Cyclamen 2014

[Roma]

Had a closer look at the flower today (with my reading specs on).  The stigma is not exserted so that would indicate balearicum.  The books say balearicum can have stumpy flowers though the ones photographed all seem to have longer petals.  I took a pic today to show the size of the flower compared with a normal repandum.

[johnstephen29]

It could be a cross then Roma

[Roma]

Or even straight balearicum.  People do make mistakes when collecting seed and when labelling plants.  When I have a lot of seedlings I do not always label every pot.  I did have a lot of repandum, rhodium and some balearicum  a few years ago and could have made a mistake.  The leaves could be either.

[johnstephen29]

Yeah I know what you mean, I had some seeds which I thought were purpuracens album a few years back, three seeds germinated. Then last year they flowered, they turned out to be the normal purpuracens, so it does happen.

[partisangardener]

Todays surprise
C.repandum planted outside in 6b since June 2011. First flower last year.
Today

Next time I try some of my white ones outside.

[johnralphcarpenter]

The small flowered Cyclamen persicum cultivars that I purchased from the garden centre last November (see Cyclamen 2013 Reply#455 8th November) flowered well all winter, but are now looking rather sad. What should I do now? Should I knock them out of the pots and dry them off and replant in the autumn. or repot now? What potting mix should I use?

[SJW]

The small flowered Cyclamen persicum cultivars that I purchased from the garden centre last November (see Cyclamen 2013 Reply#455 8th November) flowered well all winter, but are now looking rather sad. What should I do now? Should I knock them out of the pots and dry them off and replant in the autumn. or repot now? What potting mix should I use?

Ralph - I'd start to dry them off now in their pots under cover. Although if you suffer from vine weevils in the garden it would probably be worth checking for grubs before taking them into the greenhouse...

Garden centre plants are usually in peat-based composts which isn't ideal for cyclamen in my experience. I'd use a much grittier, free-draining mix and repot anytime over summer into dry-ish compost. Give the pots a good soak in late summer to start them back into growth and then be careful with the watering until the leaves are up and growing away.

[fermi de Sousa]

First flower today on Cyclamen cyprium grown from NARGS Seedex 2010 seed (donated by Erich Pasche) sown 7th June 2010;first seedlings 31st July 2011; kept in the shade-house - not sure if these be planted out safely here.
Apologies for the quality of the pics - I had to bring the pot inside to take them,
cheers
fermi

[johnralphcarpenter]

Ralph - I'd start to dry them off now in their pots under cover. Although if you suffer from vine weevils in the garden it would probably be worth checking for grubs before taking them into the greenhouse...

Garden centre plants are usually in peat-based composts which isn't ideal for cyclamen in my experience. I'd use a much grittier, free-draining mix and repot anytime over summer into dry-ish compost. Give the pots a good soak in late summer to start them back into growth and then be careful with the watering until the leaves are up and growing away.

Thanks Steve.

[Vincent26]

Cyclamen creticum in wild, with pale rose forms.

[Roma]

Nice to see the pink Cyclamen creticum, Vincent.  I did have a pink one from Cyclamen Society seed a few years ago but lost it in the 2010-2011 winter.  It seems the most tender of the Cyclamen I have tried to grow apart from rohlfsianum which lives in the house.

I still have Cyclamen persicum, Cylamen rhodium ssp. peloponnesiacum, rhodium ssp. vividum and repandum in bloom but the new season will start soon with new leaves and flower buds beginning to appear on purpurascens and colchicum. 

[SJW]

Cyclamen creticum... lost it in the 2010-2011 winter...

Same here, Roma. Although I do have a pot of SRGC creticum seedlings doing well in the house.

...the new season will start soon with new leaves and flower buds beginning to appear on purpurascens and colchicum. 

And while we're waiting there's always the developing seed pods to admire - each species different. I don't recall this cyprium plant having such large pods in previous years. Also noticed that there's no seed set at all on any of my graecums which is unusual

[SJW]

A few more.

[David Nicholson]

I've just started my Cyclamen re-potting, and a question please. I have a bunch of pots of Cyclamen graecum all grown from seed sown August/September 2008 and these have so far produced tubers of around squash ball size. None have produced flowers and the tubers/roots look healthy enough. My mix is my usual bulb mix (JI No.2, sand, grit) augmented with composted bark. I have never fed any of my Cyclamen apart from the odd watering with tomato fertiliser having read somewhere that they didn't need it. Am I doing something wrong?

[Roma]

No response from the experts, David so I'll try.  Most of my Cyclamen graecum are from Cyclamen Society seed from wild collected plants.  They were sown in 2003 and 2004.  I had a few flowers in 2009 and 2 or possibly 3 plants had 12 to 15 flowers in 2010.  They got frozen in that winter and the most promising plants died.  It took the survivors a couple of years to recover.  I have them in the sunniest corner of the greenhouse.  I don't have a plunge but do give them a little water during the summer.   A few did have flowers last year but one in particular had many flowers and even set lots of seed.  Others did not even produce leaves and I think some have died.  I have a white one from Paul Christian probably pre 2000. It used to flower well on the upstairs bedroom windowsill beside the rholfsianums but is now permanently in the greenhouse and does flower.  I have had a few Cyclamen graecum in the past which never flowered.  Hope this helps.  Not sure if it's the 'good form' or the warmth and sunshine which is most important