Cyclamens: growing and caring at home, as well as tips on how to breed this flower

Cyclamen is a bright indoor flower, pleasing with a pleasant appearance and light aroma.

The main feature of this plant is flowering in winter, when most indoor flowers are at rest.

Another advantage of cyclamen is considered to be various breeding methods, among which there are suitable for beginners and experienced gardeners. We learn in our article the subtleties of growing cyclamen at home.

Description

Cyclamen is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the tuberous. The leaves are heart-shaped, have a dark green color with a variety of gray or silver patterns. The flowers are located on peduncles towering above the foliage, the color of the flowers is bright, all kinds of shades, starting with white and ending with bright purple.

After flowering is completed, cyclamen can dump not only withered flowers, but also leaves, plunging into a dormant state (for details on how long cyclamen blooms and how to care for a flower before and after it has bloomed, read here) . The roots are flattened tubers with a diameter of about 5 cm, however, the roots of individual representatives can reach up to 15 cm.

Reference! Cyclamen is also called "alpine violet", belongs to the family Primrose. Wild representatives of this plant are found in Central Europe, the Mediterranean, Turkey and Iran.

How to grow?

For the successful growth and development of cyclamen, it is important to know the features of how to grow it. To do this, create the most comfortable conditions that are closer to the natural habitat of this plant. The conditions necessary for successful flowering are as follows:

cyclamen is a cold-loving plant. This flower does not tolerate heat, the optimal temperature is an indicator from +14 to +16 degrees. A prolonged stay in the heat above +25 degrees can lead to the death of the plant;
the flower needs diffused light, direct hot sunlight is dangerous for the leaves;
the room with cyclamen must be regularly ventilated, while avoiding the appearance of drafts;
during the heating season, it is not recommended to place pots with plants near the battery or heaters;
watering cyclamen should be timely; moisture accumulation in the soil should not be allowed;
spraying cyclamen is not required;
an excess of minerals in the soil also harms the plant, so it is important to strictly observe the dosage of fertilizers.

How to breed?

To reproduce cyclamen at home, several methods are used. The plant can be grown from seeds, as well as through daughter tubers, children or cyclamen rosettes.

Seeds

Many gardeners are interested in the question of how to properly plant a flower with seeds. Therefore, this method must be considered in detail.

Most often, seeds are purchased in flower shops. Before buying, you must make sure that the expiration date has not expired. Cyclamen seeds can be stored for no more than 2 years from the date of production. Check packaging integrity.

Attention! It is also important to know that seeds that have a holistic structure are considered quality. Violation of one or more conditions leads to the fact that the seeds are most likely not to germinate.

To obtain seeds at home, the mother plant requires artificial pollination. To do this, during the flowering of cyclamen, using a brush, pollen is transferred from one flower to another. Pollination is recommended in sunny weather, before lunch. For best results, pollination is repeated 2-3 times. When flowering is completed, it will be possible to collect seeds.

Before you start sowing, the seeds must be prepared. To do this, they are soaked for 3 days in cold water or kept in a weak solution of manganese. Instead of potassium permanganate, you can use special preparations, for example, Epin or Zircon.

Disembarkation is carried out in plastic containers with drainage holes in the bottom. A drainage layer of fine pebbles or expanded clay is laid inside, the thickness of the drainage should not exceed 2 cm.

From above, the tank is filled with special soil prepared from a mixture of sheet soil and peat in equal proportions. The thickness of the soil is from 5 to 7 cm. After that, the soil is moistened and planted in one of the following ways:

grooves up to 1 cm deep are made in the soil into which seeds are sown;
the seeds are laid out on the soil surface in a container, after which they are sprinkled with a layer of earth, the thickness of which is not more than 2 cm.

When planting, the distance between the seeds should be at least 3-5 cm.

After sowing, the containers are covered with a film and kept at a temperature of 20 degrees. After about a month, the seeds begin to germinate.

Tuber division

This method is used for plants that have faded and entered a dormant period. Usually large tubers of adult flowers are used:

The tuber is removed from the soil and thoroughly dried from residual moisture.
With a sharp knife, the root is cut so that on each part there are few roots and buds, and the cut surface is as small as possible. For one division, it is allowed to cut the tuber into no more than two parts.
After dividing, the places of the cuts are treated with coal and left in a dark place for a day.
After a day, the tubers are planted in the soil from sheet and turf soil, peat and sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 2: 1. After this, the plants are grown at a diffuse color and temperature from 13 to 16 degrees.

Attention! For division, only tubers with integral kidneys and without damage are used.

Kids

For this method, first of all, it is necessary to carefully separate the daughter tubers from the mother. Usually this process is quite simple.

After that, the baby is planted in a mixture of humus, leafy soil and peat. When planting, the tuber should be submerged only halfway. The other half should remain on the surface.

After this, moderate watering must be observed. After about a week, the tuber gives the first leaves.

Rosettes

Rosettes are called shoots on cyclamen tubers. For planting, choose the largest and strongest shoots. After the outlet is carefully separated from the plant, it is planted in moist soft soil, similar to the seed mixture and placed under the film. The container with the shoot is placed in a shaded place, at a temperature of no more than 18 degrees, and moderately watered. After 15-20 days, the rosette takes root, after which the shoot is looked after as a normal adult plant.

Removing all shoots at once can lead to a deterioration of the flower until death. Specialists recommend only one shoot at a time.

Diseases, Pests and Problems

Due to improper conditions or lack of care when growing cyclamen, it can provoke various diseases or pests. Excessive watering and excessive fertilizer are especially harmful to this plant.

The main problems with the maintenance of indoor cyclamen are the following:

Yellowing leaves. Most often, this problem occurs when there is an excess of moisture in the soil. It is recommended to reduce watering. Another reason may be improper temperature conditions. If the flower is near heating appliances, move it to a cooler place. If the leaves begin to turn yellow after flowering cyclamen, this suggests that the flower goes into a dormant state.
Lack of flowering. This usually happens due to lack of moisture or too high a room temperature. When the necessary conditions are restored, flowering usually resumes.
Root rot. One of the most common problems of indoor cyclamen when not observing the rules of watering. When the roots rot, the flower is removed from the pot and the affected part of the tuber is cut. After this, the tubers are washed in a weak solution of manganese and planted in new soil.
Deformation of leaves, peduncles and flowers, weak flowering. All these are signs of a cyclamen tick. It is necessary to take measures immediately after the discovery of the first signs, because this insect spreads very quickly. First of all, it is necessary to immediately remove all affected parts of the flower, and then carefully treat it with Fitoverm or Agravertin. Processing is repeated 2-3 times at weekly intervals.
Drying of the leaves along the edges and the appearance of white dots on the leaves. This indicates the appearance of such a pest as thrips. The affected plant should be isolated from other flowers, in order to avoid the spread of the pest, after which they are treated with an insecticide (Decis, Inta-virus), following the recommendations on the package of the drug.
Gray plaque on the leaves. This is a symptom of gray rot. It can be caused by excess moisture in the soil or too frequent top dressing (about what and when to feed cyclamen, read here). To preserve the flower, transplantation into fresh soil and treatment with a fungicide — Fundanazole, Rovral — is required (how to transplant cyclamen correctly can be found here).Reference! In order to prevent the return of the disease, watering and feeding should be reduced.

How to care?

Cyclamen is considered a rather capricious plant - for successful growth it requires a number of conditions that must be observed.

The soil

An adult plant needs light soil, which will allow the roots to get enough oxygen and not retain excess water. Soil for cyclamen can be prepared independently or purchased ready in the store. At home, the substrate is made from sheet soil, sand, humus and peat in a ratio of 3: 1: 1: 1.

Watering and humidity

Experienced growers recommend watering cyclamen through a pallet or along the edge of the pot. Do not allow moisture to get on the flowers or leaves of the plant. Water for irrigation should be settled, room temperature. It is possible to use cooled boiled water. If there is water left in the pan after an hour, it must be drained. If the room is too dry air, in no case should you spray the flower. To increase humidity, place trays with moss or wet pebbles near the cyclamen pot.

Care at rest

After flowering, cyclamen discards leaves and exposes the tuber. At this time, the tub with the tuber is placed in a cool, dark place, watering is reduced, keeping the soil moist. This period lasts about three months, after which the stage of active growth begins.

Read more about how to care for cyclamen during the rest period, read in our material.

Conclusion

Cyclamen requires some skill and experience growing indoor plants. However, even a beginner grower can grow it by virtue of just observing all the necessary conditions. In return, cyclamen will delight with a bright appearance and will become a real decoration of the home.