Germinating Cyclamen seeds, temperature.

I planted a lot of Cyclamen seeds in mid October, and another lot in early November,and due to lack of space the first October batch were planted in small plantpots and put outside in the patio, in the shade of bigger pots. The second November batch were mostly kept indoors, in various spots of varying temperature and light, though the light indoors isn't much especially in winter.

Today I was rummaging around these many pots outside and noticed something growing in one pot that I had labelled Cyclamen Mirabile Tilebarn Nicholas. At first glance they could have been mistaken for the long bits growing on moss, or some unidentifiable weed. There were three of these shoots, tiny things with the seed coating at the top. I pulled one, thinking it was probably a weed that I need to clear, and it came up whole with the unmistakeable tiny Cyclamen bulb. I re-planted that in a big pot where I want them to grow ultimately, and brought the pot with the other two remaining tiny shoots indoors and put it on the kitchen windowsill.

I have found in the past that for me the best way to transplant Cyclamen seedlings when they are tiny and just have one leaf is to pull it up by the stem, and the whole thing comes up intact. Probably couldn't do that when they get any bigger. I have lost a few doing this, but most survive and I have a few little colonies of Cyclamen Coum by transplanting the tiny seedlings like this.

I had a look online, and Cyclamen Mirabile Tilebarn Nicholas is described as tender, so I am not sure where to keep it for the winter. I am on the South Coast of the UK, so it is relatively mild here. The odd thing is that the Cyclamen experts tell us to germinate Cyclamen seeds between about 15 and 18 degrees Celsius, and these have been out in the cold since mid October, mainly due to lack of space indoors. I am a hot house plant, and the kitchen is probably more like 21 degrees Celsius, though the living room is probably between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius. In previous years all my Cyclamen seeds have germinated at a warmer temperature than that recommended, but the last thing I was expecting was for them to germinate in the cold outside, and especially Cyclamen Mirabile Tilebarn Nicholas, which is considered to be tender and needing to be kept in a greenhouse, which I don't have.

 

I also found in the early November batch in the living room, in a dark place about 16 degrees Celsius, one thin small shoot in a pot labelled Cyclamen confusum.

I put this outside to get some light, as it looks in desperate need to be taken out of the dark to the lightest place possible.

The Cyclamen experts tell us that Cyclamen seeds need darkness to germinate, but these seem to be not getting enough light, both grown inside and outside in the shade of big pots.

 

Now this has got me wanting to try growing Cyclamen from seeds, something I've never done before I'll have to give it a go !

 

I've found the most successful method of germinating cyclamen seeds is to put them in a small sealed bag with finely sieved soil/MPC . In Spring, I leave them in my GH ( unheated ) but I've also done them in my Airing cupboard at other times of year.

 

I highly recommend The Cyclamen Society, for seeds and wonderful, informative books. Their website has some beautiful photographs of different species of the Cyclamen genus.

It only costs £15 a year to join, and for that you get an extremely helpful book, "Cyclamen, a concise guide", and their magazine, and access to seeds for between 25p and 50p a packet, and free entry to various locations when they hold their shows where you can see the most beautiful specimens that the experts have grown. My companion even said she got discounted coffee at a show venue from my membership card.

 

In my experience cyclamen naturally drop their seed in late summer.
They would then germinate and grow over winter.

I've only tried saved seed from florist types.

 

One word of caution when moving the germinated seeds on, if you damage the incredibly thin and almost invisible radicle( root coming from the corm) then they do not thrive. Pulling them out, even from loose compost can do that which is why people have lost seedlings in the past.
I used to grow them commercially and I usually let the seedlings grow on until the corm was about a centimetre in width before potting on.
These days I just dig up a clump from the garden as and when I want some for elsewhere in the garden.
One interesting point is that the seeds are designed to be spread by ants. I have washed the seeds before now in mild acid (vinegar) to mimic the ant's formic acid effect on the seed as they lick off the sugary coating.

 

I've had various Tilebarn (Anne, Greville, Nicholas) from AGS seed. I put them in a clay pot, cover with grit, leave in greenhouse and water when I remember. They germinate a lot slower than fresh seed from my own plants of hederifolium which are much plumper. The leaf patterns and colours on the Tilebarn ones are rather good