Repotting Auriculas – keeps them healthy not just show worthy.

When I looked into the Caley greenhouse on a Monday a couple of weeks ago I found out the Friday volunteers had been busy repotting the Auriculas!  I really like Auriculas but had a very bad year in 2025 and lost a lot of plants, some I had had for quite some time.  So I spoke to Colin and asked if he could give me some words and pictures for a blog to help me keep my little beauties safe!

So this blog is as much for me as it for anyone else as I am still a learner!.  Hopefully one or two of you will share your success at next year’s Primula & Auricula Show (May 2nd 2027) and help keep Auricula growing in Scotland a feature.

Remember: I actually got Best in show two years ago!!!  And I promise –  I am definitely NOT an expert.

So on to Colin’s advice!  Repotting Auriculas keeps them healthy – not just show worthy!

1. Knock the plant out of the pot and wash the roots in a bucket of water. Doing this cleans all the old compost off and exposes the plant’s root system
2. The cleaned root system exposes the older part of the rhyzome. The old brown and dying part needs to be trimmed off.
3. The old part of the root system (known as the carrot) is cut off. The treated plant is now ready for potting up. The best size of pot is a 9cm (3.5inch) terracotta coloured plastic pot (or a similar sized real clay pot). The compost needs to be a good peat free general purpose compost plus added horticultural grit (ratio approx 10 to 15 percent grit)

   

   

   
   
4. Auricula with cleaned roots should  be potted up in a clean small pot.  (Plants will often have an offset plant.  Remember to tease the roots apart gently and pot the offset separately.)
5. Your repotted Auricula

Fingers crossed for next year.

Pam