Care and reproduction of the flower of cyclopenia is not particularly difficult if you know some of the nuances. With proper care, an exotic plant will be strong and strong. But be sure to follow all the rules for watering, feeding, transplanting a flower.
Plant description
At the moment there are more than 20 species of this plant. The best for growing at home is considered Persian cyclamen or, as it is also called, Alpine violet.
Cyclamen is a perennial herb that belongs to the primrose family. Homeland - Asia Minor, Greece. In the wild, it usually grows in foothill areas, most often on edges, clearings.
Shortened cyclamen tubers are characterized by a rounded shape, their diameter can be up to 15 cm. By type of growth, the flower belongs to plants with a single point of growth. Height depends on the variety and ranges from 10 to 25 cm.
A distinctive feature of home alpine violet is the absence of stems. The leaves of the plant are heart-shaped, the color is green with silvery inclusions. The leaves are kept on long dark colored petioles.
Cyclamen blooms from winter to spring. Flowers look especially beautiful on a long flowering tree, reminiscent of butterflies. Many gardeners choose this plant due to the huge variety of colors, for the duration of flowering.
Most often you can meet cyclamen with pink, red and white flowers.
Many experienced growers use the cyclamen mix to decorate the interior. Such a mixture consisting of several plants of this species looks quite impressive in any room.
Recommendations for the care of cyclomen at home
To grow a beautiful and strong plant, you need to know some rules of care for cyclomen.
Plant location
Cyclomen is a light-loving plant. The first thing you need is to find a suitable place to grow. It should be remembered that even though the flower loves, requires bright lighting, but with a direct hit of ultraviolet rays it should be shaded. Direct sunlight just ruin the plant.
Therefore, it is best to place the pot at either the west or east window.
Temperature
An exotic plant is demanding in terms of temperature. Cyclomen loves coolness, may die at too high temperatures. The most suitable option is up to +18 degrees in winter and about +25 degrees in summer.
Also, growing alpine violet at home, remember that this plant is sensitive to temperature fluctuations, afraid of drafts.
Watering
One of the most important aspects of plant care. When moistening cyclomen, it is necessary to find a "golden mean", since this flower is equally affected by excess water and dry soil.
During vegetative growth it is required to regularly water the flower with settled water, it should be at room temperature. When the plant fades, the number of waterings gradually reduced. During the rest period, which lasts throughout the warm season, the plant is watered as the top layer of the soil dries.
And you need to water the flower from the bottom, pouring water into the pan.
This moistens the lower layer of the earth, which is important for the plant. If water gets on the base of the tubers, it can cause the appearance of gray rot - a serious fungal disease.
It is also desirable to maintain normal humidity. But for this you should not spray the flower. Just put near with a pot capacity with moistened pebbles, peat. This procedure is especially important during the heating season, when hot batteries dry the air in the rooms very strongly.
Light and soil
One of the important conditions for the active growth of a flower is the correctly chosen soil. Yes, you can prepare a ready-made soil, which is used for flowering plants. However, in the acquired substrate should be added a little coarse sand, perlite, small stones. But the best option is to prepare the soil yourself. To do this, you will need to take leaf soil, humus (perlite) and sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1.
But peat, which increases acidity, is not recommended to add to the soil. Such a substrate can lead to the death of a flower. As a drainage layer, pebbles or claydite are best suited.
Fertilizer plants
For feeding, it is best to use potash balanced fertilizers. It is enough to add them twice a month, but not more often, since excessive activity can negatively affect the flower.
You should also not get too carried away with nitrogenous fertilizers, because an overabundance of such substances can cause a slowdown in plant development, and the flowering rate will decrease.
During the appearance of peduncles need to reduce the number of dressings. Add no substance at all to the rest period.
It is important to remember that the active elements for plant nutrition cannot be applied to dry soil. Therefore, before you water the fertilizer, first you just need to water the plant.
Also, you can not feed sick or just transplanted plants.
Features of transplantation and reproduction
Plant transplantation is always a big stress for him. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to hold events during flowering, because during this period cyclamen is very weak, since all the nutrients go to support the buds.
In general, transplantation is carried out once a year, and it is better to do this after the onset of the dormant phase, when the flowering period is over.
When transplanted, the tuber is deepened in half. It requires careful approach to the choice of the pot. Consider the moment that these plants do not feel very comfortable when planting in large containers, so they are selected based on the size of the tubers.
But to multiply the flower is quite difficult. There are the following ways:
- using seeds;
- division of tubers.
The first option is the most common, since it will make it possible to obtain not only a healthy plant, but also a plant that is adapted to home cultivation. Seeds can be taken both store and hand-picked. For seed material is better to use artificial pollination.
Before planting, ripened seeds need to be soaked in a growth stimulator for a period. For this suitable substances such as Kornevin or Appin. Capacity with seeds covered with a film or glass, and the capacity itself put in a room where the temperature does not exceed +20 degrees.
The substrate is required to constantly moisturize, air.
As soon as shoots appear, which happens during the month, move the container to a well-lit place, but without direct sunlight. The best moment for picking in a separate pot is the appearance of 2-3 leaves. With regard to the division of the tuber, this method is not only laborious and undesirable for the plant, but also requires special knowledge. Novice gardeners are better not to undertake such work.
Pests and plant diseases - what will you face?
In the case of proper care, cyclamen can be called relatively hardy plants. But the wrong watering, too dry or too humid air can cause serious problems. Often, the emergence of diseases contributes to waterlogging of the soil or too much compaction of the soil, which can interfere with normal drainage.
An excess or lack of nutrients can also cause a violation of biochemical processes in the plant.
An important point - the right choice of substrate. So, when using a wrongly chosen or contaminated soil, a fungal disease such as cooper, as well as wet or gray rot can appear.
Also in nature there are pests that can cause serious damage to the plant. For example, it is thrips, spider mite, aphid. To get rid of insects, you must first remove all damaged shoots, and then treat the plant with insecticides. Excellent help with this tool, such as Neoron and Fitoverm. Some folk remedies will also be suitable, for example, garlic brew or a solution of water and laundry soap, which simply need to be smeared with the leaves of a flower.
