was just given a potted clivia

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can we see the whole plant ...;.

do we know if your friend abused it ...

did you tip it out of the pot.. and look at the roots to see what you might see there ... shove it back in the pot when you are done looking ....

based on the coloration of what you see ... it sure doesnt look like anything real recent ... focus more on whether there is an on going problem .... and not freak out over what might have happens a long time ago ...

ken

I'll try to get a better shot tomorrow when there is natural light. I had already cut out some of the leaves I was most concerned about, before I decided I needed some advice. I was worried because I was seeing the odd brown areas on both old leaves and young new ones, though the "chewed" effect is only on the edges of older leaves. It looks like 2-3 larger plants and about 5 little ones. I have not tried tipping it out of the pot, but will do that tomorrow. What am I looking for in the roots? (The friend it came from is generally very knowledgeable about plants and has a large collection of thriving houseplants. I was surprised when I got this plant home and noticed the condition of the leaves but was reluctant to ask about it since it was a gift. But I could. Just hoping to have a better idea of what might be going on first...)

What am I looking for in the roots?

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anything out of the ordinary.. rotting ... bone dry media even after watering ... meaning a media failure ... bugs.. etc ...

you cant really diagnose a plant.. if you dont look at all of it ... why skip half the plant... its roots???

frankly.. that last pic.. i wish half my plants looked that good.. lol .. maybe since its new.. you are just hyper-focused on it a bit much ...

ken

That last photo looks like the potting media has mixed bark and perlite yet the first photo looks more like straight potting media that is fairly dense. Any chance of finding out what it is potted in?

Because if the soil holds on to too much moisture it can't dry out enough in between waterings, nor can air exchange happen. I know my own clivia does not want that amount of moisture retention, it really prefers to be dry.

I'd also check that it hasn't been buried too deeply.