Cyclamen from seeds - how to grow at home

Cyclamen is one of the most popular and well-known indoor flowers, which does not require special specific conditions to grow. Thanks to the variety of bred varieties and original inflorescences, it is customary to give and keep it as a decorative interior decoration. Perhaps the only drawback of cyclamen is that it does not grow year-round. The plant needs a dormant period. Below is everything about cyclamens, growing from seeds and home care.

Cyclamen - what is this home flower

Cyclamen belongs to the Mirsinov family and is a herbaceous perennial with a tuberous system that ensures the viability of the entire plant. Homeland is the Mediterranean region, Central Asia and East Africa. Here the climatic conditions are most favorable for him.

What does cyclamen look like

A standard cyclamen sold in stores has the following parameters:

• the root system is a thick tuber and a short underground stalk;
• the aerial part consists of small processes and leaves, which are ovoid or rod-shaped in shape. They grow from the very foundation. The leaf plate can be gray or deep green. There are varieties with both a monochromatic color and two-color. Moreover, two-color can manifest itself in spotting or the presence of edging;

Different varieties of plants

• flowers are solitary, they are located at the end of a long pedicel. At the same time, the plant produces several of them, on average from 5 to 15. The released shoot with a bud twists into a spiral, but as it grows, it unwinds, and a drooping flower forms at the end. The color of cyclamens can be very diverse, both monochromatic and with a combination of several shades;
• in shape, the petals form a five-part cup with a rim. The shape of the flower is correct, the petals are bent back;
• at the end of flowering, a spherical box is formed. It contains many seeds, separated from each other by valves;
• plant height on average fluctuates around 20-30 cm.

Cyclamen at the moment of bud formation

Is it possible to grow cyclamen from seeds at home

Sometimes, when purchasing a plant, many people think about how to grow a cyclamen and how to propagate it at home.

As for the growing process, then you need to know all the conditions for which the flower is most demanding. If you maintain all the parameters, then this will provide an intense and abundant flowering over a long period of time. As for the breeding process, there are several options:

• split the tuber;
• to plant daughter processes;
• plant seeds.

Naturally, everyone will decide for himself how best to plant a cyclamen, because not in every case there is an opportunity to get a shoot and, moreover, divide a tuber.

The simplest, but at the same time troublesome way is to grow cyclamen from seeds. In this case, you need to decide for yourself where to buy seed.

Where to get seeds

If possible, you can collect seeds from an adult plant. In this case, you need to follow a few basic rules:

• make sure the mother plant is not diseased or infected. Otherwise, the collected seeds will either have a low germination rate, or a weak plant will grow from them, which will not fully bloom;
• the second point that is important to consider is the correct time for collecting seeds and the presence of two flowers in close proximity.

Artificial pollination method to get seeds from another flower

Without cross-pollination, getting full-fledged seeds will not work. Therefore, in the absence of insects, it will be necessary during flowering (period from December to February) to take pollen from one cyclamen and use a brush to process the second plant. Moreover, for the reliability of the procedure, it must be repeated at least twice. Then, when the buds have faded, bolls form in their place. There is no need to open them manually. They must burst themselves. It is important not only not to miss this moment, but also to exclude the scattering of seeds. As soon as the box begins to crack and turn yellow (this will happen by the end of spring), it is torn off and the cyclamen seeds are manually shaken out onto a sheet of paper.

Plant seed box

When is the best time to start sowing: the right time

As soon as the seeds of the plant have been collected, you can immediately start planting them in the ground. Then they will have a high germination rate. But if the seeds were harvested last year, then they need to be planted in the soil in early spring. This will be better for the vegetative process of the plant.

However, the availability of suitable seeds and the correct timing do not guarantee excellent results. To obtain cyclamen from seeds at home, you must follow all planting rules.

How to sow cyclamen seeds: step by step instructions

It is easy to grow this plant, but you need to know exactly how to plant a cyclamen and what conditions to provide for it. Only in this case can you get a strong bush that will delight you with its original flowering.

Soil and material preparation

After the seeds have been collected, they must be carefully sorted. This will help avoid planting seeds that are not germinating. This is easy enough to do:

1. It is necessary to dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar in a glass of water.
2. Pour the cyclamen seeds into the solution.
3. Viable grains will sink and the husks will float to the surface.
4. They will need to be collected and soaked for 24 hours in warm water at room temperature. If the room is dry enough, then it is necessary to ensure that the liquid does not evaporate. Top up if necessary.

Only after that you can start planting, having previously prepared the soil.

To get an adult cyclamen by seeds, cultivation will need to be carried out in special soil. A mixture of the following components is best suited for seeds and seedlings:

• peat briquettes;
• leafy land;
• vermiculite, which can be replaced with perlite.

As a container, you can immediately choose a pot in which flowers will be grown, or you can take containers for seedlings, the so-called technotara.

The bottom of the pots should be without holes. They are needed for drainage. Before sowing seeds in a pot, expanded clay or foam balls about 2 cm thick are placed on the bottom. This will save the root system from decay.

Drainage in a pot

Then they fill in the earth, which was bought in a store or previously prepared on its own for planting.

After the earth has been placed in the container, it must be spilled abundantly with water at room temperature. This should be done so that water flows through the drainage holes in the pot. At this point, you can start planting cyclamen seeds in the soil.

Planting seed in the ground

Wet seeds are laid out on the moistened soil. A distance of approximately 2 cm should be maintained between individual seeds. When everything is laid out, sprinkle on top with soil 1 cm thick. Then be sure to walk with a spray bottle with warm water to moisten the soil.

After that, it is necessary to tighten it tightly on top with a film or put glass on the soil. Thus, a mini greenhouse is created.

The container with the landing must be protected from direct sunlight. Therefore, it is exposed in a dark place for 1 month. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that there are no temperature drops. It is desirable that the temperature be at the level of 18 ° C, without deviating in both directions by more than 2-3 °.

Seedling care

After the first shoots have appeared, they look like loops of a pale purple color. This means that the tuber of the flower has formed. It is he who appears first, and after that the leaves are formed. This is a signal to provide young shoots with a good enough level of lighting.

Flower sprouts

After about 4 leaves have appeared, the seedlings should be transplanted. For this, take small plastic cups with a volume of approximately 100 ml. But, before filling such a container with soil, it is necessary to make holes in the bottom to drain excess water and lay out a layer of expanded clay. The soil is taken the same in its composition as for planting seeds.

The transplant is carried out as follows:

1. At the bottom of the glass, 1 cm of expanded clay is laid out.
2. Then it is filled to the middle of the container with soil.
3. A young nodule is laid out.
4. Sprinkle soil on top so as not to damage the sprout. Everything is slightly crushed and moisturized.

Planting process

Optimal conditions for young shoots:

• temperature indicators in the summer should be in the range of 18-20 ° C. In winter, it is advisable not to exceed 14-16 ° C;
• if these indicators are exceeded, then it will take longer to wait for flowering;
• it is advisable to water the plant in a tray or put the pot in a container of water for 20 minutes. As in the overwhelming majority of cases, water is taken at room temperature. After the plant has faded, the amount of moisture must be significantly reduced;
• lighting should be sufficient, but direct sunlight should be avoided;
• the humidity in the room should also be intense. To achieve this indicator, the flower is often sprayed, especially in the summer heat;
• when it is necessary to transplant cyclamen, then you should choose a container that is 3 cm larger in diameter than the size of the tuber.

Persian cyclamen tuber

Possible problems when growing a flower from seed

Growing cyclamen, even when a step-by-step process is followed, can still be difficult. Here's what most often may bother the owners of this indoor flower:

• if the leaves turn yellow, then it is necessary to change the pot to a larger one, to intensify watering and spraying. If the leaves turn yellow during flowering, then the plant lacks nutrients, it is worth feeding it;
• if spots have been added to the yellowing on the leaves, it means that the plant has been attacked by pests or a burn has occurred due to exposure to direct sunlight;
• with short peduncles, it is necessary to normalize watering;
• also on cyclamen, diseases such as fusarium, gray rot, wet rot often develop. They are treated with a fungicide in accordance with the instructions on the package;
• the bush can also be attacked by pests - thrips, scale insects, aphids. In this case, use the appropriate drugs;
• if the bush does not want to start blooming in any way, then it needs to provide the necessary moisture and watering, lower the temperature and reduce the size of the pot.

Following all of the above recommendations for growing cyclamen from seeds, you can get a strong and healthy bush that will delight you with long and abundant flowering.