I now have a number of healthy 2-year old cyclamen plants in pots after my
happy experiment with this.

They aren't huge though. Is it too early to plant them out into the
garden, or would they benefit from another year's cossetting in pots first?

Victoria

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
I now have a number of healthy 2-year old cyclamen plants in pots after my
happy experiment with this.

They aren't huge though. Is it too early to plant them out into the
garden, or would they benefit from another year's cossetting in pots first?

In theory, they should be OK, because after all cyclamen, esp. C
hederifolium, self seed quite happily.

But you've put an awful lot of effort into them so far, and if it were
me I would not risk my investment! I'd probably plant out at about 3/4
inch corms.

My pea-sized ones are still being cossetted.

Well, cossetted is probably not quite accurate. In pots, anyway.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
.205...
I now have a number of healthy 2-year old cyclamen plants in pots after my
happy experiment with this.

They aren't huge though. Is it too early to plant them out into the
garden, or would they benefit from another year's cossetting in pots
first?

Victoria


Sorry for the OT question .... but ...Did you buy the seed or collect it
from existing plants?

If bought what variety and supplier did you use.

Thanks

Phil

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 17:46:21 +0000, Victoria Clare wrote:

I now have a number of healthy 2-year old cyclamen plants in pots after my
happy experiment with this.

They aren't huge though. Is it too early to plant them out into the
garden, or would they benefit from another year's cossetting in pots first?

Plant them out. In my experience, cyclamen don't do anything like
as well in pots as they do in the ground.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
change "invalid" to "net" to respond

"Philip" wrote in news:3fa16fda$0$118
:

Sorry for the OT question .... but ...Did you buy the seed or collect it
from existing plants?

If bought what variety and supplier did you use.

I bought the seed from Chiltern Seeds.

In theory they are supposed to be cyclamen coum, but I am fairly sure that
they are all coum except one, which is hederifolium. The hederifolium came
up faster and more robust than the 'coum'.

If you try it, don't give up quickly. They take ages to germinate (in
fact, I only discovered this because I was lazy and failed to clear out the
seed tray which I had assumed had 'not worked'.

The (suspected) hederifolium came up in the first year of planting, but the
rest waited an entire year before they decided to germinate.

Victoria

Kay Easton wrote in news:wS5d0$h0bWo
:

But you've put an awful lot of effort into them so far, and if it were
me I would not risk my investment! I'd probably plant out at about 3/4
inch corms.

My pea-sized ones are still being cossetted.

Well, cossetted is probably not quite accurate. In pots, anyway.


Maybe you are right. I fell for that special offer on corms at Willows a
while back, so I already have a fair number in the garden.

But then I have more than enough dry shady spots for them too :-(

Victoria

(Rodger Whitlock) wrote in
:

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 17:46:21 +0000, Victoria Clare wrote:

I now have a number of healthy 2-year old cyclamen plants in pots

They aren't huge though. Is it too early to plant them out into the
garden, or would they benefit from another year's cossetting in pots
first?

Plant them out. In my experience, cyclamen don't do anything like
as well in pots as they do in the ground.

Aaargh - now I have a dilemma. Perhaps I should plant out half, or use a
'growing on' bed.

Victoria

On Fri, 31 Oct 2003 09:52:40 +0000, Victoria Clare wrote:

If you try [growing cyclamen from seed], don't give up quickly. They take ages to germinate (in
fact, I only discovered this because I was lazy and failed to clear out the
seed tray which I had assumed had 'not worked'.

The (suspected) hederifolium came up in the first year of planting, but the
rest waited an entire year before they decided to germinate.

A few tips on growing cyclamen from seed:

Add some lime to the soil you sow them in. They seem to germinate
more freely and grow away better in a quite limey mix.

Give them *plenty* of time to germinate. Each species seems to
germinate when adult plants of the same species put out new
leaves: thus, hederifolium germinates in the fall, coum in late
fall, repandum in spring, and so on.

Before sowing, soak the seeds in water, with a drop of liquid
dishwashing detergent in it, for as long as a week. This plumps
the seeds up quite evenly and thoroughly and gets them off to a
running start when sown.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
change "invalid" to "net" to respond

In article , Victoria
Clare writes
(Rodger Whitlock) wrote in
:

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 17:46:21 +0000, Victoria Clare wrote:

I now have a number of healthy 2-year old cyclamen plants in pots

They aren't huge though. Is it too early to plant them out into the
garden, or would they benefit from another year's cossetting in pots
first?

Plant them out. In my experience, cyclamen don't do anything like
as well in pots as they do in the ground.

Aaargh - now I have a dilemma. Perhaps I should plant out half, or use a
'growing on' bed.

Rodger probably knows more about it than I do!

--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/edward/index.htm

The message
from Victoria Clare contains these words:

(Rodger Whitlock) wrote in
:

On Thu, 30 Oct 2003 17:46:21 +0000, Victoria Clare wrote:

I now have a number of healthy 2-year old cyclamen plants in pots

They aren't huge though. Is it too early to plant them out into the
garden, or would they benefit from another year's cossetting in pots
first?

Plant them out. In my experience, cyclamen don't do anything like
as well in pots as they do in the ground.

Aaargh - now I have a dilemma. Perhaps I should plant out half, or use a
'growing on' bed.

Victoria

As long as your planting conditions are right they should be fine
planted out. They're pretty tough and survive well. You mentioned dry
shade which sounds ideal, so I don't think there will be a problem.
The only problem I have occasionally had when planting them out in
coldish conditions is that blackbirds can pull small plants up. If you
have active blackbirds it's quite a good idea to put some wire mesh or
equivalent over the top for the first few weeks.

Janet G

Victoria Cla

I now have a number of healthy 2-year old cyclamen plants in pots

They aren't huge though. Is it too early to plant them out into the
garden, or would they benefit from another year's cossetting in pots
first?

Yours truly replied:

Plant them out. In my experience, cyclamen don't do anything like
as well in pots as they do in the ground.


Kay Easton replied with contrary advice:

In theory, they should be OK, because after all cyclamen, esp.
C. hederifolium, self seed quite happily.

But you've put an awful lot of effort into them so far, and if
it weree I would not risk my investment! I'd probably plant out
at about 3/4 inch corms.



Victoria Clare moaned after receiving these two diametrically
opposed replies:

Aaargh - now I have a dilemma. Perhaps I should plant out half,
or use a 'growing on' bed.

Kay threw up her hands:

Rodger probably knows more about it than I do!

My advice is based on what I would do, but that doesn't
necessarily make it Right. My climate and my growing practices
are quite different from Victoria Clare's, almost certainly, and
what works for me may not work for urglers in other climates with
other soils.

I think either one of the compromise solutions (plant out just
half or plant out in a nursery bed) would be perfectly sensible.
If VC decides to plant out half and retain the other half in
pots, then I hope she will, in a year or two, give us a report on
which group first reached maturity and started flowering well.


--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
change "invalid" to "net" to respond

On Sat, 1 Nov 2003 00:10:48 GMT, Janet Galpin and Oliver
Patterson wrote:

As long as your planting conditions are right they should be fine
planted out. They're pretty tough and survive well. You mentioned dry
shade which sounds ideal, so I don't think there will be a problem.

I will make one further suggestion: the first summer after
planting out, damp down the bed the seedlings are in, say, once a
week. Not a heavy watering, but a moistening. Cyclamen coum is a
woodland species and I have the impression that its young
seedlings suffer in conditions of total drought.



--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
change "invalid" to "net" to respond

"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
.222...
"Philip" wrote in news:3fa16fda$0$118
:

Sorry for the OT question .... but ...Did you buy the seed or collect it
from existing plants?

If bought what variety and supplier did you use.

I bought the seed from Chiltern Seeds.

In theory they are supposed to be cyclamen coum, but I am fairly sure that
they are all coum except one, which is hederifolium. The hederifolium
came
up faster and more robust than the 'coum'.

If you try it, don't give up quickly. They take ages to germinate (in
fact, I only discovered this because I was lazy and failed to clear out
the
seed tray which I had assumed had 'not worked'.

The (suspected) hederifolium came up in the first year of planting, but
the
rest waited an entire year before they decided to germinate.

Victoria

I have always found fresh seed germinates in a few weeks, just wash the goo
off and sow in pots outside and by spring its up. as for growing it on, it
seems to take ages in pots and is much faster out in the ground (although
you will have some losses)
--
Charlie, gardening in Cornwall.
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of National Plant Collection of Clematis viticella (cvs)

(Rodger Whitlock) wrote in
:

I will make one further suggestion: the first summer after
planting out, damp down the bed the seedlings are in, say, once a
week. Not a heavy watering, but a moistening. Cyclamen coum is a
woodland species and I have the impression that its young
seedlings suffer in conditions of total drought.


Thanks all. I will try planting out half, and try to remember to damp down
as suggested.

I'll also try to remember to report back!

Victoria