CYCLAMEN IN HOME CONDITIONS – CARE TIPS. YOUR SEEDS
Cyclamen from seeds
Many of us, flower girls, repeatedly admired exquisite noble flowers, passing by the windows of houses, mistresses who were lucky enough to be the owners of luxurious cyclamen. And often such a flower comes to our house as a precious and desired gift.. Now, after a while, you will be able to present your friends with your own grown cyclamen!!
SUNNY, BUT NOT TOO
As soon as a cyclamen appears in your house, try to create comfortable conditions for him, and he will thank you with lush and long flowering.
Here are some tips. Lighting must be adequate, but not bright, otherwise, not only the leaves will get burned, but the corollas of flowers will also fall off quickly. Therefore, if you have southern windowsills, take care of lingering on sunny days. Watering should be abundant, but not frequent, with only cool water. I water my cyclamens into the pallet.
Never pour water on the cyclamen tuber.!
During the period of budding and flowering, it is imperative to fertilize the soil with complex fertilizer for flowering plants.
Temperature – the most important condition for growing cyclamen. During the flowering period, it should not exceed 14-16 °.
Otherwise, the plant becomes depressed., sheds leaves quickly, stops forming buds, flowers wither, peduncles droop. Therefore, you need to immediately find a suitable place for the flower.: it could be a veranda, loggia, balcony, heated greenhouses, shelves with artificial lighting.
TIME FOR REST
It is important to provide the cyclamen with a rest period.. After yellowing, wilting and falling leaves (this usually happens from April to June) it is necessary to rearrange the pot with a tuber in a dark, cooler, but dry place (I keep in the closet on the veranda).
HOW TO GET YOUR CYCLAMEN SEEDS
Is it possible to independently pollinate cyclamens and get seeds? Yes! But you need to try. To do this, during the flowering period, bring your thumbnail to the center of the corolla., and with the other hand lightly tap on top of the flower, knocking out pollen from stamens, collecting it for pollination. Immediately transfer the finger with the precious pollen to the next open flower (preferably on another plant) and "dip" the middle of this flower in pollen, collected from the first. This procedure must be carried out repeatedly over several days..
If fertilization is successful, then after the petals fall off, the pedicel will not soften, and will begin to slowly sink to the bottom of the flowerpot, while twisting slightly. A box is formed in place of the flower, which, as it matures, increases in size and begins to turn brown. Seed ripening occurs on average 1,5-2 months.
During this time, the pedicel gradually dries out., the box is cracking, and this time cannot be missed. I put a blank sheet of paper under the flowerpot and immediately see, when ripe seeds fall on the leaf. They need to dry, but not in the bright sun, and in the room. And put in a cardboard box for storage.
GETTING STARTED SEEDING CYCLAMEN
I plant seeds in shallow containers with a clear plastic lid. I put drainage on the bottom, from above – purchased loose soil based on peat with the addition of perlite. I spread the seeds according to the scheme 1,5 on 1,5 cm, sprinkle with the same soil, I spill it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. I put it in a dark place. Seeds germinate long enough in the dark: not less 3-4 weeks, and sometimes more.
So you need to be patient. The first time I do not look into the container, then periodically, if needed, I spray it a little and again put it in the dark (!) a place. When the first "loops" of seedlings hatch – I rearrange it on a sunny windowsill, but I open the lid gradually, accustoming plants to the air of the room. When will appear 2-3 real leaves, need to be transplanted into separate flowerpots, but not deep, so as not to sprinkle the top of growth with soil. A month after transplanting, I begin to fertilize the flowers with a weak solution of complex fertilizer.
I do not consider myself a "pro", but I can say, that the desire to have this or that flower, regardless of the complexity of growing, persistent (but extremely pleasant) labor will always give the desired results.
© Author: Elena TIPS, urban-type settlement Konstantinovka, Mykolaiv region.
CYCLAMENS IN THE GARDEN, IN OPEN GROUND – LANDING AND CARE
Garden cyclamens are not like indoor Persian. These are his humble relatives, which are able to live and bloom outdoors in the middle lane. Cyclamens - ephemeroids, grow and bloom for about six months, the rest of the time the tubers are dormant. There are spring blooming (March, April) and autumn flowering species (August-October).
Suitable for the middle lane: Cyclamen kosky (FROM. coum) and subspecies - Cyclamen Kuznetsova and Caucasian; Cyclamen purple (FROM. Purpurascens) and Cyclamen ivy, or neapolitan (C.hederifolium= С. Naples).
Conditions in the garden
Weakly acidic soil does not harm plants, but they prefer neutral or alkaline, containing calcium. It is better to choose slightly elevated and well-lit places for them., not flooded in spring (and in warm winters) melt water. High humidity can lead to rotting of tubers.
Before planting, I add coarse sand, it would be nice to add fine limestone crushed stone or travertine.
These cyclamens are responsive to the introduction of leaf humus and mulching.
Landing
Cyclamens are planted in summer or September - so, so that the top of the tuber is at or below the soil surface by 1-3 cm. The basic principle is that the leaf bud remains above the ground. Exception - Cyclamen Neapolitan, it is desirable to bury it on 5-7 cm and be sure to mulch for the winter with a layer of soil about 5 cm. Best planting mix: light loam (with the addition of coarse sand), fine lime gravel, leaf humus (2:1:2).
© Author: Natalia ZARUCHEYSKAYA, plant collector, r. Elektrostal. Photo by the author
PERSIAN CYCLAMEN AT HOME
Persian cyclamen - popular as a gift for the winter holidays. To please you or loved ones for as long as possible, we offer a short "instruction" with the main points on the purchase and maintenance.
HOW TO CHOOSE A CYCLAMEN
Carefully choose the right instance.
Leaves. Healthy they are different shades of green, depending on the variety. There should be no signs of yellowness, admissible only 1-2 naturally yellowed lower leaves. Pay attention to the underside of the plates. Small light grains and a light cobweb indicate the presence of a spider mite, and dry "dashes" and spots with black dots on the front side - about damage by thrips.
If there are few pests, they can be easily controlled with insecticides. (eg, "Fitoverma"). With a strong infection, it is better to refrain from buying.
Tuber. feel it, gently pressing on both sides. It must be tight, strong, never lethargic or too dry.
Flowers. Choose an instance with a large number of unopened buds - so you can admire the flowering of cyclamen for longer.
NEXT STEPS
At home, be sure to immediately remove the cyclamen from the package - the plant needs good ventilation.
Remove the top layer of soil, freeing the tuber 2/3. So it will dry quickly and will not rot..
To prevent pests, carefully spray the leaves with an insecticide., let dry.
Set the plant pot on a tall tray, to be able to irrigate from below, and if necessary (check soil moisture) add cold water to it.
Place the cyclamen in a cool (Ideally - + 12-15 city.) location, eg, on a glazed balcony or close to glass on a light windowsill.
Don't rush to transfer, spend it after the end of flowering.
© Author: Natalia GUBANOVA.
Persistent cyclamens
An amazingly beautiful cyclamen with pale pink wavy petals was bought somehow at a markdown at the end of January. Pleased me for a month and a half!
Once on a frosty sunny day I came home from work, and my handsome man "spread out" the leaves, and flowers… Put the pot in a bowl of water 21.00, and at midnight the bush fully came to life. Unbelievable! However, the plant died during the summer., like another newcomer with red butterfly flowers: after flowering put flowerpots with plants on their side in the shade, did not moisturize.
NEW ATTEMPT
For a long time I passed by cyclamens in stores, and this year in the spring again could not resist, bought discounted white and white-burgundy varieties in a deplorable state (dry and almost leafless). В жару поливала в поддон через день, добавляя раз в 4-5 дней удобрение для цветущих, и брызгала водой на листья, которых много наросло за лето. В Интернете читала, that for someone these "persistent tin soldiers" bloomed even in hell. How do you want to keep such a miracle for several years. And when to cross-transplant pets? 'Cause now they're pretty good.
Tubers of your first cyclamen, likely, dried up. Removing resting plants in the shade, they still need to be watered.. It is enough to lower the pot into a container of water about once a week for 3-4 seconds. When the tubers wake up in August, start moisturizing, focusing on the condition of the soil (the pot should be light before watering) and leaves.
If the plant actively vegetates in summer, it needs to be shaded from the sun and carefully watered into the pan, letting the substrate dry. Do not rush to transplant cyclamens, пока клубень не заполнит почти весь объем горшка. При достаточных подкормках растение будет прекрасно себя чувствовать.
Земляной ком при пересадке не разрушайте. Грунт берите легкий, breathable. A large number of drainage holes is desirable in the pot.
Svetlana BURKO, collector
I bought a flowering cyclamen and want to transplant it into a new pot, but I do not know, можно ли это сделать сейчас. Не повредит ли это цветению?
Sure, пересаживайте. Только не нарушайте земляной ком, уберите лишь верхний слой почвы, аккуратно освободив верхушку клубня. To the bottom of a new pot (d=13-15 cm) pour a layer of expanded clay, closing drainage holes. The substrate is suitable loose (soil + peat + perlite), good water permeability, с pH 5, 8-6, 0. Install the plant in the flowerpot, so that the tuber is slightly above the edge of the container. If the earth ball is well moistened, possible after transplant 1 – 2 do not water for a day.
CONTENT TIPS
The most suitable windows for cyclamen are northern and eastern.
The optimum temperature is not higher +20 city.
Do not place the flower near heating devices.
Watering is better from below, наполнив поддон водой, и спустя некоторое время (through 30-40 minutes) слить излишки. Подойдет и верхний полив, только делайте это очень осторожно по краю горшка. Растение не любит как избыток, так и недостаток влаги.
Ludmila PICHUGINA
Last spring, my "wishlist" came true - pure white cyclamen. Bought it at a discount, with three leaves and one flower, but snow-white, yes even with wavy petals. Сердце замирало — впереди лето, а у меня квартира на южную сторону Как сохранить красоту? Вспомнила, как кто-то из коллекционеров писал, что держит цикламены на южных окнах (there are no other options). Exposed and their pets (Bought two more discounted ones along the way.) in May in an open loggia, watered almost every day in pallets. And - a miracle! Soon everyone grew beautiful leaves. And then the buds appeared. My cyclamens have been in the sun for 2-3 hours a day. Yes, leaves lost turgor, but when I removed the plants in the shade, sprinkled with distilled water, after some time they returned to normal.
Now all three bushes with flower caps: white and burgundy, maroon, and so desirable - white. I managed not only to drink, fatten handsome men, but also wait for a decent flowering.