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seed heads on cyclamen

18 years ago

I have transplanted three of my cyclamen into pots to bring indoors for the summer. Every once in a while I get new little plants from the way the seeds droop down after the flower poops out. What should I do to maximize the re-seeding capability? Also, how much light do they need indoors? Thanks for any help.

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Comments (3)

razorback33
18 years ago
The Cyclamen Society has a web site devoted to Cyclamen propagation (below) that may be helpful. I assume from your description of the seed peduncle, that you have Cyclamen persicum. I grow the species (not the large-flowering Florist's type) in my garden and I have seldom found seedlings of them. That is in stark contrast to 3 other species that bloom at the same time and produce an abundance of seed (and seedlings). I suspect that conditions(temp/light/moisture) are not right for winter seed germination of this species in my garden.
All Cyclamen seedlings require a high level of light (not long exposure to direct sunlight) to prevent enlongation of the leaf petiole (spindly growth). Once germination occurs and true leaves develop, i place the hardy species outdoors in a shady, protected location to develop into mature plants. They are also placed in a screen enclosure to deter predators.
Hope this helps and good luck!
Rb

Here is a link that might be useful: Propagation of Cyclamen
ljrmiller
18 years ago
I just received a Cyclamen coum in my most recent plant order. It is just SO COOL! It has DOZENS of the most adorable seed pods--round spheres with tendrils around them. It made the rest of the order (which ranged from acceptable to fairly nice) worthwhile.

Lisa
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The folks over in one of the cyclamen forums say DRAINAGE is the key to most everything with these. I planted a pod of seeds from one of my wife's miniature-red cyclamen persicum in June, noticed first sprouting in mid July, and now have over 3 dozen nice looking single leaf plants. I used a mix of 1 part miracle-gro potting soil and 1 part perlite. Placed the seeds on top of the mix, covered with about 1/4" of fine chick grit, watered well, and placed outside in a shaded corner. It got no more water till after they sprouted. George
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the seed will ripen in the center of a protective coil that the stem forms after the flower blooms. the plant holds it close to the ground. the trick would be in figuring when it's ripe, but before the plants lets go of it. i'd start checking a month or so after it blooms and keep an eye on it to figure out when to grab them. i read somewhere that ants carry off the seeds because the coating is sweet and that's how they get distributed in nature. i'd think that if you picked them fresh you wouldn't need to rehydrate, but you may need to remove that coating. my hederifolium has started reseeding some in nature. since they are so tiny the first few years, and were all too close, i grabbed as many as i could last year and put them in cell packs to wait a year or two in pots while they size up. i was happy to see that even with the drought and my sporadic watering through the fall, most of them came up in late fall on schedule. the are so tiny they're adorable. the little bulbs were only the size of an 'o' in a sentence last year- long ways to go til they get to the 1/2 dollar size+ that is typically sold. pam- that's pretty cool about the florist's one managing 2 winters. maybe it'll start to reseed for you and you'll end up with a colony. does it bloom in fall or now for you? that would help narrow down which hardy genes are in there.
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I can say I have collected seed from my cyclamen plants not knowing if they were viable or not. I saved the round seed pods (1/4" - 1/2" across) and let them dry out. A couple opened up on their own - the others I had to open myself. The seeds are brown and sort of wrinkley.(I have more if you want to see). Last February I planted some of the seeds to see if they would sprout (as I killed my plant and wanted more to replace it). I was suprized when most of the seeds sprouted and are still alive (no flowers yet - but plants are getting bigger :) ) They seem to do better in pots with no drainage holes to keep the soil moist, and plenty of sunshine. Good luck and let me know if you want to see pictures or have more questions.
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ian_bc_north
17 years ago
I have a Cyclamen purpurescens that appears to be setting seed.
Previous flower stems have flopped over and shriveled up after the blooms have dropped.
This one is coiling up.
If anyone has experience with this species I should like to know how to recognize when the seedpod is mature.

The Cyclamen Society website, Razorback was kind enough to provide the link to, indicates that C.purpurescens can take up to a year for the seed to mature.

These are plants that I started from seed early in 2005. I brought them indoors in the fall and put them under lights so as to get an extra seasonÂs growth from them.

Should it be possible I would like to propagate these plants, both so as to get more than the few I have now and as insurance against losses.
Ian

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