Why do cyclamen leaves twist: what to do if they fold and how does it look in the photo?

One girl had a beautiful cyclamen. And suddenly his leaves began to curl. The caring hostess began to intensively fertilize him with everything that came to hand. The flower first conceived, and then completely died. The moral of this fable is this: first determine the cause, and only then act.

In this article, we will consider in detail what cyclamen leaves can curl from, we will find a solution for each case, and we will not forget about preventive measures. In the article we will tell you what to do if the cyclamen suddenly spun leaves.

Growth Features

Cyclamen is distinguished not only by the beauty of bright flowers, which rise in a bunch on long peduncles, but also by the lush green leaves located in a dense fluffy carpet near the ground. The leaves are shaped like a heart and have a beautiful symmetrical pattern.

The main feature of cyclamen growth is that it the active period is during the rest time of many other plants. They actively grow and bloom from October to March.

Reference! The rest of the time cyclamen is at rest, like all ephemeroids. True, the works of breeders have obtained species in which the rest period is reduced to a minimum or is absent altogether.

If the leaves are twisted

Twisting the leaves is a signal that the plant is bad. If they spin down, then something happened that plunged him into a state of illness or stress. It is twisting and wilting of leaves that are the first bell about a variety of problems. In order to help cyclamen, it is necessary to analyze the situation and find the root cause of such a sign. Why do leaves curl? Consider the possible causes of such trouble:

Food. With the beginning of the active period, cyclamen needs to be fertilized. You can use any complex mineral fertilizer for indoor plants. Enough 1 feeding every 20 days. They begin to feed one week after the appearance of young shoots, or 3 weeks after acquiring cyclamen in the store. Therefore, if your cyclamen was actively growing, but he was not fed, perhaps the reason is the lack of fertilizer.
Air. Cyclamen does not tolerate a dirty atmosphere. Dust, tobacco smoke, spray of fresheners and other impurities can cause stress in the flower. In addition, air temperature is important, cyclamen prefers cool air in the range from 12 to 16 degrees. Any deviations are bad for his health. Even the air around the plant should be moist, it is necessary to spray the area around the flower daily. Do not spray on cyclamen!
Pot. As with most tubers, the capacity for cyclamen is small. The volume of soil should not be much greater than the volume of the tuber. In too large a pot, undeveloped soil is acidified. In an acidic environment, the absorption of food and moisture by the roots is poor, pathogenic microorganisms develop. What can be manifested by curling leaves.
The soil. After the purchase, some tend to quickly transplant the flower into fertile land, not bothering much about what land should be. Cyclamen does not like clay, high acidity and high organic content. It is suitable for light soils with a neutral reaction based on leafy earth.
Leaf land is land from the near-tree circle of trees; in fact, it is rotten leaves. Mix 3 parts of leafy soil and one part of sand, vermiculite, humus and peat. Self-prepared soil must either be incubated for 2 days in a freezer or roasted in the oven. The easiest option is to buy ready-made soil mix for cyclamens in the store.
Rest period. Your plant may be completely ready for hibernation, but you continue to feed and fertilize it. Such care may result in the death of cyclamen. The dormant period usually begins after flowering has ended.
Watering. Inadequate watering, when the earth in the pot does not get wet to the roots, or on the contrary very wet soil can lead to disastrous consequences. Between watering, the soil should have time to dry. For an adult plant, more voluminous and rarer watering is required, for a young plant - often, but little by little. It is better to water the pallet method. Learn how to save the drenched cyclamen here.
Important! You can not pour water on the plant, only in the soil. During dormancy, regular watering is required 2 times a month.

Diseases and Pests

Cyclamen can be affected by various diseases, but they can be divided into two types:

Various rot of non-infectious origin. This is due to improper care. Improper soil, over-abundant watering, and low temperatures cause the roots or root neck to rot. You can try to save the plant. You can simply change the conditions of detention and stop watering, or do it more radically: take out a lump of soil, dry it, clean the root, spray it with a solution of potassium permanganate, plant it in clean soil.
Fungal infections. First, the leaves turn yellow, curl, then rot. A plaque may be present. It is necessary to treat the soil and the plant with fungicides. Such unpleasant things happen due to improper care. The fungus develops well in an acidic moist environment.

It is possible to colonize some pests in a pot with cyclamen:

Aphid. A wingless insect is about 2 mm long. It is more often green, but gray, black and orange individuals are also found. They often live on the back of the leaf, where they actively suck juice from it. The leaves are deformed, curled and dry (what to do if cyclamen dries, read here). The rapid reproduction of aphids can lead to the death of the entire plant.
Thrips. Spindle-shaped light insect about 2 mm long. Thrips is very mobile, thanks to which it quickly masters other plants. It can be easily seen with the naked eye. Another thrips leaves silver marks in the form of drips. But thrips larvae bring great danger. Signs of infection with thrips are deformation of the leaves, they first turn white, then they turn brown and fall off.
Cyclamen mite. Very small yellowish insects, which can only be seen with a large accumulation. It looks like dust on the inside of a sheet. A sign is the deformation of the leaves along the edges. In severe cases - wilting of flowers and deformation of shoots.

Read more about cyclamen diseases here, and here you will find information about pests.

Photo

And so the problem looks in the photo.

What if they fold?

What to do, what if you notice that the leaves of the flower are curled? Step-by-step instruction:

Inspect very carefully the leaves, shoots and soil surface. It is better to take a magnifying glass for this. If pests, or other signs of their presence, are found, it is necessary to immediately isolate the plant and treat it with a systemic insecticide. After we examine the rest of the plants in the house, otherwise the situation may repeat itself. Pests feel great in hot, dry climates, so think about what conditions you created for cyclamen.
If, during inspection, rotten areas, plaque on leaves, spots are found, then it is necessary to carry out fungicide treatment from the fungus.
Analyze soil moisture. We correct errors with watering.
We analyze all conditions of detention, correct errors.

You can read more about what to do if cyclamen dies in this article.

Preventive measures

In order for cyclamen to grow healthy and delight in its flowering, it is necessary to carefully observe the rules for caring for it. Because this plant needs special care.

Advice! In addition to care, the conditions of detention should be optimal: light, humidity, soil, pot, temperature of detention.

We all sometimes get sick, and we learn about our disease by the symptoms that appear. So it is with flowers. The main symptom of cyclamen health problems is leaf curl.. And only you can answer what exactly happened to him. Because the life of your flower is in your hands.