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It seems that young clivia seedlings sometimes stop growing abruptly at about the two-leaf stage. There might be any of several reasons for this, and there may be some was to counteracts a few of them. Two possible causes come to my mind immediately: Disease, and dormancy.

Disease

If the clivia seedlings in question have been kept continuously damp, to push them to faster growth, there is always the possibility that some form of rot may enter. There is a page in this section on this type of problem: CLICK HERE

Dormancy

Another possible cause for slowing of growth in an otherwise apparently healthy seedling is that some environmental condition has caused the plant to think it needs to go into a dormant state. Here, "dormant" means simply physiologocally quiescent, not actively growing. It should not be taken to suggest shedding of the leaves, for instance. Losing leaves would indicate a pathological condition, not dormancy.

Conditions that might induce dormancy in what should be a very actively growing young Clivia seedlings could include excessive dryness or excessively cool temperatures. Other forms of stress could also conceivably cause the plants to go into a state of physiological inactivity.

Treatments

These are simply guesses. Anyone with experience in handling such arrested seedlings is asked to contact me: <jim@shieldsgardens.com>

First of course, if a disease condition is suspected, the plant should be treated. Remove from the growing mixture, wash well and possibly sterilize with dilute hydrogen peroxide solution (see: Diseases and Pests). Let dry in air for a day or two. Then treat as for a dormant seedling.

A dormant or resting seedling, apparently completely healthy except for having stopped growing for a considerable time, needs to be re-started. As for a diseases plant being rescued, the resting seedling will be susceptible to disease if merely kept wet and warm. My preferred treatment for encouraging growth is as follows:

• Feed with a dilute solution of a soluble plant food.
    
  
• Add to the dilute fertilizer solution a growth stimulant such as Vitamin B1 or SuperThrive®. Both of these contain both an auxin, alpha-naphthelene-acetic acid (NAA), as well as vitamin B1 (thiamin). I add about 1 mL per Liter of water (about ½ to 1 teaspoonful per gallon).
    
  
• If not already growing there, move to a brightly lit, warm spot. Strong light but short of direct afternoon sunshine would be best. Temperatures close to 75°F (ca 23°C) would probably be ideal.
    
  
• You might experiment with gibberellins too. Both auxins and gibberellins are triggers to call a dormant plant back to active growth. I have not tried using gibberellins, but it would be worth some experimenting. Please share your experience if you do try gibberellins on Clivia.
    
  

Unfortunately I cannot guarantee results. The condition can also be a consequence of genetic abnormalities in the seedling. There will be no way to rescue a plant is such cases.

Jim Shields

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