Kafir Lily with no blooms

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by hlbdiva, Apr 6, 2007.

  1. hlbdiva

    hlbdiva Member

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    Hi! I have a Kafir lily that was given to me by a friend who was moving 2 years ago and although it has beautiful green leaves it has NEVER bloomed! It is in a south facing window that has sheer curtains and is shaded by a porch. I am not the best of gardeners so it has been neglected a lot. I water it when it looks really dry. The normal temp in our house changes from 20 deg in the early morning, down to 18 until we get home at 4 pm, back up to 20 until bed and then down to 17.5 for the night. The friend who gave it to me said that the blooms are spectacular and I would love to see them!!!

    help?!!!

    Thanks !!!!
     
  2. hibielover

    hibielover Active Member

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    Hi hlbdiva, Do you know how old your plant is? They don't tend to flower until they are four or five years old. Sounds like you are taking real good care of it! Also, do you feed your kaffir at all. I have two adult plants, that get a weekly watering, with weak plant food [any all purpose fert.] This is during the spring and summer growth period. In the winter [September on] they go down in our basement beside the window, and don't get watered at all for at least a month or two. If a kaffir gets this rest period, it usually will bloom in the spring or early summer. Good luck, and hope you get some bllooms!!
     
  3. hlbdiva

    hlbdiva Member

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    Hello! I'm not sure how old it is. I know that she had it for at least 3 or 4 years before it was given to me. My friend said that it did bloom for her. I haven't been feeding it at all...that's how neglectful I am. I'll give it a try!
    Thanks for your help!! I'm a bit of a gardening neophyte!
     
  4. Chester

    Chester Active Member 10 Years

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    You might consider calling them Clivia instead of Kaffir Lily. In South Africa, that is an extremely derogatory name (almost like the N word), and so they are no longer called that. North American books haven't caught on to this yet, but if enough of us know, then perhaps they will no longer called it the Kaffir lily :)
     
  5. Velda

    Velda Member

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    I have a beautiful Clivia which a friend gave me several years ago., which never bloomed for her. It has 3 or 4 huge blooms that appear on it in the spring. Last spring I divided it and gave a part to my grandson and it has also bloomed and has grown to a big plant. My question is do we cut the blooms off after they bloom or do we leave them? I have cut mine of but am not sure if this is right. Thanks
     
  6. Ron B

    Ron B Paragon of Plants 10 Years

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    If you leaves the flowers you may get seeds. Mine went on to sprout while still on the plant.
     
  7. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    The originator of this thread sent along the following image:
     

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  8. Cereusly Steve

    Cereusly Steve Active Member

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    If you must call them by a "common" name, Clivia are now called "Veld Lilies" in Africa and around the world because that other common name is very much racist and derrogatory. In Africa, it is considered much worse than being called the "N" word. Don't be one of those "ugly" Americans.
     

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