To sow cyclamen seeds in spring and autumn, you need to consider seed selection, seed treatment, sowing soil, sowing method, etc. The details are as follows:
1. Sowing time
When planting cyclamen seeds, spring and autumn are more suitable. In spring, we generally choose from February to May. In autumn, it can generally be carried out from August to October.
2. How to plant cyclamen
Seed selection: Choose large, plump seeds.
Seed treatment: Cyclamen seeds are larger, germinate slowly and emerge unevenly. To promote early and careful germination, seeds can be soaked to speed up germination before sowing. Soak the seeds in cold water for a day and night or soak them in lukewarm water at 30°C for 2-3 hours,then wash off the adhesive on the surface of the seeds, wrap them in a damp cloth to accelerate germination, keep the temperature around 25°C and leave them for 1-2 days. When the seeds germinate slightly, they can be removed.
Soil to sow: equal quantities of silt, leafy humus soil and river sand.
Sowing method: Sow seeds at a distance of 1.5 to 2.0 cm in shallow pots or shallow boxes, with a soil depth of 0.5 to 1.0 cm. Use the basin method to soak water, cover it with glass and place it at 18-20°C for about 30-40 days to germinate. After germination, remove the glass in time and place it in a sunny and ventilated place.
Morphological characteristics of cyclamen
Cyclamen is a perennial herbaceous plant. The tuber is flattened spherical, usually 4 to 5 cm in diameter, with a corky, brown, light skinflattened at the top. The leaves and scapes are extracted at the same time from the top of the tuber; the petiole measures 5 to 18 cm long; the leaves are heart-shaped and oval, 3 to 14 cm in diameter, the apex is slightly pointed, the edges have crenate teeth, the texture is slightly thick and the upper surface is dark green, often has light-colored markings.
The scape is 15 to 20 cm high and does not curl when in fruit; the calyx is usually divided to the base and the lobes are triangular or oblong-triangular, with entire margins; white or rose red, the throat is dark purple and the tube is subhemispherical, lobes oblong-lanceolate, slightly acute and without ears at the base. It is 3.5 to 5 times longer than the tube and is highly reflective.