Cyclamens are such classic houseplants, aren’t they? Honestly, it’s hard to stop at just one. If you’ve got a bit of a green thumb, you might want to try your hand at propagating them yourself. While you can always divide the tubers, growing new cyclamens from seeds is a super rewarding project.
Understanding the Seeds
If you leave the spent blooms on your cyclamen instead of deadheading them, the plant will start producing seed pods that usually ripen around July. These pods look like little brownish, flat capsules. Inside, you’ll find tiny seeds that can be anything from round to slightly angular. In the wild (or in your garden), these capsules pop open when they’re ready, letting the wind do the work of “self-seeding.”
Harvesting and Prepping
For your indoor cyclamens, you’ll want to harvest those seed capsules as soon as they ripen in June or July. Once you open them up, let the seeds air-dry for a bit. This helps the jelly-like coating dry out and crack, which actually makes it much easier for the seed to sprout later on. Try to plant them fairly soon after harvesting—fresh seeds always have the best germination rates!
The Sowing Process
A quick heads-up before you start: always wear gardening gloves when handling cyclamens, including the seeds. The entire plant is toxic and can cause some nasty skin irritation. Once you’re ready to go, just follow these steps:
- Start by filling your seed trays or pots with high-quality potting soil. I like to mix in a little sand or clay granules to make sure it drains well—cyclamens hate “wet feet!”
- Since cyclamens are “dark germinators,” you’ll need to tuck the seeds about 1/4 inch (5 mm) deep into the soil.
- Make sure they are completely covered with a light layer of dirt.
- Use a spray bottle to mist the soil. This keeps things moist without washing the tiny seeds away.
- Find a bright, warm spot for your tray (around 68°F or 20°C), but keep it out of direct sunlight.
- Keep the soil consistently moist for about six weeks. You should start seeing little sprouts popping up during this time.
- Once those first real leaves appear, you can carefully “prick out” the seedlings and move them into their own individual pots.
Just a heads-up: patience is key here! Depending on the variety, it can take 30 weeks or even longer before you see that very first bloom. But trust me, it’s worth the wait.
