Cyclamen cultivation method
If you want to learn about the planting of cyclamen, a bulbous flower, and the cultivation methods of cyclamen, the following is an introduction by the editor of this site.
After ordering cyclamen from a flower forum group purchase and waiting for more than a month, I finally got the cyclamen. I want to show off first. Considering that many flower enthusiasts are planting for the first time and do not know how to cultivate cyclamen, I am opening a beginner's guide post. I hope experienced gardeners won't mind my rambling, and please point out any mistakes promptly.
I. Preparations
1. Prepare a pot of water, not too large, of course, the water depth should be able to submerge each bulb.
2. Each package comes with a bag of carbendazim powder, with instructions on the back of the packaging. Each bag is mixed with 3-4 pounds of water. I don't have a good sense of weight, and I have tried different concentrations of carbendazim solutions without any problems, so I suggest you can pour about half a bag or slightly more. If the water pot is larger, you can pour more. But no matter how much you pour, please keep a little, as it may be used during the growing period.
3. Stir well, it won't be a big problem to touch with your hands, but it is still recommended to use a stirring tool.
II. Disinfection
1. Peel. Some friends may wonder why the skin of the bulb comes off when it is first received, but there is actually no problem with that. It's like an onion, you can just peel off the old skin when it falls off. I usually peel off some more until the white part is exposed. Of course, you can choose not to peel, there is theoretically no problem.
2. Clean the bottom of the bulb. If the old roots and last year's layer of scales are not cleaned off, it won't produce any impact, but if watered, these things will make the water dirty and look unappealing.
3. About mold. Things that have traveled across the sea are bound to have some mold, some may not be obvious, and some may be hidden under several layers of old skin, which is why I want to peel off several layers of old skin in the first step. I have one like that.
But this has no effect on its growth and flowering. This layer of mold has not yet corroded the fresh bulbs inside, and it will be gone after washing.
If some friends find that the mold on the bulbs they receive is more severe than mine, please don't worry at all. Even if you peel off a few layers of fresh bulbs, it won't affect flowering.
4. Soak in a carbendazim solution for 15-20 minutes. I hope to compare different varieties during the planting process without mixing up the labels, so I arranged the labels in the order of bulbs placed outside the pot. Everyone can use other methods for reference.
5. Dry. After soaking, take it out, wipe with an absorbent cloth (paper towel), and place it in a cool and well-ventilated area to dry naturally. It can be planted in a pot after 1 day.
III. Planting
1. About side buds. Most plants rely on seeds for propagation, but cyclamen is propagated through vegetative propagation, relying on bulb division to produce the next generation. Cyclamen in this season, with side buds (small bulbs), is normal, especially as we have several large varieties in our group purchase, some of which have several bulbs with one or two or even five or six side buds.
I suggest that beginners can remove the side buds and completely discard them because it is almost impossible to cultivate a cyclamen bulb into a flowering bulb in the natural environment of our country. But if you have good planting experience and hardware facilities, you can keep them for cultivation. Personally, I don't have the ability or interest in cultivating small bulbs, so I removed them.
2. Hydroponics. Hydroponics is convenient and hygienic. Friends living in apartments who pursue a small and elegant lifestyle are recommended to use hydroponics. Just one cup is fine, the cup mouth should not be too large to support the bulb, a professional hydroponic bottle is best, and a hydroponic basket is also good.
This cup of mine is just for demonstration, and you should not choose such a small cup, as it will limit root growth. And there are different sizes of hydroponic baskets to choose from, mine is a bit large.
Since we have a cyclamen planting competition on our forum, I won't list all the other hydroponic planting methods here. I will only tell you the key points of hydroponics. Please use your imagination to create various hydroponic containers and methods.
3. About water volume. I believe many friends have hydroponically cultivated narcissus before. Narcissus is grown in a shallow pot, placed with bulbs and small stones to stabilize, then water is added to immerse the bulb. I don't completely oppose this method, but I hope everyone can avoid it. Cyclamen may be more prone to rot than domestic Zhangzhou narcissus, so when hydroponic, the water should not overflow the bulb, just touching the bottom of the bulb.
4. About adding and changing water. Some friends ask whether to change water, which is a common problem encountered by many friends when hydroponic. In fact, hydroponic plants should not change water too frequently to avoid root damage. After a few days, when the water level drops due to evaporation, you can add water appropriately, or even not worry about it when the water level drops slightly. The humidity evaporated in such a small space is enough for root growth.
When the roots start to grow normally, the water level can continue to drop slightly, just immerse 2/3 of the roots.
When changing water, especially when the roots have already grown, it's best not to take the whole bulb out, otherwise, it will inevitably injure the roots when pulling them out and putting them back into the bottle. Just lift the bulb slightly to allow water to flow out of the gap, and that's okay. The same goes for adding water, pour it slowly into the gap.
5. Soil cultivation. Traditional soil cultivation is still the mainstream of potted flowers. Cyclamen, like the familiar Zhangzhou narcissus, is a bulb that has accumulated nutrients for many years. A cup of clear water is enough for it to bloom, so even if you only have a small pot and a little soil, it won't greatly affect flowering. Of course, we do not recommend using very small pots to avoid limiting root growth.
This is one of the pots I use, which is already quite large for cyclamen. Don't forget to block the holes in the bottom of the pot before filling it with soil.
When adding soil, first fill half, then place the cyclamen, and continue to fill the soil until it covers more than half of the bulb. As for how much is left exposed, it's up to you, but I personally suggest that beginners should leave a bit more, because during the growth of cyclamen, the bulb may crack or may mold again due to incomplete disinfection, which we can see directly. Many people cover the bulb completely when filling the soil, but in the end, the flower doesn't bloom, and when dug up, the bulb has rotted.
At this time, the little bit of carbendazim we kept during disinfection can come in handy. You can mix another solution and use a cotton swab to wipe the moldy part of the bulb with the solution, minimizing the possibility of decay.
6. About watering. After potting, the first watering should be done. For my pot, the required amount of water is about a full cup of this type. Don't water too much, the bulb will rot.
Later, when watering, it's better to keep it dry rather than wet. About a small cup every week is fine. The bulb has enough water and won't die because you don't water for one or two weeks, so feel free to visit relatives during the Spring Festival.
7. About fertilizing. The soil I use is bought nutrient soil, so I don't plan to fertilize. If the soil you have doesn't have enough nutrients, it is recommended to use base fertilizer. In addition to pure nitrogen fertilizer, other fertilizers can be chosen. I personally think that granular fertilizer is best for indoor potted plants to avoid unnecessary diseases and odors caused by homemade organic fertilizers. The order from bottom to top is: soil-fertilizer-soil-bulb. Make sure to keep the fertilizer and cyclamen bulb separate to avoid fertilizer burn (please search for the concept). Later fertilization, beginners should be cautious as the bulb itself has enough nutrients for flowering. Hydroponics does not recommend the use of nutrient solutions.
8. About shading (dark treatment). Cyclamen bulbs do not need light during root growth, and they actually grow better in a dark environment, so when hydroponic, especially for friends using transparent containers, pay attention to the initial dark treatment, for about one to one and a half months. Soil cultivation does not need to be shaded, but it will be better with some dark treatment.
This is a New Year's gift basket I took from my grandmother's house last year. The quality is average and cannot support too much weight, but it is good for dark treatment, covering the cyclamen and hydroponic container completely and placing it in a cool and well-ventilated area. You can choose a small cardboard box, upside down to stand, and avoid black plastic bags to prevent poor ventilation.
9. When to see light. The initial growth of cyclamen is relatively slow, and it may not have ended its dormancy period at this time of the year, so during the more than one month of dark treatment, there is no need to rush to observe every day. If you want to check the root growth, be careful not to tip over the pot.
After one month, you can observe whether the roots are healthy, growing evenly, and able to fill most of the hydroponic container. This is considered healthy, and then it can be moved to the balcony for normal management. For soil cultivation, the roots are not visible, but generally, when the roots have grown well, the top of the bulb will sprout.
The full content of the cultivation method of cyclamen (text and image step-by-step teaching) is provided here, hoping it is helpful to green plant enthusiasts!