Why does cyclamen not bloom and what to do about it?

Few growers can remain indifferent looking at a blooming cyclamen. Opening the buds from winter to spring, it stands out against the background of other indoor plants with the freshness of its foliage and the brightness of the flowers. However, this exotic plant does not always please households with abundant flowering. Why this happens, and what to do about it, we will consider further.

The main factor explaining the lack of flowers or their scarcity is improper care or its complete ignorance. Cyclamen blooms during the period of its active growth and development. If it does not pick up buds and does not bloom, this may be due to reasons such as:

• wrong choice of planting material;
• unsuitable soil composition;
• incorrect planting of the tuber;
• violation of the transplant regime;
• inappropriate place for growth and development;
• violation of the temperature regime;
• ignorance of watering rules;
• ignoring timely feeding.

The plant is considered demanding to care for and reacts to any change in its conditions. In order to make him bloom, he will have to initially create conditions in which he can grow and develop normally. Let's note the main points based on the reasons for the lack of colors.

Exceptionally healthy material without any damage is suitable for planting. A strong and beautiful plant will never grow from a sick, diseased tuber: it will not have the strength to bloom. If you take cyclamen from the store, make sure that the leaves are free of damage, yellowness and spots. The tuber should be firm, without spots, but not dry.

In order not to doubt the soil, you can buy a ready-made substrate in a flower shop, which is intended for cyclamen. If possible, prepare the soil mixture yourself. It contains sand, peat, humus and sod soil in a ratio of 1: 1: 1: 3. Its acidity level should be 5.5-6.5 pH. The soil should be air permeable, nutritious, but light.

The tuber must be planted correctly, it cannot be completely buried in the ground, as inexperienced growers do. The lower part of the bulb should go into the soil by only two-thirds. In this case, the edge of the pot should not be too high. It is enough that it is only 2-3 cm higher than the bulb.

It is believed that all store-bought plants should be immediately transplanted into a new container. However, it is generally known that a plant cannot be transplanted during the period of its active growth during the formation of buds. You cannot jerk it at this time, since the flower reacts to any touch and considers it stress.

Being a tropical plant, cyclamen needs an abundance of sun. But its light should be diffused. If it grows in a dark room, the windows of which face the north side, you may not wait for flowers.By placing it on the windowsill of the south side, without exposing it to direct sunlight, you can be sure that the plant will have enough strength to form not only shoots and foliage, but also beautiful buds.

Cyclamen is considered a delicate plant, it does not tolerate heat and dry weather, sometimes it even reacts to heat from radiators. Ideally, a temperature of + 15-18 degrees is enough for him. For some varieties, this temperature regime is not suitable, and therefore they bloom at a lower temperature (for example, it can be a little over +10 degrees). In addition, the plant does not have enough strength to form buds and bloom if the air in the room is dry. Cyclamen immediately begins to fade, even if it used to pick up buds before. However, the cold is also destructive for the plant, and therefore it does not bloom and may die.

To solve this problem, you can purchase a special air humidifier or spray it near the plant. The drooping leaves are the first sign that the plant is uncomfortable.

One of the reasons for the lack of flowers is bulb diseases, which are caused by improper watering. Do not pour water directly onto the tuber and leaves. Water for irrigation must be defended or filtered, it must be soft, free from heavy metal salts and other harmful impurities. You can pour it into a tray so that the roots can pick up moisture from the soil on their own.

Cyclamen does not bloom also because it lacks moisture. During the period of bud ovary and flowering, it is important to ensure that the soil in the pot does not dry out. However, swampiness of the land should not be allowed. The soil should be moist, but not wet.

Fertilizers can be applied during the period of active growth and vegetation. For this, fertilizing of the mineral and organic type is suitable. However, it is possible to saturate the soil with nutrients only if it is not waterlogged, as this can harm the roots. Do not fertilize during dormant periods (summer)... The multiplicity should not exceed more than 1 time per month.

Considering that cyclamen does not like salt, mineral dressings are applied in a metered volume. After rooting and during the period when shoots and leaves are growing, substances with a high phosphorus content must be used. You can feed the plant with calcium nitrate.

Like most plants, cyclamen needs rest in order to gain strength for new growth and flowering. It begins to fade in the spring, signaling the grower that it is time to reduce the rate, the amount of watering and the termination of fertilizing. You can not pick off the foliage: it should fall off by itself, giving nutrients to the roots. In the summer, when the cyclamen needs rest, it should be placed in a cool and shaded place.

During the summer season, he will rest and will give new shoots in the fall. This will mean that he is ready for a period of active growth. It is not necessary to make it bloom along with all the flowers at a time when the biological clock requires rest. In no case should the cyclical rhythm of the plant be disrupted, otherwise it will not be able to gain juices and nutrients.

The plant does not bloom when it is sick or suffers from small pests. For example, if it is poured, its leaves drop and roots rot. In the absence of the strength to recover, the cyclamen is affected by a fungal disease and dies. In addition, it is difficult for him to bloom without strength if he stands for a long time in the same land. The soil oozes out over time, and this cannot be saved even with regular fertilizing.

As a result, the life cycle of the plant gets lost, and therefore it is necessary to wait some time for it to recover. A young plant does not bloom, which does not have a cyclic rhythm. In this case, you will have to wait for the next season (active flowering begins in the second or third year).

If the plant has grown in buds, but they are not growing, you can try placing the flower in a cool place. Someone resorts to watering with cold water for this. Others prefer to put the pot in a cold place, sometimes choosing the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for it and leaving the flower there overnight. Someone puts it on the balcony for several hours, keeping it at a temperature of + 4-7 degrees.

Also, flower growers believe that cyclamen can be fed, not forgetting to put it in water with aspirin once a month, diluting one tablet per liter of water. After moistening the soil, its top layer is removed. It is worth noting that the method with exposure to a cool place confirms the effectiveness, and therefore this is the best thing that can be done if there are a lot of buds, but they do not open. However, you should not overexpose the flower in a cool place, as the constant change of conditions for it can be destructive.

For cyclamen care, see the video below.