Persian cyclamen since its inception has become a favorite among indoor plants. It is actively used in landscaping both large rooms and small rooms. He gained popularity thanks to the bright colors that open in early autumn. Although caring for a flower does not require the creation of special conditions and the fulfillment of special requirements, there are still subtleties in this matter.
Persian cyclamen - what kind of flower
Persian cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) is a tuberous plant from the Primrose family. In another way, it is called a junk or alpine violet.
The birthplace of cyclamen is North Africa and Asia Minor. In vivo grows in the highlands of Turkey. He began to gain his popularity in the mid-19th century. Active selection was carried out in the UK and the Netherlands. Today, mainly hybrids of the Dutch and English breeders are represented on the market. The most popular are varieties with red, pink, white and orange flowers.
Persian cyclamen
This is a herbaceous plant with a spherical or elongated egg-shaped tuber. The diameter of the tuber can reach 15 cm. The roots of the plant are located in the lower part of the tuber, and in the upper are growth points.
The flower has dark green or reddish leaves with pronounced silver streaks. Heart-shaped leaves on long stalks. The lower part of the leaf is green, the upper may have a deep saturated green color with a reddish tint. The diameter of the sheet usually reaches 13-14 cm.
Attention! In the summer, the plant usually drops foliage, and in the autumn-winter, when the temperature drops, the process of vegetation and flowering begins.
Flowers resemble the wings of butterflies - they are white, red, with a pink tint, with a characteristic fringe along the edges.
How to care for Persian cyclamen at home
Cyclamen is a plant with a winter flowering period. During the summer heat, it is at rest, discards leaves, and with the onset of moderate temperature in mid-September, it begins to come to life, dissolving new leaves and throwing flowers on long peduncles.
Cyclamen flowers
Illumination and temperature
Home flower maintenance requires a relatively cool and at the same time sufficiently lit room. The acquisition of a new flower is recommended in the spring, after the end of the flowering period or in early September during its active vegetation. It is recommended to place it on a windowsill on the east or west side, where there is enough light at a moderate temperature.
The temperature in the room should be between 13-16 degrees. It is not recommended to direct direct sunlight at the cyclamen, place the pot with it above the battery or near the fireplace.
Watering rules and humidity
Another condition for the successful cultivation of cyclamen, along with coolness, is humid air and moderate watering. It is recommended to maintain humidity in the room by installing a container of water, but spraying a flower from a spray bottle is not recommended.
Advice! To achieve the desired humidity, you can place the flowerpots on a tray with gravel. In this case, it will be enough to pour 200-300 ml of water into gravel once every 7-10 days.
The cyclamen root system
It is recommended to water the flower from below - lowering the planter for 10-15 minutes in warm water. After that, leave the plant for 25-30 minutes so that excess water comes off.
Top dressing and soil quality
Feeding is carried out with complex preparations during the active vegetation period from the beginning of autumn until mid-May. The recommended frequency is one feeding for 2-3 weeks.
More frequent and active use of drugs will not give the desired effect - the bulk of the nutrients will be directed to the formation of new leaves, not flowers.
Persian cyclamen, care of which requires maintaining a special acid balance of the soil, prefers a slightly acidic environment. This point must be taken into account when transplanting and propagating the plant.
Flower Tank Size
The tuber of the flower can grow up to 13-14 cm, therefore it is recommended to plant a pot with a diameter of 20-25 cm for planting. The depth of the pot should be at least 15 cm.
Pruning and transplanting
Dry leaves and flowers are usually removed after the flowering period. It is also recommended to remove the leaves before the start of the growing season.
The transplant is carried out in late August - early September. Before transplanting, the cache-pot is soaked in water so that the soil is thoroughly wet. It is recommended to transplant in a cache-pot with a diameter 2-3 cm larger than the previous one.
Cyclamen transplant
For reference! Formative pruning is not applied to cyclamen.
Features of flowering plants
Persian cyclamen, like other flowering plants, chooses a certain time for active growth and flowering, which alternates with periods of dormancy.
The flowers of the plant are located on a curved peduncle. Petals form a bud with a diameter of up to 5 cm. This is one of the largest buds of cyclamens. By the type of petals, simple, terry and fringed varieties are distinguished.
Terry flowers
The period of revitalization of the flower begins in late August - early September. During this period, it is recommended to replace the topsoil in the pot or transplant the flower into a larger pot.
From the beginning of September, it is recommended to start regular watering of the flower with top dressing.
Attention! If the conditions are ideal, then soon an intensive growth of leaves will begin, followed by flowering.
Flower propagation methods
You can grow a home flower yourself - by taking seeds or a piece of tuber for breeding. This plant, subject to all conditions, gives good seed germination and excellent tuber division results.
Seed propagation
Seeds are collected after flowering, when a box is formed in place of the flower. Seeds are soaked in warm water for 24 hours. After that, they plant in a pot with a substrate. After 4-8 weeks, seedlings appear, when the plant reaches the age of 2-3 real leaves, it is transplanted into a pot.
Reproduction by division
Propagation by division of the tuber is done by analogy with the propagation of potatoes by eyes.
Before the start of the growing season, when replanting 2-year-old plants, one growth point is cut off. It is placed in a container for seedlings or a shallow pot. It is better to choose a special soil for seedlings.
When propagating by dividing the tuber, you need to be careful and control watering - waterlogging quickly leads to decay.
Growing problems, diseases and pests
Despite the unpretentiousness of the culture when growing in the house, problems often arise that do not allow you to grow a normal plant. Most of the difficulties are associated with the conditions of the flower, although there are cases when it is necessary to use chemicals to treat diseases and destroy pests.
Healthy cyclamen leaves
To find out that something is wrong with color by its appearance. Most often, such signs can be:
- Yellow leaves with normal flowers - it is necessary to increase humidity and reduce the temperature in the room to 15-17 degrees. Change watering tactics.
- The death of the plant, a sharp wilting of leaves and flowers - this indicates excess moisture, it is necessary to reduce the amount of watering, to prevent moisture from entering the tuber and leaves.
- Too small flowering period - reduce the temperature, remove it from direct sunlight.
- A deformed leaf plate, too small leaves - damage by a cyclamen tick, treatment with acaricide is necessary.
- Disease of the black leg, fungal lesions, vascular wilting - it is necessary to disinfect the soil, create the optimal temperature regime, treat it with systemic fungicide.
As you can see, you need to carefully and carefully care for Persian cyclamen. Knowing all the subtleties of the content in the future, there will not be much work in order to get a healthy, abundantly flowering plant.
