Cyclamen (Primulaceae) Growing Methods and Precautions, Plus Yellowing Leaves and Price Per Pot

Cyclamen, also known as sowbread, rabbit ear flower, rabbit flower, yipinguan, bonfire flower, and fan-petal lotus, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Cyclamen in the family Primulaceae, and is a popular flowering plant commonly grown in daily life. So how do you grow cyclamen? What are the growing methods and precautions? How much does it cost per pot?

How much does a cyclamen cost per pot

It is hard to say. There are 3 yuan ones, 5 yuan ones, 10 yuan ones, 15 yuan and 20 yuan ones, and during the Spring Festival the larger ones cost 30 yuan. Quality differs, size differs, and so the price differs too.

I. Growing Methods/Steps

1. Light: Cyclamen likes sunlight, so it should be placed in a sunny spot for care. Abundant light is very beneficial to its growth, but it fears direct strong summer sunlight.

2. Fertilizing: Cyclamen is a fertilizer-loving plant. Each spring and autumn, apply 2‰ potassium dihydrogen phosphate once each. Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer during the flowering period, otherwise it will cause excessive growth of branches and leaves and shorten the life of the flowers.

3. Temperature: Cyclamen does not tolerate high temperatures. Too high a temperature will make it enter a dormant state. Above 30℃ the plant will stop growing and enter dormancy, and above 35℃ it is prone to rot and death. In winter during the flowering period the temperature must not be lower than 10℃; if the temperature is too low, the flower color will be dull and the flowers will easily drop. The suitable growing temperature is 15—20℃.

4. Watering: Cyclamen likes moisture and fears waterlogging. Do not water too much; overwatering will cause root rot and death. Just keep the soil moist every day.

5. Pests and diseases: Cyclamen suffers more from diseases than from insect pests. The main diseases are gray mold and soft rot, mostly caused by bacterial infection. The diseased parts become soft and rotten. Apply thiophanate-methyl or chlorothalonil for prevention.

6. Precautions: Be careful not to water onto the flower buds and tender leaves, so as to avoid rot.

II. Home Care

1. Moisture: Keep the pot surface moist but not too wet, to prevent root rot.

2. Light: It likes light. Below 28℃, give it as much sun as possible.

3. Ventilation: Cyclamen likes ventilation. Smoke, dust and stale air will make the petals dry up and drop, but it should not be placed directly in a draft either.

4. Temperature: The suitable growing temperature is 10-20℃. Below 5℃ growth is slow, at 0℃ frost damage will occur, and above 30℃ it stops growing and is in a dormant state.

5. Soil: It likes loose, fertile neutral soil, with a pH value of 6—7.

6. Fertilizer: Do not use too much nitrogen fertilizer. You can use the special cyclamen fertilizer sold on the market and follow the instructions. You can also use a compound fertilizer granule with nitrogen:phosphorus:potassium = 20:20:20 together with a potassium dihydrogen phosphate foliar fertilizer.

III. Cultivation Points

1. November to March

This is the flowering period of cyclamen. The potted plant should be placed in front of a south-facing window or within 1 meter of a south-facing enclosed balcony where it can see light. Keep the room temperature above 10℃, keep the potting soil moist, and water once every half month with a 1% potassium dihydrogen phosphate foliar fertilizer, and it can keep blooming. In rooms without heating facilities, pay attention to protection against low temperatures and cold wind. You can cover the whole pot with a transparent plastic bag and place it in a warm, bright place. When the temperature is high at noon, open the plastic bag to let air in. It can bloom from February to March.

2. April to May

The flowering period is coming to an end. Cut off the spent flowers early and gradually move it outdoors into the sunlight. Water once a week with a 1% compound fertilizer solution. New leaves will soon grow out, old leaves will fall off, and the corm will also enlarge. If aphids appear, use a brush or cotton swab dipped in water to brush them off and kill them; if the leaves are found to be shrunken and yellowing, bury 1-2 grams of carbofuran along the edge of the pot to kill root-knot nematodes.

3. June

Water and fertilizer management is the same as in May. When the temperature is high, place it in a shady spot. Some potted plants lose their leaves after flowering and enter a dormant period until September. At this time they should be placed in a cool, ventilated place, keep the potting soil slightly moist, and do not fertilize.

4. July to August

The north enters the high-temperature season, so water should be controlled and fertilizer stopped. Plants that have not gone dormant should be placed on an east- or north-facing balcony, getting more than an hour of morning sun each day, or placed under the shade of a tree. At this time new leaf buds and flower buds will grow from the top of the corm. If rot disease (gray mold) occurs, spray and drench with a 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder 1000-fold solution.

5. September

Dormant corms begin to sprout. Old plants more than two years old can have their potting soil changed, and newly purchased seed corms are also planted at this time. When planting, first place 2-3 cm of charcoal residue or ceramsite or coarse gravel at the bottom of the pot, then add the growing soil. Old plants should be planted with the soil ball. After planting, the pot surface should be high in the center and low around the edges, with the corm exposed 1/2 above the soil surface. Water thoroughly the next day, and place it in a shady spot for care. After new buds grow, light can be increased.

6. October

It enters the vigorous growth period and should be placed in sunlight for care. Water once a week with a 1% compound fertilizer solution, and spray once with a 1‰ potassium dihydrogen phosphate foliar fertilizer. Move it indoors before the frost, and it can bloom in November.

III. Precautions

1. Gray mold

The main symptom is small water-soaked spots 1-2 mm in diameter at the diseased area, which then gradually expand and become brown rot. When the leaf stalk or flower stalk is infected, the leaf or flower bends and breaks, and there is a gray mold layer at the diseased area, which later turns into an earthy yellow mold layer. The cause is excessively high humidity and poor ventilation.

Control: First, ventilate in time to lower air humidity; second, remove diseased leaves in time to reduce sources of infection; third, spray broad-spectrum fungicides such as zineb and carbendazim.

2. Soft rot

It is mostly caused by bacterial infection. The diseased part becomes soft and rotten, and the affected part is mostly seen on the corm. It is mainly caused by incomplete or absent sterilization of the substrate, and is likely to occur under high temperature or high humidity. Control methods include spraying agricultural streptomycin or carbendazim, etc.

3. Tuber rot

How to prevent tuber rot in cyclamen is an important part of cultivating cyclamen. Besides low temperature and pathogen infection, the most common cause is improper care. In summer, when the weather is hot, plus poor ventilation or exposure to rain, the tuber easily rots. In addition, improper watering during the growing period is also a main cause of rot. For watering cyclamen, the immersion method should not be used, so as to avoid too much water accumulating at the bottom of the pot and causing rot.

What to do when cyclamen leaves turn yellow

1. Cyclamen leaves curl and turn yellow

Curling and yellowing of the leaves is a fairly common case of cyclamen leaves turning yellow. Basically, when this phenomenon occurs, it means the cyclamen plant lacks nutrients and needs timely nutrient supplementation. What needs to be done is to fertilize in time. You can buy some special flower fertilizer, or add some cooked soybeans, bean cake and the like to the soil yourself, which can also play a role in supplementing nutrients.

2. Cyclamen flower stalks rot and flowers and leaves turn yellow

When cyclamen shows flower stalk rot and both flowers and leaves turn yellow, this may be because it has been watered too much, causing root rot.

Therefore, when growing cyclamen, pay attention to watering in moderation. When such a phenomenon is found, stop watering and wait until the rest has dried out thoroughly before watering again.

3. Cyclamen leaves turn yellow and dry up

When cyclamen shows leaves turning yellow and drying up, this is mostly because when growing cyclamen the potting soil has poor air permeability, or the potting soil is too dry.

You can change the cyclamen to a soil with better air permeability, and pay attention to watering from the bottom, and note that the water temperature should be close to the indoor temperature.

4. Cyclamen leaf surface dries up and turns yellow

Sometimes the leaf surface of cyclamen also dries up and turns yellow, because when watering the cyclamen plant, if water is accidentally poured on the leaves, it easily collects, and over time water spots form, causing poor respiration of the leaf surface, resulting in drying and yellowing, and affecting the ornamental value.

So when watering cyclamen, be sure to pay attention, and it is best to promptly wipe the water dry with a relatively soft cloth.