Repotting Tecophilaea
Bill Dijk (Wed, 23 Aug 2006 03:09:04 PDT)
Hi Rodger,
In addition to Jane McCary's excellent potting mix, I personally would add a
few grains of a well balanced, 8-9 months slow release, low nitrogen, NPK
fertiliser with trace elements (available from most garden centres)
As a rule I add it to most of our mixes, including the Tecophilaea type form
and variety violacea, with outstanding results and good sized corms.
From seed I usually get them to flower after 3 years.
Best wishes,
Bill Dijk
Tauranga, New Zealand :annual rainfall :1250 mm.
Sunshine hours, mean annual : 2350 hours.
Temp.mean max.Summer : 25°C. winter:///15°C/.
Temp.mean min. Summer :14.5°C. Winter: 5°C.
Wet mild Winters with occasional light frost.
The type form and var. leichtlinii seem to have done well and formed
a reasonable number of flowering size corms, but var. violcacea
formed only what you might call "half size" corms.
In my experience, violacea is markedly less hardy than the typical T.
cyanocrocus. I don't think there is any important difference between ssp.
cyanocrocus and ssp. leichtlinii; judging from the description of the
rediscovered wild populations, they are just color variants, the latter
having more white in the throat.
I grow mine in a mix with a lot of pumice (including fines), which is what
they would have in the wild; it provides ample iron and potassium.