Divisions of auricula plants ready for replanting

Propagating auriculas

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Tuesday, 24 September 2019 at 3:16 pm

Boost your stock of pretty auriculas with our advice on how propagate them by dividing them.

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Beautiful and often with intricately marked flowers, auriculas are one of the charms of spring. Boosting your stock of these plants is easy and is best done when they have more than three offsets.

The ideal time to propagate auriculas is after flowering, so that new plants have a long season of growth in which to establish. Don't forget, auriculas are prone to rotting, so they should be planted in terracotta pots in free-draining compost – a mix of John Innes No. 2, leaf mould or multi-purpose compost plus horticultural grit or perlite is perfect.

Once potted, place them in a cool, airy spot that is sheltered from rain and strong sunlight, such as a cool greenhouse, and watch out for both grub and adult vine weevils.

Follow our simple advice on propagating auriculas by division, in our step by step guide.

You Will Need

Secateurs
Small terracotta pots
Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
Horticultural grit

Total time: 20 minutes

Step 1

Pulling the auricula rootball apart

To begin propagating auriculas, pull the plant apart gently, so that each section has roots and a shoot. The older flowered pieces, often in the centre, and any parts that are withered or soft, can be discarded.

Step 2

Trimming auricula roots

Trim each section, retaining the roots and main stem of each one, but remove the smaller, fibrous roots using sharp secateurs. Remove any dead leaves from the base too.

Step 3

Planting each offcut into a terracotta pot

Put each new plant into a small terracotta pot filled with a gritty compost mix. Plants with lower leaves removed can be planted deeply to encourage fibrous roots to develop from the stem.

Step 4

Adding grit around the surface of the compost

Water the compost well, then put a layer of grit on top of the compost – this will prevent the stem from rotting and will show off the plant.

Watch out for vine weevils

Auriculas are very susceptible to vine weevils. If you spot the grubs or adults, treat the compost with a biological control or insecticidal drench.

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