How to spend the winter in Cyclamen
As the temperature drops sharply, cyclamen, a beautiful and delicate ornamental plant, faces a severe test. As a perennial bulbous flower, its winter maintenance is directly related to the flowering quality of the following year. This article will systematically analyze five key maintenance techniques to help your cyclamen survive the winter safely. Temperature control strategy Necessary conditions for indoor wintering When the night temperature continues to fall below 8℃, cyclamen should be moved indoors in time. The northern region needs to pay special attention to the transition of temperature differences before and after heating. It is recommended to maintain a buffer distance of 1.5 meters between the window sill and the radiator. Coordinated management of temperature and humidity maintains a golden temperature band of 15-18℃ during the day and 10-12℃ at night, with an air humidity of about 50%. You can lay ceramite on the pallet and inject water to moisturize, avoiding direct spraying of water on the leaves. Water management skills The precise watering judgment method adopts the "three-finger detection method": Insert the index finger, middle finger and ring finger side by side into the pot soil to a depth of 2cm. If only the fingertips are slightly moist, water can be done. In winter, it is recommended to switch to warm water at around 25℃ for irrigation. When the water control plan during special periods encounters continuous rainy and snowy weather, the watering interval can be extended to 10-12 days. When the room temperature is below 5℃ and enters the dormant period, water should be completely cut off to prevent the bulbs from rotting. Light adjustment plan The golden rule for winter lighting ensures more than 4 hours of direct light every day. The best hours are 9-11 a.m. and 2-4 p.m. Use a rotatable flower stand to adjust the direction by 180° every week to ensure that the plants receive even light. Manual fill light skills If the rainy weather lasts for more than 3 days, full-spectrum plant fill light should be turned on. It is recommended that the distance between the lamp and the plant be 40-50cm, and the light should be supplemented for 2-3 hours a day to avoid photoburns. Nutritional management key points judgment criteria for stopping fertilization time When new leaves stop growing and flower buds fully differentiate (usually mid-to-late December), fertilization should be completely stopped. Pay special attention to the need to stop using nitrogen-containing fertilizers one month in advance. Nutrient reserve before overwintering Apply phosphorus and potassium slow-release fertilizer (N-P-K=5-15-30) 10 days before the beginning of winter, and mix it into the substrate at a standard of 1g per liter of soil to store overwintering energy for the bulbs.
Through scientific temperature control, precise water management, reasonable light configuration and timely nutritional adjustments, as well as regular inspection of the status of the bulbs, your cyclamen can not only survive the winter safely, but also reserve sufficient energy for the peak flowering period next spring. Only by remembering the linkage effect of every maintenance detail can this "Winter Fairy" bloom year after year.