Cyclamen

Cyclamen(Cyclamen) refers to tuberous herbaceous plantswhich, under adverse conditions, hibernate. Inexperienced flower growers perceive leaf wilting as death and throw out a "sleeping" plant.

Origin. In the wild grows in the southern regions of Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. It prefers foothill areas and regions with a mild climate, where winter temperatures do not fall below 10 degrees. It belongs to the family of primroses (lat. Primulaceae), to the subfamily mirsinovye (lat. Myrsinaceae).

The size. Cyclamen height does not exceed 30 cm, young flowering plants from 10 cm. The size of leaves, flowers and volume of the bush depends on age and variety.

Life expectancy and growth. The cyclamen bulb belongs to long-living and grows up to 30 years. The older the plant, the more magnificent the crown, but the size of the flowers becomes smaller and their number is larger.

With the onset of winter, the plant becomes a popular gift. It is in the cold season that he delights flower growers with his lush flowering. Unusual leaves and flowers of this plant delight lovers of flowering handsome men.

Signs and superstitions

From the esoteric side, cyclamen has a good effect on family relationships. Disagreements in the family between generations will disappear and peace and understanding will reign in the house.

• Beneficial effect on the person caring for cyclamen. It allows you to get rid of sudden mood swings and normalize sleep.
• By arranging the plant in the bedroom, the couple will strengthen their bonds and be able to have a baby.
• The aura of the plant protects from the influence of evil people and their envy.
• To people living in a house where there is cyclamen, luck and inspiration gradually come, craving for new achievements and self-development.
• For people suffering from mental disorders, stress, despondency and anxiety, the plant gives calm and a good sleep.

Features of home care

Caring for cyclamen at home (in detail)

At home, cyclamen needs special conditions that are close to natural. Creating such conditions in the apartment is the main difficulty in breeding and maintaining these beautiful plants.

Temperature

Under natural conditions, cyclamen “wakes up” with the onset of the cold season. Favorable temperature for the beginning of growth - 10-15⁰С. An ideal place for a flower would be a cold window, a winter garden or a warmed balcony. The temperature during flowering should not rise above 20 ° C. Otherwise, the plant will drop all buds and leaves, hibernating. Sharp fluctuations in temperature and drafts are fatal to the tuber; it rots and is affected by fungi.

With the beginning of spring, cyclamen can be put on a balcony or outside (provided that the air temperature does not drop below 10 ° C and does not rise above 24 ° C).

Low temperatures lead to the death of the tuber.

Air humidity

The plant requires high humidity. Daily spray the leaves, without getting water on the tuber. With the beginning of the buds and flowering, the spraying is stopped. The ingress of water on them leads to decay.

Sprayed only with soft water at room temperature. Hard water forms a crust of mineral plaque, which interferes with photosynthesis.

To increase the humidity of the environment will help dishes with balls of hydrogel, which will gradually release moisture into the air. Palletized moss will also solve this problem.

If there is a battery, cover it with a damp cloth. This will protect the flower from the heat and moisturize the air well.

Lighting

Home cyclamen needs 10 hours of bright light without direct rays. If rays hit the window with the flower, then it must be shaded. For example, put a bush of another plant between the window and cyclamen or cover it with a screen from improvised materials. Western and eastern windows are ideal for plant placement. The southern window can be adapted to its content, shielded from the sun and maintaining a favorable temperature.

With a lack of light, leaves and flowers turn pale, stretch, growth stops.

During the dormant period, the pot with the “sleeping” tuber is removed to a cool place with a dense shadow. For example, to the north window.

Watering

Watering is carried out only through the pan, as moisture on the tuber leads to its diseases. An hour after watering, the remaining water from the pan is drained.

Settled water at room temperature is suitable for irrigation. In hot weather, the topsoil cannot normally be saturated with moisture, so experienced gardeners resort to careful watering along the edge of the pot.

Yellowed leaves often signal waterlogging. Most often, this is perceived on the contrary and leads to the death of the flower.

When kept in a cool room, watered once a week. When the air temperature is above 17 ° C, the dryness of the soil is monitored by estimating the weight of the pot.

In hot weather, water up to three times a week.

Bloom

Cyclamen flowering at home occurs after a period of dormancy. It stimulates flowering by lowering the temperature to 15 ° C.

The plant, subject to the conditions of care, blooms profusely from mid-autumn to early spring. With an increase in temperature, a rest period begins.

Rest period

After abundant flowering, the plant needs proper care and peace. The signal of readiness of the flower is yellowing of the leaves and the absence of new buds. Cuttings of wilted parts are removed without residue. If they are not removed, but cut, then the remains of the cuttings rot with the tuber.

Watering is gradually reduced. The rest period lasts from three to five months. Its onset is stimulated by fever.

Priming

Cyclamen flower needs water and breathable soil. Special mixtures for cyclamens and violets are suitable. To improve friability add calcined river sand.

To independently prepare the substrate, you need to mix forest humus with peat and sand in equal proportions.

For a tuber plant, a good outflow of water is required, so 1/4 of the pot is filled with drainage. Use stones, expanded clay or coarse sand.

Fertilizer and fertilizer

During the period of active growth and awakening, cyclamen needs additional nutrition. As a fertilizer, non-chlorine liquid products with a low nitrogen content are suitable. Nitrogen provokes an abundant growth of greenery, the flowers will be small and small.

Fertilizers are applied before flowering once every two weeks. After tying the buds, top dressing is stopped.

Transfer

Cyclamen is transplanted every two years with the beginning of growth. When the first leaves appear, they pull it out of the pot and shake off the old substrate a little. Around the tuber the earthen lump is not touched.

The cyclamen pot must comply with two rules:

• to be short and not wide;
• the distance from the tuber to the edge of the pot is about 3 cm.

In large and high containers, the flower will not be able to receive enough moisture, and in too small containers there will not be enough space for the development of the root system.

At the bottom of the pot lay drainage and a layer of prepared substrate. A tuber with an old lump is placed in the center, the edges are covered with earth, slightly pressing. The tuber should remain 1/2 above the substrate.

After transplanting, the plant does not fertilize for a month.

A great advantage of the plant is its friendly coexistence in the same pot with its own kind. With a distance of 4 cm from each other, cyclamens form a beautiful cluster of multi-colored buds in one container.

Breeding

At home, the reproduction of cyclamen is an activity that does not cause difficulties even for beginner growers.

There are four ways to propagate a flower: seeds, tuber division, children, rosettes.

Reproduction by children

The maternal tuber produces babies from time to time. Small nodules are planted in a separate container, observing the conditions of planting, watering, temperature and daylight hours. Fertilizers are applied after a week.

Tuber propagation

Tuber division is carried out strictly at rest. To prevent flowers from fading, large cyclamens are cut into two halves, receiving two adult plants. The tuber is dried, and then cut with a clerical knife, leaving several buds on each half. The cut site is treated with coal and dried, and then planted in prepared pots.

Reproduction by rosettes

After a flowering period, large rosettes are planted in a container with moist soil. The temperature at which the outlet survives well does not exceed 17 ° C.

Diseases and Pests

Due to the "moodiness" of the plant, its content is often accompanied by problems associated with non-compliance with the conditions of care.

• The cyclamen has yellowed leaves. Leaves turn yellow during the natural process of dropping greenery before the dormant period. If the leaves began to turn yellow unevenly, then this may be the cause of direct sunlight. The rotting of the tuber is also accompanied by yellowing of the leaves. In this case, yellowness begins with the cuttings. In any case, with yellowing of the leaves, you need to examine the surface of the tuber. If the tuber rotted, then the affected part is cut off and sprinkled with charcoal. Hard water leads to the death of the leaf, while the stalk remains normal.
• Leaves fall. This phenomenon occurs in two cases: tuber decay and transition to the sleep stage. You need to inspect and feel the tuber for softness and wateriness.
• Root rot. The reason is the waterlogging of the soil. Cyclamen is transplanted to a new land, completely clearing the old one.
• Slowly growing. Slow growth in cyclamen is observed with insufficient lighting and lack of nutrients in the soil.
• Does not bloom. If the cyclamen leaves are in order, but there are no flowers, then a too large pot was chosen for transplanting. The use of nitrogen fertilizer also leads to inhibition of flowering and the formation of a large number of leaves.
• The leaves are dry. Drying leaves, while maintaining a common turgor, speaks of too dry and hot air. It is necessary to increase humidity, remove from heat source and avoid direct sunlight.
• Light spots appear on the leaves. Light spots appear due to burns by the rays of the sun, with damage to the root system and tuber.
• The leaves are curled. This is a plant response to stress. The cause may be dirty air. Cyclamen does not tolerate smoke, car exhaust, tobacco smoke. Acidic soil is also very stressful for the plant. The clay content in the soil is unacceptable. Stress occurs with active feeding during the period when the flower tries to go to the resting stage.

Pests

After buying a new plant, you need to keep it for about two weeks in isolation. The pest may not appear immediately.

• Shield. Sticky plaque and brown spots are a consequence of the settlement of scale insects.
• Mealybug. These are gray small insects affecting the sinuses of the leaves.
• Spider mite. It is easy to recognize by the web on the leaves. The plant is affected by this insect in dry and warm air.
• Cyclamen mite. With damage, flowers and leaves grow underdeveloped and crooked. Sometimes the buds do not open and fall. The infected plant is disposed of.
• Aphid. She drinks juice from leaves and peduncles, interfering with normal nutrition. Parts of the plant do not grow well. Aphids form clusters and are easy to detect on cuttings.

Types of home cyclamen with photos and names

There are two types of home cyclamen: Persian and European. They vary in care and life cycle.

Persian cyclamen

Its second name is Alpine Violet. Has a large flattened tuber. Leaves from gray-green to dark green with a bluish pattern. Varieties have different colors: white, red, pink and all shades of purple. The size of the flowers depends on the variety. Small-flowered varieties have a delicate aroma and are better suited to housing conditions.

Popular varieties:

1. Cardinal. Has bright large flowers of scarlet color. The growth of the bush reaches 30 cm.
2. Kaori. Dwarf variety with small flowers with a pleasant smell. The stigma of the bud has a contrasting color.
3. Rex. The average size of flowers and bush. The leaves are decorated with a silver pattern.
4. Decor. Beautiful color buds. There are salmon, purple and pink flowers. Leaves with marble patterns.

European cyclamen

A distinctive feature of this species is its life cycle. It has no dormant period and has leaves all year round. Has flowers and leaves smaller than those of the Persian variety.

The most frequent colorings of the flowers are shades of pink and purple. Most suitable for growing at home. He feels comfortable at temperatures up to 20 ° C and low humidity.

Watch the video: Cyclamen Care Basics Step by Step (May 2024).