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Care
and Cultivation
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If
you want to win prizes with your plants you need to greenhouse them for
most of the year except high summer. As most people are definitely not
interested in competitions but just want to enjoy their plants, here are
a few simple rules:
For
garden, trough. patio pot and alpine bed; choose a partially shaded spot
that doesn't get baked by the sun. To see them flower at their very
best, pop into 3 inch pots so you can move them around and protect the
flowers from thunderstorms.
In
pots you can stage spectacular displays in spring and put them away
somewhere shaded for the summer. In all situations they need plenty of
fresh air, and high potash feed. For pots try a simple compost made from
equal parts of multipurpose compost, John Innes no. 2 and grit.
If
you suffer from nasty pests such as vine weevil or root aphis, use
Provado. After flowering you can divide the plants, if offsets with
roots have formed, and put them up into the standard compost. Gently
pull off any brown leaves during winter and keep on the dry side until
spring.
Recommended
books.
For
excellent pictures and extensive growing advice you may want to consult
the following:
"Auriculas
for everyone" by Mary Robinson.
ISBN 1-86108-149-9
"Auriculas,
Their care and cultivation" by Brenda Hyatt.
ISBN 0-304-34070-7
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