How to Grow Cyclamen in Summer: Cultivation Methods and Precautions

Cyclamen is a flower relatively well suited to indoor cultivation, and it is also the city flower of Qingzhou City, Shandong Province, so what are the cultivation methods and precautions for cyclamen in summer?

1. Growth habits of cyclamen

Cyclamen is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Cyclamen in the family Primulaceae, native to Greece, Syria, Lebanon and other places, and is now cultivated all over the world. Cyclamen prefers warmth, grows best in a cool environment and in fertile sandy loam rich in humus, and can tolerate low temperatures of 0°C without being damaged by frost.

Autumn to the spring of the following year is its growing season, and it is semi-dormant in summer. The suitable growing temperature in winter is between 12~16°C, and when promoting flowering it should not exceed 18~22°C. Above 0°C the plant will enter dormancy, and above 35°C the plant is prone to rot and death. In winter it can tolerate low temperatures, but below 5°C growth is slow. Supplementing carbon dioxide gas in winter can promote growth and flowering. During the growing period, it requires an environment with humid air and sufficient sunlight.

2. Cultivation methods and precautions for cyclamen in summer

1. Watering: Cyclamen likes moisture, but is also afraid of waterlogging. Generally, keeping the soil moist is enough; there is no need to water excessively;

2. Soil: It is necessary to choose fertile, loose-textured, slightly neutral soil for cultivation;

3. Light: Cyclamen likes light, and it needs to be placed in a place with sufficient scattered light for cultivation while avoiding direct sunlight;

4. Temperature: The suitable growing temperature for cyclamen is 10-20°C, and later more attention should be paid to the prevention and control of pests and diseases.

Cyclamen enters its dormant period in July. During dormancy the room must be well ventilated, maintain a cool environment, the temperature must not exceed 30°C at most, and it should be watered sparingly, especially avoiding exposure to rain.

The main pests and diseases of cyclamen include viral disease, root-knot nematode disease, gray mold, cotton aphid, green peach aphid and so on.

Viral disease can be prevented by disinfecting seeds and soil in the early stage of planting;

For root-knot nematode disease, granular agents such as fosthiazate, dichloroisopropyl ether and ethoprophos (Mocap) can be used for soil treatment;

For gray mold, thiram, fenaminosulf and others can be used for soil disinfection treatment, or new soil can be used instead, so as to prevent the soil from carrying pathogens and spreading the disease;

For cotton aphid and green peach aphid, 0% anti-aphid fog wettable powder at 2000 times dilution and 10% imidacloprid at 1500 times dilution can be used alternately for spray control.