Cyclamen Cyprium seedlings

[Pennine Wanderer]

I received Cyclamen Cyprium and Cyclamen Libanoticum seeds from the SRGC seed exchange in January of this year and sowed them straight away.  They were left outside in a plunge and both germinated by late September.  Before there was a danger of frost they were both moved onto a windowsill in a cool room in the house.  The leaves of the C.Cyprium have shrivelled up but the C. Libanoticum are doing fine. They have always been stood side by side and given no different treatment.  Is it normal for C. Cyprium leaves to shrivel up?  Have I lost the young plants or will they come again next year?

[SJW]

I received Cyclamen Cyprium and Cyclamen Libanoticum seeds from the SRGC seed exchange in January of this year and sowed them straight away.  They were left outside in a plunge and both germinated by late September.  Before there was a danger of frost they were both moved onto a windowsill in a cool room in the house.  The leaves of the C.Cyprium have shrivelled up but the C. Libanoticum are doing fine. They have always been stood side by side and given no different treatment.  Is it normal for C. Cyprium leaves to shrivel up?  Have I lost the young plants or will they come again next year?

Is the windowsill south-facing? Even in winter, a few sunny days on an exposed house windowsill will stress young seedlings. Did the stems just collapse and turn to mush or did the leaves wilt and then dry out/shrivel up? Have the pots been regularly watered because it may be a combination of dryness at the roots (which aren't that extensive in plants so young) and direct sun. It does seem odd that the libanoticum is unaffected but it may be that their pot held moisture for longer than the cyprium pot, particularly if there are fewer seedlings in the former. Whether they'll come back next year depends, I suspect, on how much of a tuber they were able to make before dying back - they've only had about 10 weeks of growing time. I'd have a careful root around in the pot to see if the tubers are sound or if they've rotted off.

[Pennine Wanderer]

Hi Steve, Thanks for your reply. The pots are on a north east facing window and do not get any sun.  The leaves wilted and shrivelled.  They got the same watering treatment as the Libanoticum.  I was wondering if C. Cyprium is not as robust a plant as C. Libanoticum.  Dave.

[SJW]

Hi Steve, Thanks for your reply. The pots are on a north east facing window and do not get any sun.  The leaves wilted and shrivelled.  They got the same watering treatment as the Libanoticum.  I was wondering if C. Cyprium is not as robust a plant as C. Libanoticum.  Dave.

Hi Dave, looks like the pot of cyprium seedlings damped off...As to which of the two is more robust, I find them both remarkably easy to kill . Although I haven't tried it myself, both apparently can be planted out in a really sheltered position so they're a bit tougher than generally supposed, Still wouldn't plant them out this far north though! I've lost seedling pots of both species in the past through being too heavy handed with the watering can before the young plants are growing on strongly. Mature plants are less of a problem although, on reflection, I've had more success with cyprium than with libanoticum.

[Pennine Wanderer]

Thanks again Steve. I will have to get some more seed and try again with the C. Cyprium plus find a mature plant to get me going.

[Regelian]

Saw your post about C. cyprium, which I have been growing from seed from the seedex.  I have found them very easy, to be honest.  I have them in my unheated garden house, kept medium moist and with late sun.  Low temps are about -6°C, maybe colder last Winter.  I have at least 4 different selections from the seedex and, interstingly, one of the packs did little germination and, yes, the seedlings damped off.  Maybe we have this in common.  Otherwise, this species has surprised me, as I didn't expect the hardiness.  At this point, the only species I cannot seem to grow in the garden house is C. rolfsianum.  Even C. africanum is doing well, although i di keep it inside for the first Winter, not wanting to trust the few seedlings I had to -11°C the first Winter.

Maybe some of the seed carried a pathogen, or more likely, had a different providence.

cheers,

Jamie

[Pennine Wanderer]

Thanks for your input Jamie. It is a learning curve for me so I will try again and hope for better success.

Dave