Northland
November
Q.
Hi Tui, can you grow cyclamen from seed and if so, how?
Olive McKinney
A.
Hi Olive, yes, cyclamen can be grown from seed. Germination takes a couple of months, the fresher the seed the better the germination. It could be six months before you get a seedling that is able to be handled. The natural time for Cyclamen to grow is autumn and winter, they are cool season plants and need darkness to germinate, the seed needs to be covered completely. The best time to sow cyclamen is December/January, fresh seed can be harvested off plants that have finished flowering or by purchasing packet seed. Sow into Tui Seedraising mix which is a moisture retentive, free draining mix. Push the seeds down into the mix and cover, make sure the mix is well watered and kept damp during germination, place a cover over the seeds to keep them in darkness until they germinate. Once they have germinated place the seedlings where they can get light, not direct sunlight and keep plants watered. The bulbs won't flower in the first season, but will continue to grow if kept moist and in the right situation through the summer months, they will flower the following autumn/winter. The Tui Team.
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How do you grow cyclamen from seed? Comments
I have a seed pod this morning the seeds are dropping out. I put the pod & seeds in small dish...how long do I wait to plant in soil and to germinate...I water the mother plant from the bottom...
Lynn O.
Hi Lynn, cyclamen are slow to germinate and should germinate in around 50-60 days. It takes 18 months to get a flowering plant from seed, miniature cyclamen take up to 9 months from seed to flowering. They need dark to germinate so either sow the seed directly into seed raising mix or a similar free draining mix that will remain damp while the seeds are germinating, cover with glass and place in a shaded spot, under a bench or similar where they are kept damp until they germinate. Alternatively, place them in a bag with damp sphagnum moss or damp tissue in the hot water cupboard. Bring them out into the light once germinated and pot on into another pot with a quality potting mix, keep plants in a shaded spot and ensure they are kept damp, not wet, don't allow to dry out, to grow the plants on.
Lianne
I tried germinating cyclamen seed over the Christmas holiday period, not expecting any success. What a surprise it was when they sprouted! I planted the sticky seed immediately on squeezing them from the ripe pods into garden soil in the shade under a Pohutukawa tree and now have a number of seedlings.
Baz
Baz, that is awesome, you will have small tuber starting to swell now.