Cyclamen: Plant Care & Growing Guide

Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) is a delightful flowering plant celebrated for its fragrant blossoms in colors like pink, purple, red, and white, standing gracefully above its lush foliage. As a tuberous perennial, cyclamen enters dormancy during the summer months, reemerging during the fall season each year. 

The plant is enhanced by its heart-shaped green leaves that often display striking silver patterns. Widely kept as a houseplant, cyclamen is especially popular around the winter holidays when its blooms are a cheerful addition to homes. Be cautious, though, as this plant poses toxicity risks to both animals and humans.

Cyclamen Care

If grown outdoors, cyclamen needs well-drained soil and should be planted in an area that gets bright indirect light, but not much direct sunlight. However, Cyclamen persicum is usually cultivated for varieties that are better suited as houseplants; there are some related species, such as C. hederifolium, that are more often used when growing cyclamen in the landscape.

Cyclamen persicum, the florist's cyclamen, is usually grown in pots indoors. It goes dormant for the summer, but with proper care, it will regrow and rebloom in the fall. Exactly when cyclamen goes fully dormant depends on its growing conditions. Warm temperatures propel it to dormancy, but if you keep your home cool your plant might not appear to go fully dormant. Instead, it might just lose some leaves and not look its best or bloom for a couple of months.

Light

Give cyclamen bright, indirect light in the winter when the plant is actively growing. In the summer, when the plant is dormant, it's best to keep cyclamen in a cool, dark spot with good air circulation.

Soil

Cyclamen prefers to grow in organically rich, well-draining soil with a slightly acidic soil. For container plants you can use regular potting mix—just mix some sphagnum peat into the soil to raise the acidity.

Water

When leaves are present, the plant is actively growing. During this period, water whenever the soil feels dry about an inch below its surface. Avoid getting water on the leaves or crown of the plant (part where the stem meets the roots), which can cause it to rot.

While the plant is dormant (losing most or all of its leaves), water infrequently only to prevent the soil from entirely drying out.

Temperature and Humidity

Cyclamen plants don't like extreme heat, drafts, or dry air. They prefer temperatures between 40°F and 50°F at night and between 60°F and 70°F during the day. High humidity, especially during the winter, is crucial. To raise the humidity, keep your plant on a tray filled with water and pebbles, making sure the pot isn't continuously touching the water (as this can cause root rot).

If you moved your plant outdoors for the summer, bring it back indoors before the weather turns cold. A good rule of thumb is to bring it inside while the temperature is still comfortable for you and you can keep your windows open without feeling chilled indoors.

Fertilizer

Feed your cyclamen plant with a diluted liquid low-nitrogen fertilizer every couple of weeks while in full leaf. You don't need to fertilize cyclamen while it's dormant.

Types of Cyclamen

There are many wonderful types of cyclamen available. And because they stay in bloom for a long period, you often can choose your plant while the flowers are open to know exactly what you'll be getting. Some popular varieties include:

• Sierra series: These plants have large flowers (two to three inches across) in white, pink, salmon, scarlet, lilac, and purple.
• 'Scentsation': The flowers of this variety boast a strong fragrance and the plant flowers in pinks and reds.
• 'Victoria': This variety features ruffled white flowers with red accents.

Pruning

Proper pruning of cyclamen involves simply removing yellowing, dead leaves as they appear. Fading flowers and seeds heads can also be plucked off, which may extend the blooming period.

Propagating Cyclamen

Propagating cyclamen is a difficult process, as stem cuttings to not readily root, and the cultivated varieties are often hybrids that do not produce fertile seeds. The best way to propagate these plants is by dividing the corm-like tuberous roots, though this must be done carefully to ensure viability. Cutting the tubers often opens the root up to rot, so be prepared for failure. Here's how to attempt it:

1. Pick cuttings: In summer when the plant is fairly dormant, extract the plant from its pot and remove the stems.
2. Check for eyes and offsets: If the corm-like tuber has developed offsets, carefully break these away from the main root. If there are no offsets, look for growth eyes, and carefully slice the tuber into pieces, each piece containing at least one growth eye.
3. Plant cuttings: Immediately replant the pieces in a well-draining, peat-based growing mix. Each root piece should be just barely peeking up out of the potting mix.
4. Care for the cuttings: Moisten the potting mix, but then place it in a dry, shady spot. In the fall, move it into a brighter location and begin watering weekly, which will stimulate new growth.
   

Potting and Repotting Cyclamen

When first potting your cyclamen, select a pot that leaves around an inch of space around the tuber. Place the tuber in the potting mix so that it’s poking slightly out of the soil. When repotting, follow these steps:

1. Fill the new container partway with potting soil.
2. Then, lift the tuber out of the original pot, and brush off the old soil but don't rinse it.
3. Place the tuber in the new pot, so its top is about two inches from the rim. Cover it with potting soil.
4. Place the pot in a shady, dry spot for the rest of the summer.
5. Start watering it around September, and you should start to see new growth emerging.

Cyclamen should be repotted every two years. You can easily repot the plant while it is dormant in the summer with fresh potting mix and a slightly larger container.

Common Pests & Plant Diseases

Cyclamen are prone to several different pests and diseases, sometimes caused by overwatering which can make the plant vulnerable.

Cyclamen Mites

Cyclamen houseplants are prone to mites between stems and leaves, which can cause curling leaves. Also, look for aphids on the stems and new growth.

Yellowing Leaves

A fuzzy gray fungus, called botrytis, is caused by overly wet soil and can turn leaves yellow with brown patches. Cut off affected leaves to improve air circulation but throw out the plant if all the leaves are in poor shape.

Drooping

Drooping or wilting leaves or flowers are often a sign of overwatering. Be sure your container has adequate drainage and wait to water until the top inch of the soil surface feels dry to the touch. Drooping may also occur if the plant gets too cold or if exposed to a draft.

How to Get Cyclamen to Bloom

Some cyclamen can bloom for up to eight weeks, but blooming for five or six weeks is within the normal range. They have a strong floral scent. These pretty blooms appear yearly during the winter months, when most other flowers disappear.

To encourage blooming, give these plants low-nitrogen liquid fertilizer during their growing season. Deadhead spent or damaged blooms to encourage more blooming and to prevent rot from forming and spreading to the tuber. Be sure to remove the whole stem all the way down to the tuber.   

Getting Cyclamen to Rebloom

Though many people tend to treat indoor cyclamen as annuals and toss the plant after it blooms, you can enjoy the same plant as it reblooms year after year.

To encourage reblooming during cyclamen's growth period, snip dead flower stalks off at the base, as well as any yellowing leaves. Then, as blooming slows, gradually allow the plant to dry out for two to three months. It is going into its dormant stage, and too much water will cause the tuber to rot. A little water is recommended, but you don't want the soil to remain wet. To find buds, you may have to spread apart the leaves a tiny bit.

Seasonal Care for Cyclamen

Cyclamen have their most active growth in the winter, and they need special care at different times of the year.

Winter Care

Winter is the flowering season for cyclamen. Potted florist cyclamen plants actively grow during the winter, so this is the time when they should be moved into a spot with plenty of bright indirect light.

Correct watering is critical during this time, as the roots are highly sensitive to moisture and can easily develop rot. Wait for the leaves to begin to droop and the potting mix is dry to the touch before watering again.

Spring Care

As winter gives way to spring, potted cyclamen stop flowering and naturally enter a semi-dormant stage. At this time they should be moved into a cool, shady location. Stop watering and allow the soil to dry out. Avoid the temptation to water during this time, as the roots will likely develop rot.

Spring Into Summer

Your cyclamen's leaves will start to turn yellow, dry out and fall off after you stop watering it in spring. The plant should remain dormant through summer. It can be placed outside as long as it is shaded from sunlight and kept sheltered from rain.

Summer Through Fall

As summer gives way to fall, cyclamen can be moved into a spot with bright indirect light and nursed with gentle watering until new green growth begins to develop.