Cyclamen Info & Care
Adams Fairacre Farms Cyclamen is a petite flowering plant that has sweet-scented, small blooms on long stems that stretch up above the foliage. It is a tuberous perennial, meaning it dies down to its thick roots (tubers) during its summer dormancy period and then regrows quickly each fall. Its flowers come in shades of pink, purple, red and white. Its heart-shaped leaves are medium green, often with silver marbling. It’s commonly grown as a houseplant and is especially popular during the winter holiday season when you can find cyclamen blooming on shelves in garden centers and grocery stores. Seeds can be planted in late summer for blooms in the subsequent year’s winter (roughly 18 months later). Cyclamen is toxic to both animals and humans.
Care
Cyclamen, especially 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. Growing cyclamen from seeds can be difficult and propagating by dividing the delicate tubers can cause them to rot. It’s best to buy an established plant for indoors and watch it thrive.
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 pH. For container plants, you can use regular potting mix but then 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, which can cause it to rot. While the plant is dormant, water infrequently, only enough to prevent the soil from entirely drying out.
A common way to water cyclamen is to put the pot on a tray, then water the tray so the roots take up the moisture.
Temperature & Humidity
Cyclamen plants don’t like extreme heat, drafts or dry air. They do best in a climate that replicates their native environment, preferring temperatures between 40 and 50 degrees F at night and between 60 and 70 degrees F during the day. High humidity, especially during the winter, is crucial. To raise humidity, keep your plant on a tray filled with water and pebbles, making sure the pot isn’t continuously touching the water.
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 (2 – 3 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.
Potting & Repotting
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.
Cyclamen should be repotted every two years. You can repot while the plant is dormant in the summer with fresh potting mix and a slightly larger pot. Follow these steps to repot:
- Fill the new container partway with potting soil.
- Then, lift the tuber out of the original pot, and brush off the old soil but don’t rinse it.
- Place the tuber in the new pot, so its top is about 2 inches from the rim. Cover it with potting soil.
- Place the pot in a shady, dry spot for the rest of the summer.
- Start watering it around September, and you should start to see new growth emerging.
Common Pests & Plant Diseases
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.
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.
How to Get Cyclamen to Bloom
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 its 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.
FAQ
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Is cyclamen easy to care for?
Yes, a cyclamen houseplant is easy to care for as long as it’s not overwatered.
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What is the difference between florist’s cyclamen and hardy cyclamen?
Florist’s cyclamen is tender and can typically only be grown indoors as a houseplant. Hardy cyclamen can be grown outdoors in cooler areas. When buying cyclamen at a garden center, be sure to check which one you are buying.
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How long can cyclamen live?
Since cyclamen is a perennial, it can live indoors and outdoors for dozens and dozens of years.
Information courtesy of TheSpruce.com