How to grow the cyclamen
How to grow the cyclamen
Cyclamen (Cyclamen L. 1753) is a genus of herbaceous plants, with heart-shaped, tuberous leaves of the Primulaceae family with delicate white, pink, red or purple flowers. These plants can be grown both in pots and in the garden. In this sheet we will see how to grow the cyclamen, following the most useful technical measures. The cultivation of the cyclamen can start from seed with sowing in the period that goes from July to September also in boxes of wood with soil for flowering plants (or however well endowed with very fine organic substance and siliceous sand). Once the seedlings have at least two leaves, the transplant will be carried out, making sure to wet the soil before harvesting and transplanting in pot or in the garden to damage the roots as little as possible. For the period of germination (which lasts about three weeks) it is advisable to choose a place with little light, cool and out of drafts. The ideal substrate for growing cyclamen is basically acid, rich in humus.
If the cultivation must take place in the garden it is advisable to place the seedlings in quite shaded areas and therefore possibly under trees, even under the shade of the pines that do not disturb them with their needles. If, on the other hand, the cultivation is in pot, these must be placed in areas of the balcony or in the shaded terraces. The ideal temperatures for the growth of cyclamens is around 8-15 ° C but prefer the cold rather than the heat. For irrigation this should be done periodically taking care not to make the substratum dry and more frequently (every 2 or 3 days) during the flowering period. Both in vase and in garden the concept is identical; it is important to never cause any stagnation (especially in the saucers) because the cyclamen tend to suffer from radical rot. The flowering period, also depending on the location and temperatures, between September and March; after flowering, in the summer the plant goes into quiescence and then resumes its vegetative activity and can bloom again for many seasons in a row. At the end of flowering it is therefore advisable to eliminate the dry parts of your cyclamen gently before leaving the plants for summer rest. Some prefer to take the tubers, keep them in the dark and replant them in the following season between August and September. Among the most frequent plant diseases of cyclamen we remember oidium or badly white; manifests itself with the appearance of white spots on the leaves. At the first symptoms it is advisable to intervene with natural products (never use synthetic fungicides because, above all in the open field they go to decompose the microflora and the microfauna of the soil). Among these remedies you can use a solution of sodium bicarbonate (or better than potassium) to be sprayed on the plants after a few days. For other pests such as aphids, even here at the appearance of the first insects you can resort to decoction or maceration of horsetail, which in addition to a greater resistance against fungi is also useful to combat aphids.