Unless you plan to try propagating from seed, cut off the faded flower and stem once the bloom is finished so that the plant does not expend energy on creating seeds. A Clivia plant can add four or more new leaves a year but needs to focus on this task once flowering has finished.

Allowing your Clivia to develop seeds for propagation demands a lot of the plant's resources. It can add considerable stress to a plant and may deter its development. If you would like to try propagating Clivia from seed, begin by hand-pollinating the flowers. Viable seed are only formed from flowers that have been pollinated. That does not occur naturally indoors and if you would like your Clivia to form seeds for propagation, you should pollinate it using a fine paint brush. Flowers are ready when pollen has become powdery and the stigmas are sticky. Gently sweep pollen from one flower to a receptive stigma of another flower. If you have more than one plant, a greater success rate may be achieved by using the pollen from a different plant. Repeat the pollen transfer process over a period of several days.

Propagation from seed can be done as soon as seeds ripen (transform from green and become soft) on the plant, which can take up to a year from the time they are formed. Remove the juicy outer fruit layer and sow on the surface of damp seed starting mix. Keep the plant in indirect light and steady warmth of about 70ºF. Maintain a mildly damp condition. When the stem is an inch or two long, pot up the seedlings and treat as mature plants.

Read more about caring for clivia houseplants in NYBG's Guide to Clivia.

Courtesy of NYBG Plant Information Service