THE AURICULA YEAR
Spring
This is the most exciting time for Auricula growers. In February, as the daylight lengthens, the plants start to come out of the near dormancy of the winter months. March sees the start of the rapid lush spring growth and towards the end of the month one can look for tight flower buds in the centre of the plants. During April the flower stems start to rise and the leaves continue their spring growth. From about the middle of this month flowering starts, the alpines normally leading the way. Flowering continues through to the middle of May with the Green and Grey/White Edges and some of the Doubles being the last to flower. Once flowering is over plant growth goes into a rapid decline and it is during this time in the latter half of May and throughout June that I try to complete my repotting and take offsets and cuttings.
Summer
The summer, I have found, is the most difficult time to look after Auriculas. Growth stops, they dislike the hot sunny days of July and August and many of the lower leaves yellow and die back. They need plenty of shading and as great a flow of air as one can manage. Do not let them fool you into thinking they need water if, in the heat of the day, the leaves go limp. It is best to water in the early morning or late in the evening when the leaves are not wilting with the heat. Only give the bare minimum amount of water, remembering that the water is not going towards plant growth, but is being used for its survival during the months it dislikes.
Autumn
By the beginning of September, as the weather gets cooler, the plants start to grow again. Not the lush growth of spring, but a stockier rather fleshier growth, (this is a time when I breathe a sigh of relief) and the plants start to look much happier. Sometimes the odd plant will start to flower. By the middle of the month the shading should be removed to let the plants get the maximum amount of light. The plants continue to put on a small amount of growth throughout October until the colder weather and shorter days arrive.
Winter
Over the winter months Auriculas go into a near dormancy period and many of their lower leaves will go yellow then dry out. Carefully remove these leaves to help prevent botrytis, which can cause the plants to rot. In a bad winter the leaves may die back until just the central bud is left and plant pots become rock hard with frost but do not despair. So long as the plants are kept very nearly but not dust dry they will come to no harm.
N.B. I have named months in this resume of the Auricula year, but please bear in mind that how far north or south, and the severity or otherwise of the winter, etc. all make for variations in exactly when one can expect things to happen.
ADVICE ON GROWING AURICULAS
SITE
All Auriculas are completely hardy and can be grown outside, in a free-draining soil with some summer shade. However, to look their best they need protection from the elements, particularly the Show types, whose paste is easily spoiled by the rain so, except for the border types which should be grown outside, these are best grown in a cold greenhouse, polytunnel or cold frame with plenty of ventilation. They need all the light they can get from mid autumn to mid spring, but when the light get stronger (about April) and throughout the warmer months they must have adequate shading as they do not like strong sunlight. Border Auriculas are traditionally grown outside and allowed to make small clumps with a display of many flower-heads.
SOIL
The main requirement of the compost is that it must be free-draining. The roots will rapidly deteriorate and become black and mushy if left in a wet, heavy compost. There are numerous variations of the type of gritty compost traditionally used but a home made mixture of 3 parts John Innes No3, 1 part grit, 1 part sharp sand and 1 part peat, well mixed together, is suitable. However we have found over the years that we get better root growth and less rotting off when growing in plastic pots by using a peat based multi-purpose compost with the addition of a minimum of 20% Perlite or grit - but not firmed down too much in the pot. If growing in porous containers such as terracotta we suggest trying a mix of 60% peat based multi-purpose, 20% John Innes No2, and 20% grit (or Perlite) where the addition of the JI helps to retain a little more moisture. In any mixture 20% should be considered as an absolute minimum of grit or Perlite.
FEEDING
All Auricula growers have their own theories on feeding, and my own thoughts are constantly being modified. As I have no wish to overlaod a new enthusiast, my guidance for a beginner to produce healthy plants with reasonable flowers would be to give a couple of half strength feeds of a low nitrogen fertiliser (such as Chempac No. 8) in the autumn and a week feed (about a quater strength) of a balanced fertiliser (such as Chempac No. 3) throughout the spring until flowering is over. No plant flourishes better, however, by being overfed so keep the solution weak.
WATERING
The most important rule is never to over water. It is by far the most common cause of plant loss. During the winter the plants should be no more that just moist, but not dust dry. A little more water should be given as growth restarts, increasing as growth gets more vigorous and during flowering. As the spring growth stops, the water should be cut back and plants should be kept on the dry side over the summer months, a slight increase in water is needed in the autumn when they put on their autumn growth.
PESTS
In the Soil
Vine weevil is the most serious soil pest for Auriculas with the grubs rapidly eating all the roots and so killing the plant. A sign of their presence is when the adult beetle has bitten notches out of the edge of the leaves. Wooly aphids can establish themselves around the neck and root of a plant that has been kept too dry and scarid fly enjoy breeding in the vegetative matter in the soil. Bio Pavado used twice a year (spring and autumn) is the best precaution against these pests, but do use it at full strength otherwise rather than eradicating them you are enchouraging the pests to build up a resistance to the chemicals.
On the leaves
Thankfully Auriculas are not particularly prone to all the barrage of sap sucking insects that are around, although it is possible for them to be attacked by green fly, white fly etc. These normally spread onto Auriculas from other plants in the area but a good spray with Polysect will clear up the problem. The biggest problem nowadays, particularly with plants kept under cover, is Red Spider Mite aka Two Spotter Spider Mite, which has a good resistance to over-the-counter sprays. There are predatory mites (Phytosuelis) which are effective when the weather is warm enough. At the first signs of a plant not looking quite right, have a look through a strong magnifying glass and, if there is any sign of the mite, move the plant outdoors. All too often by the time the problem is noticed the infestation can be severe.
REPOTTING AND OFFSETS
Re-potting can be done either straight after flowering or in the early autumn. We take the plant out of its existing pot , remove any loose compost, trim back any excessive root growth and re-pot into a clean pot whilst being careful not to over-pot. Only if a plant shows signs of root-rot do we take off all the compost and cut back the damaged roots as I think this gives the plant a tremendous set-back. If the plant has been trimmed back it will then go back into a smaller pot. Offsets can be taken when you re-pot and any wounds should be dressed with yellow sulphur before the offset is put into a small pot of its own. Keep them cool and be very careful not to let them dry out completely.
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