| Long
term care
Position
Sarcochilus are native to the Australian east coast. The plants
are found in areas where moist air is prevalent. Often found
in gullies and around creeks. This location means the plants
have evolved to have no water storage. Sarcs flower in spring
and in order to initiate flower spikes a ‘Chilling’
is required during the short days of winter. This not a problem
where a plant is growing outside, however when grown indoors,
with air-conditioning, a drop in temperature will need to be
applied.
Medium level light is required for growth and to aid in flowering.
As an indication the leaves should be upright and light green
in colour to reflect adequate light levels whereas broad flaccid,
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
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 a position 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 2 or 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 too 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 overdo it hoping to make the plant
grow better. Sick plants require less fertilizer and a strong
dose will often finish them off.
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