winter flower: cyclamen
We are company in the cold months of winter: with its extraordinary wealth of flowers and romantic heart-shaped leaves, cyclamen red, the pink and white our balconies and terraces, through countless imaginative nuances.
In gardening lesson No 1 learn to take care of this very common, but always beautiful ornamental plant from outside.
Vase, medium and exposure
First things first ...
You just bought the new seedlings and cyclamen, and go back home, we prepared the first potting. The transition from growing pot for sale at what your cyclamen will host throughout the winter, must take account of the habitat for plant growth. In our case, since the departure of vessel's 15 cm in diameter, we will choose one of 25.
Let the choice of the earth.
Cyclamen loves to be cool, but certainly does not want to stagnate in the water: the soil is light and better drainage, possibly mixed with a little 'of agroperlite (this is a highly porous granular material from volcanic rock and are therefore able to absorb Any excess fluid!).
Now let's get to work:
- take your vessel and deposited a land base.
- cyclamen reversed upside down and be careful to remove the plant gently from its old container.
- place it in again and cover with soil.
PS If cyclamen planted as early as September, know that it will need shade during the hottest hours. If instead you waited until the middle of October and fall has eased the temperatures, as well expose them to direct sunlight.
However, remember that the cyclamen like a temperature between 13 ° and 15 ° C during the day and between 5 ° and 8 ° C at night.
Water
is good practice to water the cyclamen on alternate days. But my advice is to always check that the earth is actually dry to prevent a dangerous accumulation of water.
not only when , but also the watered as protecting the health of your plants: bulbs that go direct and do not wet the leaves (ahimè!) suffer from attacks of mildew and fungus.
Fertilizer
To grow healthy, beautiful and strong, even plants need to eat well!
Especially when they are in pots, proper fertilization ensures that the minerals through the process of chlorophyll synthesis become lifeblood.
Ten days dall'invasatura (the right time so that the roots are well established in the new earth), it should proceed with the first fertilization. To be repeated every two weeks.
In general, there are two types of fertilizer: liquid and granular.
Both should be diluted in water and given as a normal watering.
Buy the specific fertilizer for cyclamen or, alternatively, a universal fertilizer for flowering plants and follow the instructions exactly.
If you are ill ...
Despite treatment more thoughtful, it can always happen that a plant becomes ill. The important thing is to keep your eyes open to see that something is wrong from the very signs and act immediately.
Cyclamen is a plant rather strong and has no major problems with insects and parasites.
Except those boring butterfly larvae eat the leaves. You'll notice the little holes and you have to do a treatment with permethrin, to be repeated again after one week. Dissolve in water and sprayed the pesticide directly to the leaves.
The real weakness of the cyclamen is its susceptibility to fungus and mold. Apart from the attention, almost obsessive, which will develop in watering modestly and only when necessary, as soon as they show signs of rot of the bulbs or yellowish-brown spots on the leaves, do not hesitate to give a product fungicide.
Such attacks, moreover, occur mainly during the initial period, in the presence of a hot humid climate.
Sandro Bartoli
