Cyclamen First Watering

Seems ages since we planted the cyclamen. It is also incredible that, after fully wetting the compost by partial immersion in a sink of water, it is only now ready for it's first watering.

When I removed it from its pot to examine the roots 12 days ago, I was not impressed. Considering how dry the compost had become, they seemed rather sparse. So, because the plant was not wilting, I decided to leave things a while longer.

As you can see, things have not improved much, although there are a few more fine roots showing through. But the compost is so dry and devoid of roots that it will hardly hold together. Why?

Well, it could be because the compost (multi-purpose) contains too much food. If a plant can get all the food it needs, why bother to go looking for more? This seems the most likely.

However, cyclamens are a woodland-type plant, so thrive in an acid soil. It is possible that the compost is not acid enough (do I normally use ericaceous compost (compost without lime)? - can't remember). Though, as you can see, there is no sign of yellowing on the leaves. Strange.

Note the brown roots. This is a sign that the corm was given too much water at some stage (I left it in the sink by mistake; it was sodden when I removed it). So it might have spent much time recovering. This is what I mean when I say you should leave plants alone; they are capable of recovering all by themselves.

Cyclamens are good value for cool north-facing window sills, flowering until spring next year.