I'm about to put in some 50 Coum cyclamens (little plants) and the instructions
suggest surrounding them with "granite or limestyone grit" to discourage
standing water and slugs. "Grit" to me suggests something larger than sand but
smaller than gravel. None of the local nurseries, hardware or pet stores seem
to have it. Am I looking for the wrong stuff?
zemedelec

"Zemedelec" wrote in message
...
I'm about to put in some 50 Coum cyclamens (little plants) and the
instructions
suggest surrounding them with "granite or limestyone grit" to discourage
standing water and slugs. "Grit" to me suggests something larger than
sand but
smaller than gravel. None of the local nurseries, hardware or pet stores
seem
to have it. Am I looking for the wrong stuff?
zemedelec

I assume you are planting these in the ground? If so, I have never found
grit (aka coarse sand) to be necessary, just a free draining garden soil
(and mine is slightly acidic) in an area that gets filtered shade and
remains relatively dry. I have never had a problem with slugs and hardy
cyclamen and that says a lot considering I live in the PNW, which must be
the slug capital of the world - heck, they even have "slug festivals" here!

pam - gardengal

In article ,
pamfree (Zemedelec) wrote:

I'm about to put in some 50 Coum cyclamens (little plants) and the
instructions
suggest surrounding them with "granite or limestyone grit" to discourage
standing water and slugs. "Grit" to me suggests something larger than
sand but
smaller than gravel. None of the local nurseries, hardware or pet stores seem
to have it. Am I looking for the wrong stuff?
zemedelec

I second Pam's info, as grit strikes me as by no means needed. If the soil
drains properly, that's enough, & if it doesn't, a tiny bit of sandy soil
on the surface won't change the problem. Most of mine grow up near the
bases of trees & shrubs, the roots of which suck up enough moisture that
the cyclamens are never too wet. Since cyclamens don't need to be dug up
ever, they're perfect in amidst the roots of woody shrubs, where they also
get the shade they prefer. I love cyclamens to distraction, & have not
found them the least bit difficult, just need to keep deciduous leaves
off them come autumn. They self-seed, & unexpected seedlings will suddenly
appear even in nearby potted plants, & will produce a few flowers even
before they develop tubers. C. coum is especially easy. You may want at
some point to add C. hederifolium which is even easier & begins blooming a
couple months sooner so that their combined bloomings back-to-back, to
keep those little pink flowers present from September to March. There are
some five other species that are relatively easy, but the real
no-mainteance ones are CC coum & hederifolium. There are many
leaf-varients too, & differing shades of blooms from white to deep
magenta, though pink is commonest. I think people are often leery of them
because florist cyclamens so rarely bloom a second time, but these little
wild species are good even for novices. They are going to reward you for
years & years.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

On Fri, 26 Dec 2003 19:57:06 -0800,
(paghat) wrote:

In article ,
(Zemedelec) wrote:

I'm about to put in some 50 Coum cyclamens (little plants) and the
instructions
suggest surrounding them with "granite or limestyone grit" to discourage
standing water and slugs. "Grit" to me suggests something larger than
sand but
smaller than gravel. None of the local nurseries, hardware or pet stores seem
to have it. Am I looking for the wrong stuff?
zemedelec

I second Pam's info, as grit strikes me as by no means needed. If the soil
drains properly, that's enough, & if it doesn't, a tiny bit of sandy soil
on the surface won't change the problem. Most of mine grow up near the
bases of trees & shrubs, the roots of which suck up enough moisture that
the cyclamens are never too wet. Since cyclamens don't need to be dug up
ever, they're perfect in amidst the roots of woody shrubs, where they also
get the shade they prefer. I love cyclamens to distraction, & have not
found them the least bit difficult, just need to keep deciduous leaves
off them come autumn. They self-seed, & unexpected seedlings will suddenly
appear even in nearby potted plants, & will produce a few flowers even
before they develop tubers. C. coum is especially easy. You may want at
some point to add C. hederifolium which is even easier & begins blooming a
couple months sooner so that their combined bloomings back-to-back, to
keep those little pink flowers present from September to March. There are
some five other species that are relatively easy, but the real
no-mainteance ones are CC coum & hederifolium. There are many
leaf-varients too, & differing shades of blooms from white to deep
magenta, though pink is commonest. I think people are often leery of them
because florist cyclamens so rarely bloom a second time, but these little
wild species are good even for novices. They are going to reward you for
years & years.

-paghat the ratgirl


well around here I can't FIND hardy cyclamens. So if you even come
across some little extra tubers and am in a generous
mood.................................gbseg The one fat tuberous corm
I planted in the whiskey barrel under the black cherry tree just hated
where it was at and after one return and bloom in the fall of last
year, gave up the ghost. I suspect the black cherry roots came up into
the rich soil and crowded them out, or it just hated the barrel. BTW
this barrel is a full barrel with a slat out at the bottom that allows
drainage, and was cut years ago by Squire for the rear seat of a 1945
Harley Davidson police trike. The trike was sold to a deserving person
and I kept the whiskey barrel and when I moved over here, and to this
house in 1995, decided it needed laying down and filled with rich soil
for shade plants to reside in. I lift it up to break the feeder roots
of the black cherry occaisonally, but so far the only return
inhabitants is the Virginia Bluebells and the Te-te narcissus. I was
REALLY hoping the cyclamen woulda returned and multiplied..
madgardener

Zemedelec wrote:

I'm about to put in some 50 Coum cyclamens (little plants) and the instructions
suggest surrounding them with "granite or limestyone grit" to discourage
standing water and slugs. "Grit" to me suggests something larger than sand but
smaller than gravel. None of the local nurseries, hardware or pet stores seem
to have it. Am I looking for the wrong stuff?
zemedelec

Pardon me if I'm wrong, but they might be talking about turkey grit. You
should be able to buy it at a feed store. That's where I bought mine.
It's also used to spread on the ground for bonsai gardens.

I agree with the other posters though, in your case it's not necessary.

And I do love reading this newsgroup every morning.

Jam
Zone 5
Northeast Ohio

"madgardener" wrote in message
...



well around here I can't FIND hardy cyclamens. So if you even come
across some little extra tubers and am in a generous
mood.................................

Consider it done, Maddie. Expect some in that iris shipment.
Happy pre-New Year!!

pam - gardengal

Since cyclamens don't need to be dug up
ever, they're perfect in amidst the roots of woody shrubs, where they also
get the shade they prefer.

Do they ever! The one time I tried to dig up a few wild cyclamen in Lebanon
(with owner's permission) they were nearly all lodged under 500-lb boulders or
500-year-old oaks.
zemedelec

Thanks to all for your info on hardy cyclamen.
I might add that the "minature cyclamen" (probably bred down from the huge
florists' version) I nutured on my terrace for several years in N. California
are now growing happily in a friend's garden.
zemedelec

In article ,
pamfree (Zemedelec) wrote:

Thanks to all for your info on hardy cyclamen.
I might add that the "minature cyclamen" (probably bred down from the huge
florists' version) I nutured on my terrace for several years in N. California
are now growing happily in a friend's garden.
zemedelec

The miniature is apt to be either C. intaminatum or C. parviflorum. These
are so small that it can be overwhelmed by larger plants, but if larger
plants are kept away from them, they are very easy to grow. Our C.
intaminatum is in a miniature raised bed, along with a dwarf fritillary,
F. pudicans, which blooms in March & is only two or three inches tall. C.
intaminatum blooms May to autumn in our garden, so its addition to the
autumn & winter cyclamens means we have one or another blooming almost all
year round. Here's a pic of C. intaminatum:
http://www.paghat.com/cyclamenintaminatum.html

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Well, I've been nuturing my pot plants that I bought in bloom last spring.
someone said to put them in a cool place and don't even water them for at least
a couple of months. I did that and finally replanted them in pots and started
watering them at the beginning but nothing has appeared in 2 months. Are they
dead?

awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (sniffle............)
"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:VQgHb.149577$8y1.436392@attbi_s52...

"madgardener" wrote in message
...



well around here I can't FIND hardy cyclamens. So if you even come
across some little extra tubers and am in a generous
mood.................................

Consider it done, Maddie. Expect some in that iris shipment.
Happy pre-New Year!!

pam - gardengal

"paghat" wrote in message
news snip
There are many
leaf-varients too, & differing shades of blooms from white to deep
magenta, though pink is commonest. I think people are often leery of them
because florist cyclamens so rarely bloom a second time, but these little
wild species are good even for novices. They are going to reward you for
years & years.

-paghat the ratgirl

See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Perhaps people have given florist cyclamens a bad reputation because they
think the plants are dead when blossoming is complete and the leaves die
back, a normal part of its growth cycle.

Cyclamens are reasonably easy to raise as house plants. There are a few
things to remember when raising them that keeps them blooming. They like a
cool, bright light window while growing and blooming and will often bloom
for at least three - four months if treated properly. They like a high humus
soil with peat moss in it. They thrive on regular fertilizing (every three
to four weeks) with a low nitrogen fertilizer such as Schultz's Bloom.They
should never be watered from the top because water on the tuber may cause it
to rot. Deadhead spent blossoms regularly by removing fading blossom by
grasping at the stem base and removing with a quick tug.

Once they complete their bloom cycle, which is usually in March, the leaves
begin turning yellow and hang down as if the plant is dying and the stems
become mushy, and by late spring there are few leaves left on the tuber.
Remove the rest of the old leaves and knock the tuber out of the pot and cut
it apart with a sharp knife, making sure there is growing area on each
piece. Plant each section in fresh soil (be sure to add peat moss) and begin
watering . Within a month or two new leaves begin growing, and with proper
care should begin flowering by the following December.

A large red flowering plant that was given to me as a Christmas gift was a
regular Christmas bloomer for over ten years and met its demise when I
moved.

John

"Pam - gardengal" expounded:

I assume you are planting these in the ground? If so, I have never found
grit (aka coarse sand) to be necessary, just a free draining garden soil
(and mine is slightly acidic) in an area that gets filtered shade and
remains relatively dry. I have never had a problem with slugs and hardy
cyclamen and that says a lot considering I live in the PNW, which must be
the slug capital of the world - heck, they even have "slug festivals" here!

My conditions mimic Pam's, I've got no slug problems, and the
cyclamens have thrived in my garden for over 20 years. I do throw
some lime at them occasionally, only because my soil is so acid
without it (4.5 unamended!). I let the pine needles stay on them over
the winter to protect them from heaving.

--
Ann, Gardening in zone 6a
Just south of Boston, MA
********************************