Plants have always given joy. In the cold season, a beautiful cyclamen flower, conveniently located on the windowsill, saves from boredom and gloom. It is difficult to name the place where this flower does not grow, probably only at the north pole. The origin of this flower has not yet been established: either Northeast Africa, or Iran, or the Mediterranean region. Anyway, this is not so important, the main thing is that not only avid flower lovers, but ordinary people love cyclamen.
It is said that cyclamen is a very finicky plant and that it is not always possible to please it. There is a certain amount of truth in this, but nevertheless, these data are significantly exaggerated: caring for cyclamen at home is almost no different from caring for other indoor plants. Is it just a little.
If you decide to acquire such beauty, then you still will not hurt to find out how to care for cyclamen. It is worth noting that the period of the plant’s life is not quite ordinary. It blooms, as a rule, in the autumn-winter period, and after it fades, it falls into a real "hibernation": the leaves either fall off by themselves, or they must be cut off. This is probably why the care of cyclamen at home during these periods is slightly different.
If you take good care of this plant, then with its flowering it will be able to please you for 10-12 years. Many housewives know firsthand how cyclamen dies without having lived even three years. This happens when the regimes of watering, lighting and fertilizing are not respected, and various diseases often affect this flower.
In order for the cyclamen to bloom well, it should be planted in a not too large pot, while the tuber should be only about a fourth of its part in the ground. Such a feature of this plant. During flowering, cyclamen needs special care, because in order for you to be pleased with its beauty several bright flowers, the plant must give a lot of strength. So that these forces do not dry out, cyclamen needs a moderate air temperature, he does not tolerate heat, just like severe cold. Optimum for flowering plants is an air temperature of 12-15 degrees. During this period, cyclamen needs more lighting, but this does not mean that direct sunlight should fall on it. This circumstance is simply fatal to a flower. Caring for cyclamen at home during the flowering period also involves constant watering, however, you need to ensure that you do not overfill the flower, otherwise the tuber can rot. By the way, cyclamen is watered as follows: water is poured into a container or a plate and a flower pot is placed in it, and holes have been made in the bottom of it.
The content of cyclamen at home after flowering is slightly different. As a rule, the leaves of the plant fall off themselves, but if this does not happen, they will have to be unscrewed or cut off using special scissors. You need to cut the leaves as close to the tuber as possible, but you must do this very carefully so as not to damage the plant. The treated flower must be removed in a cool, darkened place. Watering at this time is significantly reduced, but still, you need to ensure that the soil in the pot does not dry out. As soon as the plant has leaves, this indicates the beginning of the preparation of the flower for a new flowering period. With the emergence of the plant from hibernation, it should again be transferred to a bright place, while increasing watering.
As you can see, caring for cyclamen at home is not so difficult. It is worth adding that the plant should be fertilized periodically: this is done every 2 weeks. Use for this purpose a special mineral fertilizer for flowering plants. Fertilizing the plant is not necessary when it is in a period of calm.
How long your plant will live will largely depend on the condition you bought it in. You can, of course, buy his tubers, plant and wait a couple of years when the cyclamen blooms. But if you buy a flower that has already grown, then make sure that it has a healthy appearance, and its tubers are smooth and only a fourth part are lowered into the ground.