How to sow cyclamen seeds

in Home : Projects: Seeds and bulbs

You will need

Cyclamen seed
10cm pot
Seeds & cuttings compost
Vermiculite
Sheet of glass
Black polythene

Do it: July - August

At its best: January - March

Takes just: 15 minutes

Project categories

Overview

Sowing cyclamen from seed is surprisingly easy, but it's not a job for the impatient gardener: grown this way it can take a year or more before you are rewarded with beautiful blooms. To produce indoor plants you need to use seeds of tender large-flowered varieties, which are available in a wonderful range of colours.

How to do it

1Before sowing, soak the cyclamen seeds in warm water for at least 12 hours, to soften the seed coat, then rinse. Sow seeds into pots of compost, spacing them evenly.

2Sprinkle a layer of fine vermiculite or compost over the seeds until the surface is covered completely.

3Water, then cover with a sheet of glass and a layer of black polythene to shut out the light and encourage germination. Keep temperature no higher than 16° - 21°.

4Check pot regularly. Germination can take 30 - 60 days, and once the seedlings appear, remove the covering and pop your pot into a bright position.

5Leaves develop from a tiny tuber, and once two or three leaves have formed the plants can be potted up separately.

6Plant individually into 7.5cm pots of multi-purpose compost, keeping the tiny tuber level with the surface of the compost.

7Pot on into larger containers as your plants grow, watering them regularly and feeding them once a week. Most varieties should begin flowering about nine months after sowing. Keep them in a cool spot.

Adam's tip

Remove faded flowers or yellowing leaves by twisting stems and giving them a firm tug.

Discuss this project

Talkback: How to sow cyclamen seeds

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LesleyQ 24/11/2011 at 15:27

I did not need to waste paper and ink by having to print all the pages! I tried to limit it to the 2 relevant pages, but failed. Can you modify what otherwise is a good and useful tool please?

ghepburnl 24/11/2011 at 15:28

I very much agree with LesleyQ's commment re waste of paper and ink. I have just printed off 'How to....take lavender cuttings' which ran to three pages and could perfectly well have all been printed on one page. Apart from this grouse, the content and instructions are excellent.

shearer 24/11/2011 at 15:28

I have a cyclamen plant that has finished flowering and now has what appears to be seed heads left from where the flowers where.Can anyone advise me how to harvest the seeds and when

funnybones123 24/11/2011 at 15:29

i have just removed the seed head from my cyclamen, only one i,m afraid, but it held 18 seeds, can anyone tell me where to store these seeds and how? untill i am ready to plant in july-august?

margaret magill 11/05/2012 at 16:37

I have gathered seed heads from a plant on my kitchen window sill ,can I use them and if so would I follow the above instructions? Thank you.Margaret

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