Cyclamen is a genus of perennial herbaceous plants of the subfamily Myrsinoideae of the family Primulaceae. The genus contains 20 species that grow naturally in the Mediterranean and North-East Africa.
The most common in culture are C. coum, C. hederifolium, as well as indoor ones-C. persicum and C. purpurascens.
Secrets of cyclamen care
With proper and careful care at home, this plant will delight with its luxurious flowering from September to March.
Cyclamen is quite demanding to the temperature regime. He needs cool rooms where the temperature does not exceed +20 in summer…+25°C.
The optimal temperature range for the content of most cyclamens is +13…+17°C.
These plants do not tolerate both an increase and a decrease in temperature, because the thermometer in the room where they are kept should not fall below +10°C.
Watering
Cyclamen needs regular and sufficient watering, but not excessive. It is necessary to water these plants carefully, trying not to wet the root neck: this can lead to the development of a fungal disease – gray rot, this is especially dangerous during the active growth of cyclamen.
It is best to water the cyclamen from the bottom of the pot. To do this, put the pot in a container with water at room temperature and hold it in it until the top layer of soil is moistened. Then you need to take out the pot, let the excess moisture drain and put it back in place.
Cyclamens also need high humidity, because pots with these plants are recommended to be kept on wet pebbles.
How to transplant cyclamen
Cyclamen transplantation is usually carried out at the end of the dormant period, before the beginning of active vegetation once or twice a year, when the pot becomes too small for it. This can be determined by measuring the distance from the edge of the tuber to the wall of the pot — it should be 2-3 cm.
The bottom of the pot must be filled with drainage, for this purpose, expanded clay is best suited. Then a layer of fresh substrate should be poured, consisting of one part of coarse sand and two parts of an organic fraction (leaf humus, peat, etc.). A cyclamen bulb is transferred to the pot prepared in this way along with an earthen lump and it is filled with two-thirds of the fresh substrate, carefully tamping it.