How to grow potted cyclamen? A detailed guide to indoor cultivation

Cyclamen (scientific name: Cyclamen persicum), also known as root radish begonia, rabbit ear flower, rabbit flower, one-pin crown, bonfire flower, and flipped-petal lotus, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Cyclamen of the family Primulaceae. Cyclamen is a commonly grown flower, suitable for growing in indoor pots, while in winter it needs to be grown in a greenhouse. Some cultivated varieties of cyclamen have a rich fragrance, while others have a faint or no fragrance. The word "cyclamen" comes from a transliteration of the scientific name Cyclamen, and because the transliteration is ingenious, the flower's name carries the meaning of "immortal guests arriving gracefully." Cyclamen is the city flower of Qingzhou City, Shandong Province, and was also the mascot of the 43rd World Table Tennis Championships held in Tianjin in 1995.

How to grow cyclamen

Cyclamen likes a sunny, humid, and cool environment, but fears waterlogging. The growing medium needs to be loose, breathable, well-draining, slightly acidic soil; for general cultivation, a mixed medium of peat and perlite is used. A mix of leaf mold and furnace slag ash can also be used for cultivation. When planting, the medium must be properly disinfected and sterilized to prevent damping-off disease, root rot, and other problems. Cyclamen likes a warm environment and cannot tolerate high temperatures or severe cold; the maximum temperature must not exceed 30°C, otherwise it will enter a dormant state, and high temperatures of around 35°C can easily cause rot and death. In winter, it is best to keep it between 10-20°C; when below 5°C, growth is inhibited, leaves curl, and flowers open poorly with dull colors.

In summer, place it in a humid, ventilated spot, and keep the potting soil somewhat dry so it can fully go dormant through the summer. It likes a humid environment and cannot tolerate dryness; during the growing period, humidity needs to be maintained between 60-70%, which can make the leaves dark green and glossy. In winter, it must not be placed where heating or air conditioning can directly reach it, to prevent wilting and drying out from being air-dried. When misting, avoid the flowers to prevent them from fading prematurely. The water temperature should be close to room temperature. During the growing period, sufficient light is needed for long-lasting blooming and vivid flower colors. Placing it in semi-shade is only suitable for brief display, and a shaded environment must be avoided even more; otherwise, both leaf color and flower color will fade, the plant will weaken, and in severe cases it will be hard to recover, until it declines and withers away. Cyclamen likes water but also avoids dampness; the potting soil needs to stay moist, but water accumulation or waterlogging must be strictly prevented, otherwise once the root system rots, the whole plant will quickly die. Because the entire cyclamen plant is fleshy, it is also not drought-tolerant; if water is not supplied in time, the leaves will quickly turn yellow and wilt, and even after watering again, many leaves will still turn yellow and need pruning, seriously affecting the appearance and growth of the whole plant.

When cyclamen is enjoyed at home, it is generally already in the flowering stage, so basically no fertilizing is needed; otherwise, the flowering period will be noticeably shortened, and flowers and buds may even drop. Fertilizing is generally done during the vegetative growth stage, where nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium need to be balanced; during the flower bud development stage, the application rate of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer needs to be increased, but concentrated fertilizer, strong fertilizer, or raw fertilizer must absolutely not be applied, otherwise fertilizer burn is very likely to occur and the whole plant will die. If applying liquid fertilizer, it needs to be poured slowly along the edge of the pot, not from the top of the plant, and after fertilizing, rinse the leaf surface with clean water. At home, cyclamen generally does not need to be propagated by oneself, but once a year after the dormant period, after new shoots sprout, a repotting and soil change can be done; when repotting and changing soil, care should be taken to let 2/3-1/2 of the corm remain exposed above the soil surface, to prevent the corm from rotting in the soil due to excessive moisture.

How to grow potted cyclamen

We often hear about rabbit flower, but did you know that the scientific name of rabbit flower is cyclamen, carrying the meaning of "immortal guests arriving gracefully." Now let's take a look at how to grow potted cyclamen.

1. Living environment

Cyclamen likes a cool, humid, and sunny environment. The suitable temperature for growth and flower bud differentiation is 15-20°C, with humidity of 70%-75%. In winter during the flowering period, the temperature must not be lower than 10°C; if the temperature is too low, the flower color will be dull and the flowers will easily drop. It also cannot tolerate high temperatures; above 30°C the plant will stop growing and enter dormancy, and above 35°C it is prone to rot and death. Seedlings are slightly more heat-tolerant than older plants. Direct sunlight should be avoided, and it needs to be cultivated in a shaded place; at home, it is best to place it on an east-facing balcony for growing. After flowering, it can be placed indoors in a bright spot for display and viewing. It requires loose, fertile, humus-rich, well-draining, slightly acidic sandy loam soil.

2. How to grow potted cyclamen

1. Potting soil: Cyclamen requires fertile, well-draining, slightly acidic soil. If the soil is not managed for a long time or is managed unscientifically, cyclamen will grow poorly, bloom less, have dull colors, and lose or reduce its ornamental value. For potting, loose and fertile nutrient soil is best. Top-dress with decomposed, diluted organic fertilizer such as human and animal manure about once every 10 days; after buds appear, apply 0.1% potassium dihydrogen sulfate twice.

2. Seed selection: Carefully select seeds, choosing plump, glossy, pest-free brown seeds. Soak seeds harvested in the same year in a mixed solution of 50 ppm GA3 (gibberellin) and 500 ppm thiophanate-methyl or chlorothalonil for one day and night, then drain the water, rinse clean in clear water, drain, and air-dry the surface moisture. Then sow; they will bloom about 10 days earlier than seeds that were not soaked.

3. Temperature: Cyclamen fears high temperatures, and growth stops above 30°C. Therefore, in summer, the pot should be placed in a cool, ventilated place, or a shed should be built for shade. If kept outdoors over summer, rain must be prevented to avoid corm rot. In late October, move it indoors and keep the temperature at 10-20°C; it is best placed in a sunny spot, and around November (that is, 15 months after sowing) it will bloom one after another. If you want to accelerate flowering, you can spray 100 mg/kg gibberellin on the flower stalk area during the bud stage, which can also promote growth. If there are too many leaves, some leaves can be pruned appropriately so that nutrients are concentrated for flowering. With good management, the flowers can continue blooming until April-May of the following year.

4. Light: Temperature and light both have a certain effect on the growth and development of cyclamen. Throughout the entire growth process, the main approach is to start from temperature and consider extending the flowering period. After the number of flowers decreases at the end of April, the potted flower should be moved out of the greenhouse and kept in a ventilated, cool place with scattered light. When cyclamen enters dormancy in summer, watering of the dormant corm should be reduced; after potting up in autumn and repotting, water thoroughly and gradually increase fertilizer and water, keeping the soil moist; in winter, reduce the amount of water. When watering, do not let water get on the flower buds or young leaves, to avoid rot and effects on flowering. The best watering time is 10:00-12:00 in the morning, and the water temperature should be as close as possible to the medium temperature.

5. Fertilizing: Cyclamen is also a fertilizer-loving plant. First, start with the soil: use fertile sandy loam with more humus in the pot, replace the potting soil once a year, and apply 2‰ potassium dihydrogen phosphate once each in spring and autumn every year. Avoid applying high-nitrogen fertilizer; this can make it bloom 15-20 days earlier. During the growing period, fertilizers should generally be applied lightly and frequently; liquid fertilizer must be fully decomposed and fermented, and fertilizing should be done on sunny days. Stop or reduce fertilizing from June to August. After late August, as the weather gradually cools and growth gradually becomes vigorous, fertilize once every 7-10 days, applying more phosphorus- and potassium-containing fertilizer to promote abundant flowering later. When fertilizing, be careful to prevent the fertilizer liquid from covering the top of the corm, to avoid causing rot.

Cyclamen can be said to be beautiful and distinctive, deeply favored by people. As a flower lover, how could you miss it? The above is an introduction to how to grow potted cyclamen.

How to grow cyclamen: cultivation methods and precautions for cyclamen

Cyclamen has vivid flower colors and a pleasant fragrance, and once made into a potted plant, it looks especially beautiful placed indoors. But how should this beautiful cyclamen be grown? The cultivation methods for cyclamen are not complicated; there are just some points that require extra attention during cultivation. In a moment, the editor will specially introduce knowledge in this area for everyone.

1. Soil and flower pot

When growing cyclamen, a suitable growing medium must be chosen. It is best to mix three parts humus soil, two parts leaf mold, two parts furnace slag, and two parts river sand, with an appropriate amount of superphosphate added in between. After this mix is prepared, it must then be treated and strictly disinfected, and the size of the flower pot must match the size of the cyclamen corm; a situation where a large pot holds a small seedling must not occur.

2. Growing environment

When growing this plant, cyclamen has certain requirements for its growing environment. It likes to grow in a warm environment of around 20°C; if the environmental temperature is too low, it will affect normal flowering of cyclamen. In addition, growing cyclamen requires ensuring sufficient light. Normally, it cannot receive less than five hours of light per day, but in summer, shading treatment must be carried out; otherwise, it will affect the flowering period and also cause its leaves to turn yellow.

1. Fertilize in time

When growing cyclamen normally, be sure to fertilize in time, because it is a fertilizer-loving plant, but it does not like concentrated fertilizer. During normal cultivation, in addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer in the potting soil, top-dress once every half month. The fertilizer can be an organic liquid fertilizer; the fertilizer should be diluted with water before application, and after application, water thoroughly in time.

2. Watch out for pests and diseases

When growing cyclamen, also watch out for pests and diseases. Aphids and leaf rollers are common diseases and pests of cyclamen. They can usually be prevented through temperature regulation and humidity regulation, but after pests and diseases occur, pesticides need to be sprayed in time; otherwise, the pest problem will be difficult to eradicate and will directly affect the growth of cyclamen.