built in survival mechanism just in case there is a change in weather before the real winter season sets in. While other clivia species need a little bit of heat to germinate - seed gets ripe in September when it is Spring in South Africa, Clivia Mirabilis germinate when it is winter and the average day temperature varies between 12 to 20 degrees Celsius and average night temperatures between 4 to 10 degrees Celsius.

Plant the seeds by placing them on top of the growing medium. See the photos below for illustration. All you will have to do next is to regularly inspect them for fungal diseases. Germinate and grow them in a cool environment for the first year - around 15 to 18 degrees Celsius in an air conditioned environment if you live in the northern hemisphere and have purchased seeds from me. Give them an hour of weak morning or late afternoon sun to strengthen them and kill off any developing fungus. Keep the soil or growing medium damp during their growing cycle, which is winter in South Africa.

Clivia Mirabilis only grow during the winter season and flowers in Autumn - usually between September and October in South Africa. If your Clivia Mirabilis suddenly stop growing during the summer season, it is quite normal, as they are usually dormant during summers.Expect one to a maximum of two leaves to develop during the first year. In year two, more leaves will develop and the seedling will grow faster as it gets older. Mirabilis like afternoon sun. The best place to grow it is against a wall where it gets sun in the late afternoon - say from 14h00 onward. 

Below are a series of photos illustrating uncleaned clivia miabilis seed, cleaned clivia mirabilis seed, clivia mirabilis seed germinating  - the age of these seedlings are between one to two months old and the last photos are of potted Clivia Mirabilis seedlings that is around six months old. The last two photos show an albino Clivia Mirabilis which is luckily very rare. It is the first one I came across. Albino clivia usually dies within their first year, because they cannot feed themselves. From these photos I hope you can spot the differences between germinating clivia mirabilis seedlings and the other type of clivia.