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Cyclamen Germination:

© Gary Buckley

The Reading Method:

I have received several questions regarding the Reading Method of germinating Cyclamen seed from readers over the months.

Members of the Cyclamen Society have been aware of this method for some years now, so I guess it's time to share their news and history of the Ready method with you the reader.

Might I say here, I still find it hard to pick which group of plants I like the best, ditto with societies. With a gun pointed at my head, needing to chose; I would pick Cyclamen, for their diverse leaf and flower forms.

With understanding, one can have a year round Cyclamen display.

In Australia and a lot of countries for that matter, the only practical way to collect the various species and forms is by seed.

The Reading Method: Dr James Ross reported most interesting results from the University of Reading project on cyclamen seed germination on behalf of the Cyclamen Society. Samples of C. coum and C graecum supplied in December 1991 and October 1992 were used in an attempt to establish a successful procedure for rapid and uniform germination. Upon reception, and prior to use, these seed batches were dry-stored in metal cans at 5°C (41°F).

Initially, experiments were carried out on filter papers in plastic petri dishes in order that imbibition solutions could be changed easily and any germination easily monitored. Once a possibly useful regime was established a procedure more useful to the grower was investigated. The most important finding was the necessity of getting it right first time; failure to do so lead to a protracted and erratic germination schedule which was most unsatisfactory.

The primary requirements for successful germination were shown to be the absence of light, an adequate temperature (15-20°C, 59-68°F) and a constant water supply. Any deviation from this regime seemed to bring about the onset of a deep-seated secondary dormancy which could not be alleviated by repetition of the original treatment. In this case only the addition of a gibberellic acid solution seemed to be able to stimulate germination.

In a number of other species gibberellin treatment may stimulate germination but successful establishment and seedling growth may be abnormal.

The imposition of a perfectly dark regime for the 15 to 26 days needed while held at the correct temperature (l5°C, 59°F) is purely a technical matter:keeping the soaked seeds in biscuit tins in a kitchen larder would probably suffice.

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