Gardening: The trick to growing great cyclamen | Brian Kidd

We all love cyclamen. Pam and I enjoyed these lovely flowers last winter.She bought them last September, they were put into our cold conservatory and the blooms were wonderful all through the winter despite the weather.
Some like it cold - cyclamen certainly do. Picture: PASome like it cold - cyclamen certainly do. Picture: PA
Some like it cold - cyclamen certainly do. Picture: PA

They flowered right up and well into March, the reason was... because they were kept cold. Cyclamen don’t like being too hot.

Cyclamen are well known as one of the best tubers for producing dozens of flowers all through winter.

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Once a bloom fades the dead flower stem is plucked off the tuber using a forefinger and thumb. Dead-heading encourages future blooms.

Some like it cold - cyclamen certainly do. Picture: PASome like it cold - cyclamen certainly do. Picture: PA
Some like it cold - cyclamen certainly do. Picture: PA

These gems were taken out of the conservatory and put out into the garden, still in their pots. They have been kept watered but placed on a shelf so the dreaded vine weevil couldn’t get into the pots.

Despite watering, the leaves have got a lot smaller and there are rounded lumps at the ends of the stems. Now, for once, this is good news for those rounded lumps are seed heads.

When the pods are the size of marbles, they can be cut off and the seeds sown in early August.

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Have a look at yours because this is the magic moment to prepare for the next lot of beautiful blooms around about November – sorry to mention autumn again.

In the next few days knock the plant out of the pot. If this seems difficult, knock the edge of the pot against the handle of a spade. Carefully take off all the compost from the cyclamen tuber and you will see some white roots. Even so, make sure all the old compost is removed.

If there are creamy white grubs, kill them with a size 10. These are vine weevil grubs. Put them in a dish with deep sides. Don’t let them get away.

We are now ready to replant the tubers. Take off every leaf and put broken pieces of flowerpot in the base of the pots to ensure good drainage. Now replant the tubers in John Innes No3 compost adding 20 per cent extra sharp sand. Mix well as cyclamen love well-drained compost.

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Water the pots after repotting and keep them off the ground to stop vine weevil grubs getting into the pots.

In mid-September bring them indoors again. They will come into bloom during the autumn and will flower all winter if kept frost free and watered when the compost feels dry.

What about feeding? Give them Maxicrop Complete plant food, just a weak feed. The instructions are on the green plastic bottle. This is needed once a fortnight from October onwards. We don’t normally feed plants in the autumn and winter, but cyclamen like a weak feed during the winter but don’t overdo it.

If you would like to grow them from seed, you will have to be patient. Sow in any type of seed compost in gentle warmth. Keep an eye on watering as they must not dry out. The seedlings will germinate after about seven weeks, far longer than other plants. The reason is that the seedling forms a tiny tuber below the compost, essential for a succession of flowers about 15 months after sowing.

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If your water butt is empty, this is a good time to clean it out. Put a piece of nylon stocking over the end of the down pipe to prevent debris entering. Cover the top of the butt to prevent mosquitoes laying eggs on the surface of the water.

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