How To Grow Cyclamens

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Cyclamen belongs to that universal category of plants that are grown both as an indoor crop and in the open field. It is also called the alpine violet, and this is not without reason, because like the longest mountain range, these flowers can be found in a very wide area - from Spain along the Eastern Mediterranean to Iran. How are cyclamens grown in our latitudes?

Sowing cyclamen seeds

It is permissible to start sowing cyclamen at different times, but the optimal months for this is the period from May to August. Before starting work, you should calibrate the seeds and take the best and largest for sowing.

Soil mixture for sowing is prepared from:

• leaf land - 4 hours;

• soddy - 2 hours;

• sand - 1 tsp.

The seed boxes are filled with this substrate, sowed, and kept at a temperature in the range of + 18 … + 20 ° C. Seedlings make their way to the surface in about a month. As soon as this happens, the containers are installed in a well-lit place, while the temperature regime must be changed - the room must be cooled to a level of + 15 … + 18 ° С.

Picking up seedlings of plants

The nutrient substrate for the first picking of seedlings is made up of:

• leaf land - 1 hour;

• soddy - 1 hour;

• humus - 1 hour;

• peat - 1 hour;

• sand - 1 tsp.

Plants are placed in boxes according to a scheme of about 4x4 cm. After the leaves close, the second pick of cyclamens is started. This usually happens in December. This time, the plants need more space - 6x6 cm.

For those who grow cyclamens in the soil of the rack, it is more convenient to do with just one pick of plants. Then they are immediately placed at a distance of 8x8 cm.

In the winter months, in the premises where cyclamens are grown, the temperature is maintained within + 8 … + 12 ° С. This is due to the short daylight hours. With the arrival of spring, when the day becomes longer and there is more sun, the temperature rises to about + 20 ° C. In order for the plants to develop better, the room or greenhouse should be regularly ventilated, and the flowers should be sprayed.

Transplanting flowers into pots and caring for cyclamens

In March, the turn of the third pick comes. This time, cyclamens are placed according to a 10x10 cm scheme or they are immediately planted in pots with a diameter of 7-9 cm. Closer to May, they are transferred to warm greenhouses. In the daytime, you need to shade the frames, watering is made more abundant.

In summer, the plants are transferred twice into larger pots: in June and July. The new container should be about 2 cm wider than the previous one. In addition, it is recommended to arrange fertilizing with mineral fertilizers a couple of times. You also need to loosen the soil mixture. In this case, the leaves must be carefully bent back so that the plant is better illuminated.

Cyclamens for the garden

Not every cyclamen is suitable for growing in a flower bed. For these purposes, it is better to choose such varieties as the Neapolitan, European and Caucasian cyclamen, or the duckweed.

Caucasian cyclamen is also known as spring cyclamen. Despite its relatively small size, it is a very bright plant. It has leathery leaves of a dark green hue with a green-silver pattern, as if skillfully carved from malachite. The flowers are also small, about 1.5 cm in diameter. Petals of a very delicate pink-lilac shade with a dark speck at the base.

The planting of cyclamen tubers begins in July. Planting depth is about 5 cm. The flowering period begins after the snow melts, around April. By the middle of summer, the aboveground part of the flowers dies off. New leaves are formed in the fall. In this form, cyclamens hibernate.

Caucasian cyclamen can be propagated by dividing tubers and sowing seeds. When dividing, you need to be careful so that a kidney is preserved on each division. Sowing seeds is carried out in March. In addition to planting in the garden, these flowers are used for winter forcing in indoor conditions.