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Cyclamen

My girlfriend and I just bought four Cyclamen for our patio. We planted them in a big pot and put it in the corner that receives bright indirect light all day long (my Neps are in the corner that receives direct afternoon sunlight for over an hour each day and they're thriving so far!). From what I've read on the internet, Cyclamen seem like picky plants, so I'm just reaching out to you guys for any tips or tricks related to successful Cyclamen cultivation.

Ready...GO!
 
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They like it cool! Warmer than room temperature equals dormancy.

xvart.
 
Ah, thanks for the tip. It'll be interesting to see how they do outside in San Diego. It's pretty mild here year round so perhaps they'll do ok. Would you happen to know what time of year they flower?
 
October, November, or December in their normal habitat. They are often sold alongside poinsettias and christmas cacti. From what I hear they are difficult to reflower and require dormancy if they are to reflower. I've only had one that didn't last because I didn't do my homework so please don't consider me an expert! Needless to say after losing the one last November I did do some homework to learn more about this species.

xvart.

edit: I'm not sure exactly about San Diego seasons but I think they would do well outside year round.

edit: Here's a decent post at another gardening forum that might help.
 
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Wiki says:

Cyclamen are commonly grown for their flowers, both outdoors and indoors in pots. Several species are hardy and can be grown outdoors in mild climates such as northwest Europe and the Pacific Northwest.

The Cyclamen commonly sold by florists is C. persicum, which is frost-tender. Selected Cyclamen cultivars can have white, bright pink, red or purple flowers. While flowering, florists' Cyclamen should be kept below 68 °F (20 °C, 293 kelvins), with the night time temperatures preferably between 44 °F to 59 °F (6.67 °C to 15 °C, or 280 K to 288 K). Temperatures above 68 °F (20 °C, 293 K) may induce the plant to go dormant.
 
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Thanks for all the info guys. From what I can tell, our area of San Diego gets a nice temperature drop at night, especially in the winter (but even a pretty good one in the spring and summer) so I'm hoping our Cyclamen do well outside. They'll never get direct sunlight where they sit on the patio, and from what I've read so far, that's a good thing.
 
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Make sure they are not planted too deep or they will rot. The crown should be about 1/2" above the soil line. Have some fungicide on hand as well they go south quick if not treated at the first signs of rot. Water them only in the morning so they will have time to dry out during the day. Just a couple bits I picked up.
 
my mom has had one for a wicked long time. it flowered like crazy this summer, and after suffering a cat attack, it's starting to flower again. she keeps it in a south window, which only gets dappled sun because of the neighbor's hedges, and under a ceiling fan which is always on. for watering, she only gives it a small amount every day or two...she describes it as a "dropperfull". not too wet, but not too dry. also, she keeps it on top of a ten foot ladder to keep the cat from eating the new leaves. :jester:
 
The seeds are extremely cool. Here in GA I've seen them grown as woodland plants, in the shade under trees with leaf cover and moisture (put plants right above the tree roots to keep it relatively dry). The seed has a fleshy coating on the outside that ants like, and they eat this and bury the seed in their nests. Just one ends up sprouting a whole colony, which gives a really nice effect.

They are native to Greece/Spain with a mediterranean climate, so imitating this in as many ways as possible would be the surest bet. I had one at Easter earlier this year and it was flowering then for a month or two. The GA drought finally did it in however.
 
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I think only one or two varieties can grow outside in GA. I've see them before at specialist garden centers. I think they are pure species. I think the Cyclamen everyone is used to seeing are from Iran(at very high elevations).
 
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  • #11
Here in the UK there are two species that are reliably hardy - C. neopolitanum (flowers Novemberish) and C. coum (flowers Januaryish). Both are easily rasied from seed but dried corms can be a problem. The flowers when pollinated have a seed dispersal mechanism whereby the flower stem coils up once pollinated into a spring, then as the seeds ripen the stem pushes the seed pod into the gound. I collect the seed (once told by an expert that Cyclamen seed is always ready in July, whatever the main flowering time) and braodcast it round the garden. Some is picked up by ants as the seed has a sugary couting.
Other species will live outside but could be problematic. The C. persicum hybrids are not really hardy here but will survive a light frost.
for the C. persicum hybrids a summer rest is essential - place the pot on it side in a warm position until growth restarts in autumn.
 
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  • #12
I came across this thread and thought I'd give a quick update. Three of the four Cyclamen died since September (keeping the media too dry, no doubt. I was paranoid about over-watering), but the one that lived seems to be thriving. It's putting out huge leaves, and I recently bought another Cyclamen to plant beside it, now that I have a better idea of how to water these things. I'm hoping these two plants continue to do well, maybe even well enough to flower come October/November!
 
  • #13
Thanks for the update, LLGG. I'm glad one survived, and thrived! That would be great if it flowered. Keep us posted. I have always thought it would be rewarding to have a flower like that or poinsettias reflower when most people just throw them away. Talk about recycling!

xvart.
 
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