How to grow cyclamen? A detailed guide to cyclamen cultivation methods
Cyclamen cultivation methods, fertilizing: Cyclamen is a fertilizer-loving plant. Apply 2‰ potassium dihydrogen phosphate once each in spring and autumn every year. Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer during the flowering period, otherwise it will cause leggy branches and leaves and shorten the life of the flowers.
First understand the habits of cyclamen: cyclamen likes a growing environment with sufficient light, coolness and humidity, and likes acidic soil. Too high or too low a temperature will affect the growth and flowering of cyclamen. In summer, it should be placed in a humid and ventilated place, and the potting soil should be kept dry so as to get through the hot summer. Light: sufficient light can prolong the flowering time and make the flower colors vivid. Insufficient light easily causes the flower colors, branches and leaves of cyclamen to fade, making the plant gradually weaken until it withers.
Cyclamen cultivation methods
Soil selection: The culture soil for cyclamen can be prepared using humus soil, forest leaf mold, cinder, etc., and adding an appropriate amount of calcium carbonate and other chemical agents. This kind of soil is relatively loose, which helps the growth of our cyclamen. When cultivating, pay attention to the size of the container, increase it gradually, and do not use a large pot to cultivate small seedlings.
Light: Cyclamen likes sunlight, so it should be placed in a sunny place for care. Sufficient light is very beneficial to its growth, but it is afraid of direct strong light in summer.
Fertilizing: Cyclamen is a fertilizer-loving plant. Apply 2‰ potassium dihydrogen phosphate once each in spring and autumn every year. Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer during the flowering period, otherwise it will cause leggy branches and leaves and shorten the life of the flowers.
Temperature: Cyclamen is not tolerant of high temperatures. Too high a temperature will make it enter a dormant state. Above 30°C the plant will stop growing and enter dormancy, and above 35°C it is prone to rot and death. In winter during the flowering period, the temperature must not be lower than 10°C. If the temperature is too low, the flower colors will be dull and the flowers will easily fall off. The suitable growth temperature is 15-20°C.
Watering: Cyclamen is a plant that likes moisture and fears waterlogging. Do not water too much; excessive watering will cause root rot and death. Just keep the soil moist every day.
Pests and diseases: Cyclamen has more diseases than pests. The main diseases are gray mold and soft rot, mostly caused by bacterial infection. The diseased parts show soft rot. Apply thiophanate-methyl or chlorothalonil for prevention.
Hormone treatment: When the young buds of cyclamen appear, gently spray 1 mg/kg gibberellin onto the young buds, 1-3 times a day, which can advance flowering by more than 15 days.
Precautions for growing cyclamen
When the temperature exceeds 28°C in early summer, the cyclamen corm will begin to dormancy. If management during the dormant period is poor, the corm is very likely to dry out or rot, so getting through summer safely becomes a difficult point in cyclamen cultivation. Vigorous seedlings are the best way to get through summer. Small seedlings sown for one year grow vigorously and have a relatively weak tendency to dormancy in summer. During early summer, strengthen the management of fertilizer and water to form strong seedlings, making the leaves thick, numerous, deeply colored and glossy. Such seedlings have relatively strong heat tolerance. At the same time, do a good job of cooling, cover with a shade net, increase ventilation, and spray water around the plant. After late August, cyclamen will enter the growth period, and the management of fertilizer and water needs to be strengthened.
Cyclamen care
Repotting time
The first repotting time is between Qingming and Guyu. At this time, cyclamen has grown about 10 leaves, and the outdoor temperature is 18°C-25°C, with a large temperature difference between day and night. After repotting, the nutrient supply area in the substrate can be increased in time, providing the necessary conditions for the first vigorous growth period of cyclamen.
The second repotting time is from after the Start of Autumn to before Frost's Descent. This is the last repotting. Repotting at this time not only increases the nutrient supply area in the substrate in time, but also increases the water storage capacity for each watering, providing sufficient water and fertilizer resources for the rapidly growing plant.
Management after repotting
After repotting, water the substrate thoroughly, pay attention to moisture retention during the seedling recovery period, and promptly disinfect wounds where leaf stalks have broken. The usual practice is to spray the plants uniformly once with an 800-fold dilution of agricultural streptomycin. After about a week, routine management can begin.
After the second repotting, cyclamen enters a stage of explosive growth, and its demand for nutrients further increases. Apply once every half a month a fully decomposed dilute fertilizer solution made by composting bean cake or horsetail (flower growers call it strong-seedling water). At this time the plant is in the bud stage, so spray the leaves 2-3 more times a month with a 300-500-fold potassium dihydrogen phosphate liquid fertilizer. In order to provide sufficient light during the bud stage, artificial assistance must be used to pull the dense leaves outward, and if necessary remove excess leaves from the center of the plant so that the newly sprouted flower buds can fully receive light. In addition, according to the plant's growth, turn the flower pot frequently so as to obtain a full and neat plant shape.