Growing Cyclamen At Home: Types Of Cyclamen, Growing Rules

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

"Butterflies" on the windowsill. Part 1

When it is a long winter outside, I really want to dilute the whiteness of the snow with bright colors. That is why indoor floriculture is so common in cold regions (including ours, in the North-West). Cyclamen is rightfully considered one of the most beautiful winter flowering plants.

In nature, cyclamen (Cyclamen) occurs in mountain meadows, forests, bushes, along the banks of rivers and streams. Its range covers the Mediterranean, North and North-East Africa and Iran, and some species are common in the Crimea and the Caucasus. Recently, however, it has become more and more popular here, in temperate climates, however, as a potted plant.

Types of cyclamen

Cyclamen European (purple) is one of the most beautiful plants in European alpine meadows. This plant is 10-15 cm high. Leaves are leathery, dark green with a silvery pattern on the top. Flowers - from purple to deep pink with a pleasant aroma.

Fatran cyclamen is very similar to European cyclamen, with the exception of the leaves, which on the upper side of the leaf blade lack the white pattern characteristic of European cyclamen.

Cyclamen koskiy is a plant with dark brown, velvety tubers. The roots grow from the bottom of the tuber. Leaves appear in the fall, in nature they winter under the snow. The flowers are usually pale pink.

Cyclamen ivy (Neapolitan) has very beautiful leaves - like ivy leaves, notched-toothed, moreover, they are usually decorated with a clear silver pattern. The flowers are pink and appear in nature in autumn.

Persian cyclamen is one of the largest cyclamens (up to 25 cm tall). Leaves are oval or heart-shaped with split edges and veins. Flowers of various colors - from pink to purple with a dark spot at the base.

More often than others, European and Persian cyclamen are cultivated. On sale you can find various varieties and hybrids, the color palette of which is very wide: the whole gamut of pink shades to dark red, burgundy, purple, there are varieties with snow-white flowers. Flowering lasts quite a long time, up to three and a half months. Depending on the variety and room conditions, flowering can begin from the second half of October and last until the end of March. When growing them, one should adhere to the basic ecological requirements of plants from which these variants of cultural cyclamens were obtained.

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Rules for growing cyclamen

Some amateur flower growers, once trying to grow cyclamen, faced a number of problems - and as a result, the conventional wisdom appeared that it is very difficult to grow it at home. Let's try to figure out whether the cyclamen is as capricious as they say about it.

Step one - purchasing cyclamen

Most often, the problem lies in the quality of the plant itself - after all, a flowering and even fragrant (depending on the variety) cyclamen will be bought much faster. And this means that they are trying to bring the plant to its presentation with all kinds of preparations.

Outwardly, it is quite simple to distinguish such an overfed plant, you just have to look closely. All flowers on such a cyclamen will be of the same age - after all, the buds, under the influence of growth and flowering stimulants, wake up simultaneously, and not as it should be in nature - one after another.

Too glossy and even leaves are a sign that the plant has been treated with a special "polish". Such leaves look beautiful, but their stomata are blocked, and in a few days an unpleasant surprise awaits you - a massive leaf fall. From such a premature abscission, the physiological processes in the tubers are disrupted, which can lead to the death of the entire plant.

There are also very sad situations: the plant is so overfed with retardants (drugs that slow down growth in order to prolong flowering) that it is no longer viable. Hence the legend that cyclamen is a “disposable plant”.

Therefore, you should choose a cyclamen very carefully. Signs of a healthy plant are: unblown buds at different stages of development (therefore, it is better to buy at the beginning of the flowering season, so as not to take leftovers later), leaves without damage, juicy, but without gloss, rich color and low-lying. The tuber should be deepened into the ground only 2/3, since the further development of the plant depends on this. If the tuber is not visible, the plant may have been transplanted deeper to mask the damage.

An exception is the Neapolitan cyclamen - it is always planted, completely burying the tuber. Its roots grow from the top of the tuber, so it is planted at a depth of at least 8 cm.

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Step two - transplant

Often amateur flower growers are afraid to transplant the plant right away: it seems that stress was transferred during transportation, why exacerbate it? And yet, in most cases, it is better to immediately transplant the acquired plant.

First, there is usually almost pure peat instead of normal soil in the pot - and this will eventually lead to problems and even death of the plant.

Secondly, the pot may contain slowly dissolving granules with stimulants - they should also be disposed of as soon as possible.

Thirdly, when transplanting, you will have the opportunity to check the root system, remove all diseased or rotten roots.

The cyclamen pot should not be very large, the best size is 12-14 cm in diameter. The space of earth between the bulb and the edge of the pot should be no more than 2-3 cm. Therefore, it is better to plant small tubers in very small pots.

The soil should consist of 1 part of leaf, 1 part of humus, 1 part of turf and 1 part of sand. You can add ash or dolomite flour for a neutral reaction, while the soil for the Neapolitan and European cyclamens should be more nutritious, and for the Kos one, a poor one is also suitable.

After transplantation, the cyclamen is placed in a bright place, but shaded from direct sunlight. Watering for the first two weeks after transplanting should be moderate until the plant gets stronger and new leaves appear. During subsequent transplants, the old soil is also completely replaced, however, a clod of earth with roots under the lower part of the bulb cannot be destroyed, it is better to transplant the plant along with this clod.