"Winter moths", as some flower growers call this amazing plant, delighting its owners with violent flowering in the cold season. Let's take a closer look at how to make cyclamen bloom and how to care for it during the dormant period, which lasts no less than 7-8 months a year. The article also contains a video on how to properly plant and grow cyclamen so that it will please its owner with a lush color for the next 15-20 years.
Description of the flower and its types
Some novice flower growers wonder why cyclamen does not bloom, because they bought it for the sake of beautiful buds - “moths”, as if fluttering over lush green foliage. As a rule, lack of experience and basic ignorance of how to care for the plant leads to the fact that it produces juicy greens, but the buds do not bloom anymore.
Before finding out whycyclamen does not bloom at home, consider the plant itself. If initially there were only a few species of this flower: European, Persian and Neapolitan, then thanks to restless breeders today there are many of them: from modest ones with delicate flowers in pastel colors to terry bright beauties.
This exotic flower can't help but fall in love with it, when bright flowers bloom on short stems above juicy foliage, resembling butterflies with slightly open wings in their shape.
Despite their beauty and compactness, as well as unpretentiousness, there are stubborn rumors among the people that cyclamen does not bloom at home. For some reason, lovers of tropical plants are in no hurry to buy them, and beginners generally bypass them. In fact, it is enough to remember the simple rules for caring for a flower and choose the best place for it in the apartment, as it will open its buds to the surprise of everyone and delight them with an incredible aroma.
The most popular types of cyclamen are European and Persian. Some varieties of the latter can even be grown outdoors.
Why doesn't cyclamen bloom?
First, consider the reasons why the plant does not bloom every year. Among the most popular are the following:
- Wrong flower selected. It happens that an initially diseased plant is acquired, which needs not just care, but a real ambulance. When buying, you should look for cyclamen foliage to be free of damage, yellowness or spots.
- A common question about whetherwhy cyclamen does not bloom, but the leaves grow, may be due to the fact that the plant, bought at the height of bud formation, was transplanted into a new pot. Under no circumstances should this be done. You need to wait until the cyclamen fades or comes out of dormancy, and only then move it to a new place.
- Why doesn't cyclamen bloom? An improperly planted tuber can also cause a lack of buds. The name of the flower is determined by the shape of its bulb, which in Greek sounds like "cyclos", that is, "circle". Indeed, completely round, it should not be completely underground, which is mistakenly done by inexperienced flower growers when transplanting a plant for the first time. In order for it to bloom, it is necessary that the lower part of the bulb goes under the soil by 2/3, while the side of the container should rise no more than 2-3 cm above it.
- In order not to wonder why cyclamen does not bloom, you should immediately correctly determine its place in the room. The fact is that during the formation of buds, he needs a lot of light, but, as a tropical plant, direct sunlight is contraindicated. Therefore, the best option would be a southwest window with an abundance of diffused light.
- The flower does not tolerate heat. The optimum temperature during the dormant period is + 20-23 ˚С, while during flowering it should not exceed + 15 ˚С. Since most varieties bloom from October to March, you need to monitor the heating of the air by radiators, which, as a rule, are located under the windowsill.
- Wrong wateringcan also be the reason why cyclamen does not bloom. Do not allow water to enter the tuber or leaf growth zone. The best option is to pour soft settled water into the pan and lightly spray the plant by spraying moisture over it in the air.
These are the most common reasons why a plant stops blooming. Now consider the basic rules for growing and caring for it.
Choose the right soil
To avoid problems associated with the development of the plant, it is necessary to choose the right soil before planting it. Cyclamen is a rather capricious flower, so only the right substrate will contribute to its violent growth and flowering.
In specialized flower shops today you can find any ready-made soil. Most amateur flower growers prefer ready-made soils, since it is easier to choose the right one for cyclamen among a large assortment of substrates in the store. But if you wish, you can cook it yourself from the following components:
- sand;
- peat;
- humus;
- turf land.
All components for the soil are used in a ratio of 1:1:1:3.
Planting a flower
It is best to plant a cyclamen bulb in a small pot so that the distance between it and the wall of the container does not exceed 3 cm. If the bulb is young, up to 1.5 years, then a pot with a diameter of 8-10 cm is suitable. use a container up to 15 cm in diameter.
In order for the tuber to develop and bloom better, it is necessary when itplanting leave about 1/3 of the bulb above the soil surface. Only European cyclamen tubers should be fully deepened.
You can also grow cyclamen from seeds, but this is a very laborious and lengthy process, so it is almost never used by amateur flower growers.
Containment Procedures: Lighting
Immediately after planting cyclamen, flower growers face many questions on how to care for it, what should be the conditions for its maintenance. And here questions about the location of the flower in the apartment and its lighting come first.
Cyclamen, like a tropical plant, prefers a lot of light, but without direct sunlight. Therefore, in summer it is preferable for him to be on a window facing east or west, and in winter it is better to place him on the windowsill of a window facing south. And then the question of why cyclamen stopped blooming at home will disappear by itself.
Water and fertilize
Like any other plant, cyclamen, in order to thrive and bloom at home, needs watering and timely feeding. At the same time, you need to know that both a lack and an excess of watering can adversely affect the condition of the flower.
Cyclamen is better not to water directly, but to moisten the soil through the pan. This will help avoid direct water on the bulb, which will prevent it from rotting. If cyclamen belongs to the European variety, then it should be constantly watered as the top layer of soil dries up. The Persian variety of flower should be watered more when it is in bloom to keep the soil slightly moist at all times.
Once every two weeks, from the moment the leaves begin to bloom until the end of the flowering period, the plant must be fed with organic and mineral fertilizers.
Failure to follow the simple rules of watering and feeding this crop is the reason why cyclamen stops blooming.
While the flower is sleeping
Depending on which species cyclamen belongs to, its dormant period falls on summer or winter. For example, the Persian cyclamen "rests" in the summer. And the dormant period of the European, or purple cyclamen, falls in the winter.
During the summer rest period, this exotic plant is best moved to a balcony or loggia, where it will be protected from direct sunlight. During this period, it is recommended to clean the flower from dried and yellowed leaves, reduce watering and stop feeding.
The period of "hibernation" can last for 3 months. At the end of it, you need to start feeding the plant a little, increase the frequency of watering, and also replace the soil with fresh one.
Care depending on variety
Recently, the so-called mini-cyclamen with a bush height of no more than 15 cm have become very popular with flower growers. These flowers belong to the same species as the plants familiar to all of us, but are significantly inferior to them in size. Now on sale there are such mini-varieties as "Mix", "Snezhnayaslide", "Bridget" and some others.
Cyclamen "Snow Hill" differs from other varieties primarily in the duration of the flowering period, as well as the abundance of flowers on the bush. This period lasts six months - from November to the end of April. During flowering, water the plant in such a way as to prevent the soil from losing moisture. At other times, between waterings, you need to let the topsoil dry out a little and become covered with a crust.
Neapolitan cyclamen blooms in autumn. In order not to harm the root system of the flower, a drainage layer is used, since even the slightest excess of moisture leads to its decay. The unusualness of this variety is that its leaves begin to bloom later than the flowers form. This cyclamen thrives in slightly alkaline or neutral soil. It grows best where it will be protected from direct sunlight.
What do you need for lush flowering?
In order for the plant to develop properly and bloom luxuriantly, it should not have any damage. When buying it, you need to pay special attention to how the tuber is planted, so that 1/3 of its part necessarily protrudes above the soil surface. In addition, you need to choose cyclamen, in which most of the buds are still closed.
Flower growers, fans of this culture, often face problems such as the death of a plant for no apparent reason, cyclamen's refusal to bloom after transplantation, and unexpected wilting of leaves. It happens that even flowering cyclamen leaves turn yellow in summer. Why is thishappens, let's try to figure it out. There can be many reasons for this:
- insufficient watering of the plant;
- incorrectly selected soil;
- being in direct sunlight;
- room temperature too high;
- dry air, etc.
You can get rid of the yellowing of the foliage if you create the appropriate conditions for the flower to keep it.
Cyclamen outdoors
Cyclamen of this variety, like Persian, can be grown not only in a pot, but also in your garden plot. To plant it in open ground, you need to choose the right place. This culture does not like direct sunlight. The light should be bright but diffused.
The soil must also be carefully prepared, creating a sufficient drainage layer there to protect the plant from excess moisture. Unlike planting a flower in a pot, the bulb in the open field should not protrude above its surface. This will keep it from freezing.
