How to grow a cyclamen flower from seeds. Features of growing cyclamen from seeds

Cyclamen is a herbaceous perennial from the Mirsinov family. The plant comes from warm regions: East Africa, Türkiye, Iran, Mediterranean. There he can be found in natural conditions, in temperate latitudes the flower became decorative indoor plant. Among the many varieties bred by breeders, Persian and European cyclamen are the most widespread. The tuber gives vitality to the flower. The perennial leaves are dark green with a white or silver pattern. Their lower parts are red-violet. The main decoration of the plant is its magnificent buds on long peduncles.

European cyclamen

The shape of the flowers resembles exotic butterflies; their colors can be white, pink, purple and many other shades. The perennial blooms in the fall and blooms all winter, creating a special mood in the apartment. The flower is unpretentious in care, loves coolness and diffuse light. Even a novice gardener can grow cyclamen from seeds at home. The seed material has good germination, and professional advice planting and care will add confidence in their abilities.

Reproduction methods

Owners of an adult plant are wondering how to propagate cyclamen at home? You can do this in several ways:

• dividing the tuber;
• daughter processes;
• seeds.

In the first case, the onion is cut in half and each part is planted in the substrate. The tuber is divided in August, when the dormant stage ends. Each piece must have a bud and a root system. The cut is lubricated with brilliant green. The tubers are buried 2/3, the initial watering is carried out from the pan. If you lack experience, it is better to abandon this method.

Daughter shoots (rosettes) appear on tubers European varieties. To reproduce, they are torn off and planted in moist, light soil. The wounds on the mother bulb are sprinkled with crushed charcoal. The young rosette is covered with a jar or plastic bottle for 2-3 weeks. IN greenhouse conditions it will take root sooner. Persian cyclamen does not produce daughter shoots; it is propagated by tubers or seeds.

The most common option for propagating a flower is to grow a seed pod and collect the ripened grains. Seedlings from our own planting material grow and develop faster, but to increase the number of cyclamen varieties you will have to buy seeds in the store. Their germination rate is quite high, 80-100%. The stores have a huge selection of selected varieties of Persian and European cyclamen.

Where can I get the seeds?

The easiest way is to buy seeds in a store. There is a huge assortment of cyclamens of various varieties and colors on sale. This option is optimal for beginner gardeners or for those who want to expand their collection of indoor flowers. If there are any at home mature plant, then the seeds can be collected from it. In order for the propagation of cyclamen at home to be successful, the flowers must be pollinated. There are no flying insects or wind in the apartment, so you will have to transfer the pollen yourself.

Pollination

During the flowering period (December-February), each bud is carefully struck with a finger every morning for a week. Ripe pollen envelops the plant in a cloud and falls on neighboring flowers. Another method requires the use of a brush. A small diameter watercolor brush with soft bristles will do. It is necessary to go over all the flowers, applying pollen to the pistil. It is called - cross pollination. Performing the procedure multiple times increases the chances of fertilization. You'll know the results pretty soon. When pollination is successful, the flower sheds its petals, then bends over under the weight of the fruit.

The seed capsule ripens in late spring. The readiness of the fruit is determined by yellow color, drying out and cracking of the shell. Do not wait until the box is completely opened, otherwise the seeds will fall to the ground. It is torn off a little earlier and left until completely dry. Small brown cyclamen seeds are poured out of the box and collected in a paper bag. Information about the collection time is written on it. The material is stored in the refrigerator until autumn.

Information. After a year of storage, the similarity of the seeds does not change. After two years, it decreases by 10%, but the sprouted seedlings grow into cyclamens with abundant flowering.

Preparing for landing

The most favorable period for growing cyclamen from seeds is considered to be the beginning of spring, but they are also planted at other times. The collected seed material should be sorted - separate viable grains from empty shells. To do this you will need:

• glass of water;
• tsp Sahara.

Sugar is dissolved in a glass of water, then cyclamen seeds are poured. After 5 minutes, the husk will float on the surface, and the grains will remain at the bottom.

In the package purchased material usually only 3 seeds, less often - 5. The products of the Gavrish company are popular. They offer hundreds various types cyclamen. The cost depends on the variety, prices range from 40 to 200 rubles.
Seeds from the company "Gavrish"

For good germination of seedlings, you must first soak the seeds for a day. They are placed on a cotton pad, abundantly moistened with water. If necessary, add liquid.

Advice. Soak the seeds not in water, but in the Zircon solution. It is enough to add 4 drops of growth stimulator per 0.5 liter of liquid. The drug accelerates the development of plants, improves their immunity and adaptation to the environment.

Planting seed material in the ground

Swollen cyclamen seeds are planted in a container for growing seedlings. There should be holes at the bottom of the container through which excess water will drain. A special substrate is prepared for seedlings:

• leaf soil;
• peat;
• vermiculite or perlite.

Attention. If the soil is collected from a forest, park or plot, it must be disinfected - doused with boiling water and calcined in the oven.

Drainage made of expanded clay or foam balls is poured into the bottom of the container. The height of the layer is 2-2.5 cm, it will prevent rotting of the bark system of the seedlings. The prepared soil is poured to a depth of 6-7 cm. The substrate is watered generously with water until the excess flows out of the holes. Wet seeds are laid out on the surface, the distance between them is 2-3 cm. Soil is poured on top in a layer of 0.5-1 cm. The soil is moistened with a spray bottle. The container with seeds is covered with glass or plastic film to create greenhouse conditions - constant temperature and humidity.

Place the container in a cool, dark place. There should be no drafts or sudden temperature changes. You will have to wait at least 1 month for seedlings; in some cases, seedlings appear after 2-3 months. It is recommended to keep the container or other container in a room with a temperature no higher than +18°C. In warm weather, seed germination is delayed. The soil is watered periodically, but excessive moisture should not be allowed. Once every two days the greenhouse is opened and ventilated.

Seedling care

A month later, the first pinkish-violet loops appear on the surface. This is a cyclamen tuber with a root. It appears before the leaves. The container must be moved to a place with good lighting. Particles of the seed coat remain at the top of the sprouts. If there is sufficient moisture, they will fall off on their own. If the scale interferes with the leaf, you can wrap it in damp cotton wool for several hours. After this procedure it will disappear.

After 2-4 leaves appear, you can transplant the plants into separate containers. Typically 100 ml plastic cups are used. This volume is optimal for growing cyclamen seedlings. Holes are made at the bottom of the cup for drainage. Further cultivation of cyclamen planted with seeds occurs in soil with the same composition that was used in the container. The cup is filled with soil up to half the volume, then the sprout with a nodule is placed and covered with soil. The surface is carefully crushed, trying not to damage the fragile seedling. The top soil is watered abundantly.

If the flowers grow slightly in three months, don't worry. During this period, they intensively build up the root system. You can verify this by looking through the transparent walls of the glass. Grown-up cyclamens can be transplanted into pots with a diameter of 5-6 cm. Purchased universal soil is suitable for flowering plants. There should be a drainage layer at the bottom of the pot, occupying ¼ of the volume. The nodule should not be completely buried in the soil; a third of it should be on the surface. It is recommended to water through a tray. This will prevent the tuber from rotting.

The first feeding is performed at the age of six months. Complex is used mineral fertilizer, the concentration of the solution is halved.

Rules for caring for cyclamen

A seedling older than 6 months switches to the conditions of keeping an adult plant. In order for it to grow well and please you with the first flowers in a year, you must follow the following rules:

1. Perennial loves coolness: in summer optimal temperature– 18-20°, in winter – 14-16°. Higher temperatures reduce flowering time.
2. It is recommended to use bottom watering, when the pot is immersed in water for 15-20 minutes. Top watering is carried out carefully, moistening occurs at the edge of the pot. The water should be at room temperature, clean and settled. After flowering, watering is reduced, and in the summer at rest it reaches a minimum.

   Bottom watering - the pot is lowered into water for a few minutes

3. Flower loves good lighting, but does not tolerate direct rays. It is placed on western or eastern windows. If there is insufficient lighting, cyclamen may not bloom, so it is worth considering the lighting. He needs good humidity in the room. In the summer heat, water is periodically sprayed near the plant.

   The flower prefers diffused light

4. When transplanting a perennial into new pot choose a container with a diameter of 2-3 cm larger size tuber In a spacious pot, the plant grows leaves and roots, but blooms sparingly. For a two-year-old flower the container size is 8 cm, a three-year-old will need 12-14 cm.
   

   Important. The tuber of European cyclamen takes root entirely on the surface, so it is buried completely. The Persian cyclamen bulb should be one third of the way out of the ground. Its roots are located at the bottom.

5. Feeding is carried out only during the period of activity. Young plants that are growing green mass require more nitrogen. Before flowering, they are fed with a special fertilizer that stimulates the formation of buds. Experienced flower growers Those who know how to grow cyclamen from seeds and take care of it in the future recommend the drug “Kemira Lux”. This is a water-soluble powder that is applied along with watering. Fertilize the flower no more than once every two weeks.

Attention. Excess minerals harm the plant. Its flower stalks become shorter, the buds become smaller, and the color fades.

After flowering, cyclamen enters a dormant phase. Yellowing and falling leaves are a natural process that should not cause concern. The tuber is placed in a cool, dark place. By autumn it will come to life again.

Growing your own plant from seed allows it to initially adapt to its surrounding conditions. The risk of getting a diseased flower or losing it due to differences in maintenance conditions is eliminated. You will have to wait a year for the first buds, but the beautiful flowers will be worth all the effort.

Cyclamens grow both in natural and at home conditions. There are 2 types of flowers common in indoor floriculture: Persian cyclamen and European cyclamen. They are very similar in shape and color of flowers and leaves. But they have significant differences in the characteristics of cultivation. So, for example, the European one is propagated by baby nodules, by dividing the main tuber, or by a leaf with “fingers” (very rarely).

Cyclamen Persianum planted mainly seeds, purchased or assembled yourself. But the easiest way is to buy cyclamen in a flowering pot. With proper care, it can please the grower for 20-25 years. Grow Persian cyclamen from seeds difficult, but possible. It is believed that such plants are more stable and viable.

Collecting seeds yourself

Artificial pollination is best done in January-early February.

The most beautiful, largest and healthiest flower is chosen for pollination. The stem on which the flower “sits” is lightly tapped several times with your fingers. The flower will be pollinated and quickly fade. After some time (several weeks), the seeds will ripen in the box.

Planting cyclamen seeds

The best time for sowing is early spring.

First of all, it is necessary to carry out pre-sowing treatment cyclamen seeds. They can be soaked in the Epin-extra biostimulator for 8 hours (prepare a solution of 4 drops of the drug per 100 ml of water) or pickled in a solution of potassium permanganate for 10 hours. The soil also needs disinfection, for which it is steamed or calcined in the oven (this will help avoid diseases).

How to plant cyclamen seeds

For planting, grooves are cut 1 cm deep, and the seeds are placed there at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. Next, the grooves are covered with earth.

Cyclamens germinate well in the dark and cool. Therefore, in order to create optimal conditions, the container with the sown seeds is covered with black film or foil. Or you can just put the box in a dark room. Crops need ventilation and moisture as the soil dries out. But you shouldn’t over-hydrate cyclamens either.

Cyclamen seeds hatch in about 30-40 days (a month and a half). At this stage, the film can be removed and the container exposed to light, but it is very important to protect it from direct sunlight.

Important! The rate of seed germination depends on the variety and shelf life of the planting material. Seedlings can appear within 15-20 days or, conversely, after 4-6 months.

At the stage of 2-3 true leaves, cyclamens dive, completely covering the young tubers with soil. And six months later, the cyclamens are transplanted into small pots. But here the tuber is buried only 2/3, and 1/3 of the tuber is left to rise above the surface of the earth.

For cyclamens very important pot size. Ideally, the distance from the tuber to the edge of the pot should be 2-3 cm. Therefore, cyclamens are replanted as they grow. We wrote about this in the article

It so happened that the section dedicated to indoor flowers was replenished only with stories about growing phalaenopsis. Making plans for the year, I decided to close this gap and start telling my readers about other interesting residents of our window sills.

The topic of today's post will be cyclamen and its propagation by seeds at home. We will talk about its varieties and care rules later, but today we will figure out how to grow it from seeds.

Conditions for good growth and development

In order to start this beautiful flower on our windowsill we have two options for the development of events: we need to buy an adult plant or buy a bag of seeds. In the first case, everything is not as simple as it seems: purchased plants are grown in almost sterile conditions with the help of hormones and fertilizers.

Very often, once a plant gets into the house, it disappears due to inept care or lack of usual nutritional fluids. There are also advantages: having bought a plant, we can get our homemade cyclamen seeds from it.

Propagation of cyclamen with purchased seeds

Today you can buy purchased cyclamen seeds without any problems: flower shops and online stores offer a lot of different varieties. But we understand that the success of our enterprise will depend on the company and the batch of seeds.

If the treasured bag is purchased from a reputable company, then the germination rate is usually 80%. True, many gardeners say that purchased seeds take longer to germinate.

When purchasing seeds, I advise you to choose a bag that contains a mixture of varieties. Then you will have the opportunity to get 3-4 varieties of flowers with different colors at home.

Getting homemade seeds

If you were given an adult Cyclamen as a gift, be sure to try getting seeds from it. To do this, you need to remember your biology lessons and carry out artificial pollination.

For artificial pollination we need a brush with which we take pollen from one flower and transfer it to the stigma of another flower. It will be good if these are flowers with different plants, but if there is only one plant, then it’s not scary. We carry out the procedure 2-3 times to be completely sure.

Pollination is best done early in the morning on a clear day. After pollination, it is advisable to feed the plant with potassium sulfate (crystalline white powder with a yellowish or grayish tint).

After the plant has flowered, we receive the treasured seed pods. We must be careful that they do not open on the stem. There is no additional need to dry the boxes after collection, otherwise this will significantly reduce the similarity of the seeds. It is best to wrap them in napkins, where they will burst, scattering the long-awaited seeds.

Substrate for sowing

Land for sowing can be used purchased or prepared at home. The second option is used by experienced flower growers who always have everything at hand.

Homemade substrate:

• Peat and leaf soil (1:1);
• Vermiculite and peat (1:1).

It is better to buy a soil mixture from Terra-Vita. The main condition for the substrate for sowing is its lightness. The recommended mixture meets these requirements one hundred percent.

At the bottom of the container that we will use to plant cyclamen seeds, be sure to lay drainage (expanded clay or polystyrene foam). Don't forget to make drainage holes in the container as well.

Treatment of cyclamen seeds

To ensure quick germination of seeds, flower growers use many tricks that help the seeds germinate quickly. I offer you several such tips, and you choose the option you like. Or you can experiment: divide a batch of seeds and process different ways and plant in different containers. In the future, use the most effective processing method.

• Soak the seeds in ice water for three days. Add a few drops of any to the water detergent for dishes (2-3 drops per glass of water). Every day we change the water to new one. Keep the container with the soaked seeds in the coldest place (of course, we do not allow it to freeze).
• You can also treat with a solution of Zircon, Epin or potassium permanganate. We dilute potassium permanganate to a slightly pink solution, but we dilute the purchased immunomodulator according to 1-2 drops per 300 ml of water. Soak the seeds in this solution for 16 hours.

After such procedures, the most stale seeds will germinate in due time.

How to grow cyclamen from seeds: planting

And now the earthen mixture is prepared, the seeds are processed - we proceed to sowing. In order not to look for store-bought seedling cassettes, I suggest you use empty containers from oil products or plastic containers from under the cakes.

Just be sure to make drainage holes (heat a nail or knitting needle on the stove and pierce the container).

Place drainage (1.5-2 cm) on the bottom of the container, then soil mixture (6-7 cm) and spill a little water on everything.

There are two ways to sow seeds: make grooves a centimeter deep and sow or spread the seeds over the surface of the spilled soil and sprinkle with a 1.5-2 cm layer of soil. Place the seeds at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other.

Temperature

After planting, cover the box with a lid, bag or glass and put it in a cool place (18-20 °C). It must be taken into account that at high temperatures the seed can go into hibernation, and at too low temperatures it can rot. Therefore, we remember that temperature regime very important for the propagation of cyclamen by seeds.

Also, the container with crops must be ventilated regularly: open the lid or bag for 10-15 minutes every day.

At optimal temperature conditions, seeds usually germinate in 30 -40 days. But it happens that these periods can vary beyond belief - from 2 to 6 months. The seeds of the APPLE and KISS varieties are described as especially “long-lasting” in terms of similarity.

We change the temperature for cyclamen only after germination: the container should be placed in a well-lit place, but without direct sunlight, and the temperature should be lowered to 5-15°C.

This is one of the plants that is absolutely not afraid of drafts.

Picking young plants

After 4-8 weeks, purple-pink loops will appear from the ground. This is our long-awaited cyclamen. This means that you can already give a professional answer to the question of how to grow cyclamen from seeds.

The first thing that will emerge from this loop is a tiny nodule with a root that will take root in the soil. Only after this will the loop with the leaf unfold.

Sometimes the peel on the leaf does not come off (the result of insufficient moisture), this is not a big deal. It may come free later, and you can also help remove it (if you are not afraid to tear off the leaf) with tweezers. If you still dare to carry out such an operation, spray the plant for about 40 minutes so that the seed coat becomes soft.

For three months we will not notice any noticeable movement in the growth of the seedling. But that doesn't mean it's not growing. At this time, it actively expands the root system and nodule.

And only after 3-4 months after sowing, when 2-3 leaves appear on the plant, we pick (plant) the seedlings.

We plant 2-3 plants in separate cups or similar containers. At the same time, do not forget about the drainage holes and drainage in them.

It is advisable to dig with a lump of earth and after transplanting the tubers, sprinkle with earth, which cannot be done with an adult plant (the tuber of an adult plant is filled up to half).

Feeding seedlings

Up to a year, young plants love moist soil, which cannot be said about adult specimens, which are especially summer period prefer moderate watering.

Cyclamen: propagation by leaf or tuber

This plant cannot be propagated by leaves. Cases of such miracles are unknown.

But you can experiment with the tuber, although this is a risky endeavor. An infection can destroy a healthy plant.

The division of the tuber into several parts is carried out during the dormant period (spring-late summer). The cut site of each part must be treated with ash, and then placed in a separate vessel.

The soil should be light. 2/3 of the tuber is buried in the substrate (the bud should be on top of the soil).

I hope, dear friends, you will be able to reproduce this way and you will definitely see this amazing flower blooming. The main thing is not to be afraid, feel free to experiment, only then will planting cyclamen with seeds become commonplace for you, and not the event of the century.

Good luck with your landings and see you soon!

Cyclamen is beautiful flower with bright and catchy colors that are unusual in their structure. Of course, this flower can be purchased in a store already beautiful and decorated with an abundant bouquet of inflorescences and buds. But it will be more interesting to grow cyclamen with your own hands at home from seeds, although this is not an easy task.

But you can cope with everything if you study all the nuances and carefully approach the issue of selection seed material. Besides, there’s no need to wait with this flower. quick victories and flowering can only be expected after a one-year period, which will be spent painstakingly caring for this plant.

Where is the best place to buy cyclamen seeds?

If you want to grow a beautiful and healthy flower, then you first need to pay attention to varietal seed of this plant. Purchasing seeds from reliable supplier a guarantee that, in the end, the plant will grow exactly as indicated on the package. It will be a shame to spend so much time and effort growing an unknown flower that suddenly turns up in a pot instead of cyclamen. In addition, the germination rate of seed from a renowned manufacturer is very high and reaches eighty percent.

This means that it is better to purchase seeds for planting cyclamen to grow it at home in specialized stores that you can trust. And under no circumstances should you buy seed from some new and unfamiliar suppliers who do not yet have positive reviews.

How to collect seeds from home cyclamens?

If one cyclamen is already growing at home, then you can independently collect seeds from it and from them grow a new, independent plant. But in order for seeds to form, pollination must be manipulated.

How to carry out pollination to get seeds from cyclamen flower:

If all pollination conditions are met, when will the flowering process end? seed pods will appear instead of buds, which must be handled with care. We must not allow them to burst. They need to be picked and wrapped in a napkin. The box will open on its own and the cyclamen seeds needed for growing at home will come out.

How to prepare and sow seeds?

Planting cyclamen seeds begins with the need to purchase or prepare all the material that may be useful in growing these flowers.

You need to prepare:

• Soil (the composition should include peat and leaf soil or vermiculite and peat in equal parts).
• Vessel with drainage holes.
• Drainage (foam or expanded clay).

A layer of drainage is poured into the vessel, and then the prepared soil is poured.

To provide fast shoots healthy plants flower growers have developed several methods by which seeds are processed before planting. A novice cyclamen lover can divide the seed into equal parts and try both methods to find the right one.

Option #1

Seed material soaked in cold water For a three days. After this time, you need to dissolve three drops of any dishwashing detergent in a glass of water and pour this solution over the seeds.

In this form, you need to keep the seeds for a few more days, but every day, changing the solution. In this case, the water should not be warm, so as not to cause rotting.

Option No. 2

The second method is to treat the seed with special preparations. This can be ordinary potassium permanganate, Epin or Zircon.

Potassium permanganate must be diluted to a faint pink color; a stronger solution can damage the seeds. Other drugs diluted in three hundred milliliters of water, three drops.

This method of processing seed is very fast because soaking lasts no more than sixteen hours.

Now, after soaking procedures, it will be easier to grow from seeds, because according to experts, even the oldest seeds germinate after treatment with Zircon and Epin.

The processed seed material is planted in a prepared container with soil. Seeds can be planted either in a dug trench or placed on a substrate and sprinkled with earth. The main thing is to follow the rule that each seed should not lie closer than two centimeters from another and farther than three centimeters. And the sowing depth should be two centimeters.

How to care for cyclamen crops?

You can grow cyclamen from planting material if you cover the prepared containers with polyethylene and place them in a warm room. The temperature should not rise higher than twenty degrees, since with such heat these seeds a period of rest begins.

We must not forget to ventilate the crops every day. The improvised greenhouse must be opened for at least ten minutes.

If all conditions have been met, then within a month the first shoots will sprout from the seeds. But not all varieties of cyclamen have such germination. For example, Kiss and Apple can germinate within six months.

The first shoots will mean that it is time to move the flowers to a cooler place. Seedlings sprouted from seeds are purple-pink sprouts. From each shoot a tuber will grow, in turn, a shoot with the first leaf will form from it.

It happens that the first leaf is covered with skin that does not want to come off. This indicates that the flower lacks moisture. To prevent the growth process of cyclamen from stopping, you need to carefully remove the leathery formation with tweezers. To do this, the plant must be prepared by moistening the formation with a spray bottle and allowing it to soften for at least thirty minutes. But you should also not forget about watering; by increasing it, the plant will be able to independently get rid of the skin covering it.

The growth of young cyclamen seedlings after the first shoots will occur unnoticed by others. This occurs due to the fact that the plant is growing its root system, and the growth of the flower above the ground surface is stopped.

You can replant a flower into a permanent pot when the seedling has formed bushes with two or even stirrup leaves. Under the most favorable circumstances, this will happen in three months.

How to care for young cyclamens?

Replanting young plant in a permanent pot? you need to make sure it's good arranged drainage system . Cyclamen love abundant watering, but will not tolerate stagnant water in their pot.

When the flower has reached the transplant date, it is transferred from the temporary container to a permanent pot. The plant is covered with earth in such a way that all root system was covered with it. If you replant an adult plant, you only need to immerse the tuber halfway in the ground.

Six months after transplantation, cyclamen needs to be fed with fertilizers. Any fertilizer for flowering plants is suitable for this purpose. But experts recommend diluting all fertilizers not according to the parameters indicated on the packaging, but using only half dose of solution.

The young plant does not like drought and prefers constant watering. This maintenance regime must be observed for up to a year, after which the cyclamen becomes an adult plant and watering must be reduced.

How to propagate cyclamen from tubers?

Growing cyclamen from seeds is not the only type of propagation for these flowers. There is also propagation by tubers, which, although dangerous due to the possible death of the plant, is possible.

Cultivation is carried out by dividing the tuber when the flower is in the dormant stage. For cyclamen, this period begins in the spring. The tuber is cut so that on each piece had an active kidney, from which a new plant can form. To avoid infection and further death of the tuber, the sections must be treated with ash.

The divided tuber is planted in a light soil substrate so that the living bud is not covered with soil. This means that the tuber is only half immersed in the ground. You need to care for such seedlings as you would an adult plant, watering them moderately.

Now we have understood all the stages of growing a flower and it has become clear how to grow cyclamen at home from seeds. You can begin practical exercises and grow this unusual flower on one's own.

I decided to grow cyclamen from seeds after another flower I bought did not survive the summer dormant period. And I wasn’t the only one who faced this problem. Other flower growers also complained about this state of affairs. The fact is that cyclamen grown in greenhouse conditions finds it difficult to adapt to the home environment that is normal for us. Conversely, cyclamen, which initially grew in an ordinary city apartment or private house, from birth was accustomed to sometimes too dry air and high temperatures in the summer, and therefore should not die. So, how to grow cyclamen from seeds? How to plant seeds? Conditions for germination and subsequent care of seedlings. Personal, mostly successful experience and photo instructions.

Cyclamen: growing from seeds

How to grow cyclamen from seeds? I’ll say right away that for this you need a greenhouse, loose soil, a temperature no higher than +20 degrees and constant air humidity. But first things first. Before I started planting seeds, I read the opinions of experts on authoritative forums. This is what I gleaned from the information I read. Firstly, you need to germinate cyclamen seeds at a temperature of +17...+18 degrees. Secondly, young seedlings must grow and develop at the same temperature. Thirdly, the plants need to be provided with regular watering, but the soil in the greenhouse should not become waterlogged.

But this immediately begs a few questions. First, will an ordinary gardener be able to constantly monitor the temperature of seed germination and keep it within the required limits? The second question is, what will happen if cyclamen seeds are germinated at normal room temperature? The third question is that the temperature of seedling development should also be within +17...+18 degrees, but this cannot be achieved in an ordinary city apartment, especially in the summer. How will summer affect heat for seedlings?

With a great desire to test everything in practice and with an even greater desire to grow cyclamen from seeds, I went to a flower shop and bought four identical bags of Persian cyclamen seeds.

In the photo you can see that the cyclamen seeds are quite large (slightly larger than a match head) and covered with a dense skin. That is why it is recommended to soak them in water at room temperature before planting. I soaked the seed in a root solution at room temperature for 1 hour. As I have already written in many of my articles, I do not completely cover any seeds with water, but only up to half, so that the seed embryo does not suffocate. The seeds are periodically mixed so that the dense shell is evenly moistened.

When to sow cyclamen seeds? Experts recommend planting cyclamen seeds in February-March. By the time the seed sprouts, the length daylight hours will be sufficient for the successful development of seedlings. I sowed cyclamen seeds on March 7th.

How to plant cyclamen seeds? Planting of cyclamen seeds took place according to standard scheme. I took two identical greenhouses, which I cut out from ordinary plastic bottles. This is not the first time I have used a similar version of a greenhouse and have never regretted it. I poured soil there for blooming, indoor flowers, tamped it down lightly, and moistened it with a spray bottle. I spread cyclamen seeds on a flat surface of the soil. In the photo you can see that I laid out 10 of them in each greenhouse. I did not cover the seeds with soil to make it easier to monitor their germination. Many forums say that cyclamen seeds need to be germinated in the dark. But this is not a necessary condition.

How to grow cyclamen from seeds? For successful cultivation To grow cyclamen from seeds and obtain healthy seedlings, you need: bright, diffused light, moderate air humidity (achieved only in a greenhouse) and temperature. The forums say that the temperature should be within +17...+18 degrees. As the temperature rises, cyclamen seeds fall into suspended animation (in other words, hibernation) and do not germinate for a long time. So, at a temperature of +17...+18 degrees, the seed germinates in 3-4 weeks. At +20 degrees after 8 weeks. At temperatures above +20 degrees, seedlings can wait up to 4 months.

An experiment on growing cyclamen from seeds at home

I decided to test in practice how temperature affects the germination of cyclamen. That is why I bought four bags of seeds with the same packaging date. That is, the date of packaging (freshness of the seed) should not affect its germination in any way. The landing followed the same pattern. The greenhouses are the same, the soil and its humidity, lighting are similar. Only the temperature was different. So, I placed one greenhouse on the windowsill, where the temperature fluctuates between +17...+22 degrees. The temperature for the second greenhouse was kept within strict limits of +17...+18 degrees.

Sowing of cyclamen seeds took place on March 7. The results of the experiment surprised me somewhat. So, the seed, which was germinated at a temperature of +17...+18 degrees, hatched on March 21, that is, 14 days after sowing. The seeds, which were kept at a temperature of +17...+22 degrees, sprouted on March 29, that is, 22 days after planting.

Based on the data obtained, we can conclude: the favorable temperature regime for growing cyclamen from seeds is +17...+18 degrees. Minor temperature deviations from the set regime (+17...+22 degrees) affect the germination of seed, but not significantly. So, my fellow flower growers, don’t worry too much about the temperature of seed germination. The main thing is not to raise it above +22 degrees.

How to grow cyclamen seedlings?

So, my cyclamens from seeds have hatched. What to do next? Based on my experience, I want to say that you need to wait until the cyclamen straightens its only leaf. A sprout first emerges from the achene. It develops a root system, a tuber and just one leaf. The cyclamen leaf remains under the dense shell of the seed for some time. You cannot clean the greenhouse until the leaf sheds this shell. Let me remind you that it is very dense. In a humid greenhouse, the seed coat softens. If you remove the greenhouse, the shell will harden at room humidity, and it will be difficult for the leaf to get rid of it. If you try to remove it yourself, you can damage the leaf and the plant will not fully develop without it.

You cannot remove the greenhouse until the cyclamen leaves shed their seed coat.

How to care for cyclamen seedlings? The seedlings continue to develop in the greenhouse, where there is moderate air and soil humidity. Watering is carried out as needed. But since cyclamen seedlings grow in a greenhouse, I don’t water the soil often. The soil must not be allowed to dry out completely. Overmoistening of the soil leads to rotting of the tuber and the plant dies. I ventilated the greenhouse 2 times a day. My cyclamen stood on the window on the east side of the apartment, where the sun shines from morning until 15:00. I didn't feed it. The first time I applied fertilizer, when I removed the greenhouse, the cyclamens completely straightened their leaves. This happened on the middle of May 10, that is, almost 2 months after planting the seeds.

After the cyclamen forms a tuber and spreads the first leaf, it stops growing. But only its above-ground part stops growing. Over the next 1-2 months, the seedling builds up its root system. Since the walls of my greenhouse are transparent, I could observe how the roots of my cyclamen plants gradually filled all the soil offered to them. And so on June 27, I decided to pick seedlings. It seemed to me that my plants were already cramped in the greenhouse.

Picking cyclamen seedlings

Picking cyclamen seedlings was carried out according to the following scheme: soil for flowering plants (loose, light, nutritious, neutral pH), opaque plastic cups of 200 ml. Two days before the picking, I watered the cyclamens well.

So, we take a regular 200 ml plastic cup and make a drainage hole in its bottom. Next, pour soil there and water it. First we make a small depression in the soil, where the plants will subsequently be transferred.

Next, using a spatula (I make it from thick plastic, cut out a small square and bend it in half) I carefully remove one cyclamen from the common greenhouse. You need to remove a young seedling as quickly as possible. big amount soil around the roots. Cyclamen may have a small tuber, but the root system is quite developed. If you violate the latter, the flower will hurt for a long time.

Important Note!!! When replanting cyclamen, you need to remember that if the tuber is too deep, the plant will die. Tubers in wet soil may rot. Correct solution when picking cyclamen seedlings: leave the tuber in the new pot at the same level at which it developed in the greenhouse.

Picking cyclamen seedlings was carried out in the summer, and therefore I decided to give my flowers the opportunity to breathe fresh air and took them out to the balcony. It is located on the western side of the house, there is direct sun only in the afternoon. I solved this problem by shading. After transplanting, I waited until the soil dried out a little and only after that I watered the seedlings for the first time. IN further watering was carried out after the top layer of soil had dried to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. Until mid-June, cyclamen seedlings grew at a temperature of +27 during the day and up to +20 at night.

In July, the temperature rose to +32 degrees during the day, and at night to +25 degrees, and I moved my cyclamen to the apartment on the western windows. Before lunch there was artificial lighting, after - diffused sunlight. Fertilize once a week with half the concentration of complex, liquid fertilizers. Spray once a day. But my plants did not like the high temperature and went to rest. The cyclamen leaves turned yellow and withered, but at the same time the tuber remained elastic. I left the cups with flowers under the phytolamp. Watering was carried out after the soil had dried thoroughly.

This went on for almost two months. But in the middle of September, when the temperature in the apartment dropped to +20...+22 degrees, which is comfortable for cyclamen, a miracle happened and my seedlings woke up. Each tuber began to produce two or even four leaves. I resumed watering, although now it was less than in the summer. Feeding is applied once every two weeks and lighting is required from morning (7.00 am) until evening (20.00).