| Long
term care
Position
In order to initiate flower spikes for the following season,
plants require full sun to part-shade from the time current
flowering has finished.
As an indication, light green coloured leaves reflect adequate
light levels whereas deep, dark green leaves signify insufficient
light.
Potting
This plant is growing in a mixture of Australian made Growool,
perlite and styrene. This mix has been developed to give stability
to the plant over many years of growth. It is in essence hydroponic.
This mix will never need to be replaced, when the plant outgrows
its pot simply slip it into a larger sized pot and fill the
gap with a suitable mix. Dividing a plant is often a recipe
for disaster as the plant is a formation of associated bulbs.
If incorrectly divided, it can spell the end of a healthy plant.
At best, the divided plant will more often than not take a couple
of seasons to recover fully enough to flower again.
Although this plant is in a pot, it is well suited to landscape
use and will grow very well in the ground. Care must be taken
to select an area that has sufficient light, is well drained
(ideally the bed will be raised above the ground level with
the addition of free draining material being recommended) and
mulched.
Water
While in flower and in a heated area watering should be carried
out 3 times a week. When flowering is completed, watering may
be reduced to twice weekly.
During the summer months watering should be increased to every
second day. These recommendations may need to be adjusted to
suit the weather conditions.
Fertilizing
Fertilizing a plant is the last piece of information as it is
the least important part of the information here, although it
is important to get this aspect correct. Fertilizer is nutrient.
Plants require a balanced diet of elements. These nutrients
are supplied in the form of salts to the plant. If to much is
applied then the plant cannot take up the nutrient nor can it
take up any water. This will be fatal to the plant. It is much
safer to under dose than over do it hoping to make the plant
grow better. Sick plants require less fertilizer and a good
dose will often finish them off.
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