Grown in ideal conditions, Eucomis schijffii is a long-lived and rewarding plant. The ornamental rosette of bluish-grey leaves with maroonish undersides, and the appealing purplish leaf margins render this species desirable to grow for these characteristics alone. The curious purplishmaroon blooms each last 8-9 days and the developing fruits provide interest for many weeks. The dwarf nature of the plant and its requirement of winter drought preclude it from cultivation in general garden beds that are watered indiscriminately throughout the year, and it is most suitably cultivated as a container plant on a patio or in a cool greenhouse. Its dormant bulbs are frost hardy down to -5 ºC, and in mild climates this species can be grown outdoors in raised, well drained rock garden pockets, but in areas with wet winters, plants are best grown in pots and plunged for the summer, then brought under cover and stored dry in winter. In temperate climates, 200-250 mm diam. plastic pots are ideal but in colder parts, terracotta pots provide better soil aeration. Plant the bulbs in late spring or early summer with the top of the neck 10-20 mm below soil level. They perform well in acid media and a recommended mixture is coarse river sand, finely milled acid bark and sifted acid compost, used in equal proportions.

The plants can be grown in full sun or light shade; the higher the light intensity the more intensely bluish-grey the upper leaf surfaces will be. Apply moisture by drenching heavily once per week throughout summer and early autumn, reducing watering frequency in late autumn and ceasing moisture altogether in winter.

The bulbs are usually solitary and rarely produce offsets, but fresh seeds take about five weeks to germinate. If well grown, seedlings should flower in their fourth or fifth year. Sow the seeds 2-3 mm deep in pots or deep seed trays in spring or early summer, in the same medium recommended for adult bulbs, and allow seedlings to remain undisturbed for three years, before potting them up into permanent containers at the beginning of their fourth summer. It should be possible to propagate this species by basal leaf cuttings: Remove a leaf from the adult plant by holding it firmly at the base and pull it off with a swift tug. Insert the bottom of the leaf about 10 mm deep into a rooting medium such as equal parts of coarse river sand and vermiculite or finely milled bark, and place in a warm and dry, well ventilated area. Keep the medium just slightly moist, not continually wet, as excessive moisture leads to basal rotting. At the end of the summer growing period, the base of the withered leaf cutting should reveal bulblets along the cut surface.

Eucomis schijffii responds well to liquid or slow-release fertilizer applications with high potassium but low nitrogen content. Fertilizers with high nitrogen content tend to result in excessive leaf growth and poor flowering.

The plants are generally pest-free but the bulb scales and leaf bases are susceptible to infestations of mealy bug. The leaves may occasionally be eaten by caterpillars, and the leaf margins are sometimes chewed by nocturnal snout beetles. Fungal rotting of the bulbs occurs in the absence of a sufficiently dry winter dormant phase.