Topic: Hardy Cyclamen

[Pesky Wabbit]

Last Friday, Monti was digging up baby Cyclamen an putting them in a coldframe.

Why ?
How long do they need to be in a coldframe for ?
Can I not just replant them where I want them ?

Monti was showing C.coum, I have C.hederifolium. Are these treated any different ?

I quite fancy having C.coum as well. I see T&M sell seeds. Are these any good ? Easy to grow ?

[star]

Its to let the corm grow to a reasonable size. They take about 3 years to flower from 'seed' stage if I remember rightly.

In the wild they plant themselves by means of a spring loaded stem, which pulls the little corm down to the soil. So you wouldn't need to assist them if you want them to naturalize.........unless you wanted to ;)

[Palustris]

Sorry Star, but the 'corm ' on the spring loaded stem is a seed capsule which splits open. The seeds are carried away by ants for the sugar on them.
No idea about the gardening program, never watch any more, but C, coum are as tough as old boots. Mine have been flowering since December and only just finishing. We have them now as lawn weeds.
Bought seeds are expensive and not that easy to germinate. Soak them in warm soapy water over night and sow 1/4 inch deep at 16c in the dark. Sow thinly and do not prick out until they go dormant again.
They flower 2 years from seed if you feed them.
Or give me a PM in June and I will send you some seeds We get thousands!
Never buy dried corms by the way, they rarely gorw. Beast buy growing plants and let the ants spread them for you.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Some ants doubtless spread the seeds, but mine don't. I get loads of seedlings, but only round the parent plants. As they're so small, potting them up would be a good idea if you're going to be disturbing the soil at all.

[star]

Thanks for the correction Palustris, funny how the right info is much more interesting ;D ;D

[Palustris]

Some ants doubtless spread the seeds, but mine don't. I get loads of seedlings, but only round the parent plants. As they're so small, potting them up would be a good idea if you're going to be disturbing the soil at all.

I was speaking from personal experience and after checking with the Grey Wilson mongraph on Cyclamen. Ants do not carry them very far and they do not carry ALL of them away. We have them growing now in the grass verge outside the garden and I sat and watched an ordinary black ant take a seed away last June.

[valmarg]

Well pesky, if you want any seedlings, can let you have some.  Have both coum and hederifolium.  At the moment coum are the most obvious.

PM me and I can let you have some.

valmarg

[Pesky Wabbit]

Very generous.

PM sent.

Many thanks.

[Baaaaaaaa]

I too copied Monty digging up cyclamen seedlings. Got bored after the first 200 though !

Mine had cormlets the size of an Osmocote slow release ball or a vine weavil egg, 
a few very fine roots hanging from this,
about 1 to 2 inches of stem,
and a small leaf the size of half my littlefingers nail.

How old are these ? When was the seed sown ?
How long will it be before they flower ?

[jesssands]

I bought a little cyclamen plant on xmas eve, I has been flowering non stop. I think I have taken just 3 wilted flowers from it.
It is still flowering now, but my question is......... how to look after it for the rest of the year when the flowering stops?

[Rohaise]

 We just had a builder in to put up a fence to enclose my secret Jurassic Fern garden. (a very damp and shady area,no good for anything else. )   I forgot to take up my wild cyclamen corms ..and despite the beautiful leaves...yep..he trod all over them !   So I have had a job rescueing them from out of the well stamped down mud !   Some of these have corms which are about 5" in diameter..I was amazed to see this !  I wonder how big they can get eventualy ?    They are now in a bowl of slighly damp compost in a cold frame ,awaiting better weather for replanting . Rohaise

[Robert_Brenchley]

They can eventually get over a foot across. A first year seedling has a corm about the size of a slug's egg, maybe a millimetre or so across.

[Lee Marshall]

I grew some from some RHS seed about 20 years ago and the colony is still going strong...the original plant is still there and I bet the corm is a dinner plate.

An inch of compost over the area once a year keeps them going fine they are in front of some ferms and look great in the fall with colchicums.