Key Knowledge Points for Summer Care and Management of Cyclamen

How to help cyclamen survive the summer safely.

1. Shading and rain protection: From mid-April to early May, cyclamen enters the shade-framework care stage. Set up the shade framework, using 60-65% shade netting for shading. Under the shade framework, build small hoop houses, 2-2.5 m wide and 1 m high, with the length depending on the quantity. Place plastic film along the sides of the house, cover it with the film on rainy days, and uncover it when the rain stops.

2. Watering: During the 5 months from May to September, how well cyclamen grows is closely related to watering. During these 5 months, watering should preferably be done the next morning. Cyclamen should not be watered until the soil is completely dry; keep it at half moisture, meaning the potting soil should maintain a water content of 50-60%. The reason is that cyclamen is an air-loving plant, and its root system is respiring at every moment. Too much water in the soil will inevitably displace air, causing root oxygen deficiency, resulting in the death of cyclamen's fibrous roots and hindering growth.

3. Topdressing: There are two types of topdressing for cyclamen, organic fertilizer and inorganic fertilizer. Here we only discuss inorganic fertilizer. In June-July and September-October, use compound fertilizer or mixed fertilizer that contains all three elements, such as Sacofu, which contains 15% each of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and 18% sulfur. Dissolve it in water and apply at about 2 parts per thousand. In addition, potassium dihydrogen phosphate can be applied as a foliar spray topdressing at a concentration of 2 parts per thousand. Cyclamen is a chlorine-sensitive plant, and at no time should fertilizer with excessively high chlorine content be applied; generally the limit is no more than 5%. Compound fertilizers that are not familiar should be tested before use; the local technical supervision bureau can all perform testing.

4. Pest and disease control for cyclamen:

(1) Nematode disease, tea tarsonemid mite, and viral disease: the common symptom of these three diseases is unevenness on the leaves. If there are root nodules on the roots, it is nematode disease. If there are rust-like patches on the underside of old leaves, it is tea tarsonemid mite. If there is no rust on the underside of the leaves and no root nodules on the roots, it is viral disease. The method to control nematode disease is to add furadan to the soil, and the watering method mentioned above can effectively control nematode disease. Once nematodes occur, the drying method can be used to control nematode development. The drying method is not to water, and to hoe the potting soil until it is dry to the point that the cyclamen will not die, then water heavily once, let it dry slightly, hoe again, and dry again. Carrying this out multiple times can control nematode reproduction. To prevent tea tarsonemid mite, use systemic phosphorus insecticides such as dimethoate and monocrotophos. In August-September, spray once every half month. For viral disease control: 30 days after young seedlings are potted, spray virus A or virus No. 1 once a month.

(2) Leaf spot disease: when it occurs, spray once every 5-7 days.

(3) Cabbage caterpillar: September is when cabbage caterpillars cause serious damage. Use new-generation pesticides for control, such as matrine and avermectin EC, etc. The key is once every 6-7 days until they are eliminated.

(4) Cutworm: Cutworms are likely to occur in July-August. If found, they can only be caught manually. Cutworms come out at night and hide in the soil during the day. Carefully check for loosened potting soil. Slowly push aside the soil with a wire to find them.

(5) Soft rot: mainly occurs in August-September; in warm greenhouses it also occurs as long as temperature and humidity are suitable. This disease should be mainly prevented. After onset, carbendazim-related fungicides such as Junlike, thiophanate-methyl, and agricultural streptomycin can be used alternately. In August, any form of topdressing is prohibited. Spray pesticides in time to prevent leaf spot disease. If leaf spot disease is found, promptly remove diseased leaves and rotten leaves, and burn them, while spraying Junlike, agricultural streptomycin, and other drugs for control.

(6) Rain protection is an important measure to prevent the occurrence of many diseases.

(7) Gray mold. The main symptom is small water-soaked spots 1-2 mm in diameter at the affected area, which gradually expand and become brown rot. When the petiole or flower stalk is infected, the leaf or flower bends and breaks, and there is a gray mold layer at the affected area, which later becomes earthy yellow mold. The cause is excessively high humidity and poor ventilation. For control: first, ventilate in time to reduce air humidity; second, promptly remove diseased leaves to reduce sources of infection; third, spray broad-spectrum fungicides such as zineb and carbendazim.

(8) Soft rot. It is mostly caused by bacterial infection. The affected area shows soft rot, and the site of occurrence is mostly the corm. It is mainly due to incomplete or absent disinfection of the substrate, and it is likely to occur under high temperature or high humidity conditions. For control, spray agricultural streptomycin or carbendazim, etc.

Summer care methods for the indoor plant cyclamen

How to care for cyclamen in summer?

Common sense tells us that in summer, when temperatures are high and evaporation is great, we should water flowers and plants more to prevent them from drying to death. Especially for growers like me with advanced obsessive-compulsive disorder, I get itchy hands when I see dry soil.

But common sense often has preconditions. Some flowers and plants that go dormant in summer have slow metabolism and stagnant growth. If you then give them a big drink of water, you may never see them sprout again.

In summer, temperatures are high, and some plants sensitive to heat resist it by going dormant. At this time, they stop growing, and their leaves turn yellow and fall off, but do not misunderstand this as your having killed them.

When these plants are asleep, they are not idle either. Transpiration continues, and the roots need a certain amount of humidity, so water cannot be cut off completely.

Flowers that go fully dormant in summer enter dormancy earlier, mostly beginning in early summer, and their leaves all fall off, such as cyclamen, Lycoris radiata, and Lycoris. Semi-dormant flowers enter dormancy in midsummer, almost stop growing or grow slowly, and are accompanied by leaf withering and falling, such as Dianthus, fuchsia, begonia, wormwood, and pelargonium.

Let us look at how to help these summer-dormant plants get through the hot summer.

Cyclamen

Cyclamen is a New Year flower, blooming around the Spring Festival. Once summer comes and the temperature is above 30°C, it will slowly go dormant, and the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. Cyclamen, which likes cool, moist, shaded environments, is very prone to rot above 35°C, so it is generally allowed to go completely dormant.

▶ Dormancy care:

1. Keep 5 cm of leaf stalk, trim off all leaves, dig up the tuber with the soil, and remove some unnecessary old roots on the premise of not damaging the tuber;

2. Transplant the trimmed plant into a new pot one size larger than the original, change the medium to one with more granular soil, creating a loose, breathable, well-drained soil environment to avoid root rot;

3. Let 1/3 of the tuber be exposed above the soil surface; the growing point must not be buried;

4. Move the dormant flowerpot to a cool place without direct sunlight and without rain;

5. After the soil dries completely, water a small amount, being careful to avoid the corm and water around the edge, and wait for it to revive in autumn.

Bulb plants such as narcissus, tulips, hyacinths, and freesias also go dormant in summer. Their bulbs can be dug out and stored in a ventilated, cool, dry place.