How to Keep Cyclamens Happy Through the Holidays
Cyclamens are an attractive holiday plant that will bloom continuously throughout the winter months if cared for properly. Here’s how to keep these houseplants happy and keep them blooming for months!
Cyclamens (Cyclamen persicum) have brightly colored flowers of white, red, or pink suspended above attractive, heart-shaped leaves on slender stems. Some people say they resemble butterflies in flight!
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When selecting this winter-blooming houseplant, choose one that has lots of buds that are just starting to open, as well as sturdy, succulent leaves.
With proper care, cyclamens will bloom near the Christmas season and continue blossoming for two to three months.
Cyclamen Plant Care
The most important things to know about cyclamen plant care is to give these houseplants bright, indirect light, good air circulation, moderate humidity, and moist soil (without keeping the tuber so wet that it rots).
- Lighting: Place cyclamens in an east-facing window or in a southern exposure that offers bright, indirect light.
- Temperature: Daytime temperatures of 60° to 65°F (15° to 18°C) and nights at 50° to 55°F (10° to 13°C) are ideal. Do not let temperatures get above 70°F (21°C) or the plant will think it’s time to go dormant, which will cause it to stop blooming and drop its leaves.
- Watering: To keep the plant moist, water cyclamen thoroughly when the soil looks and feels dry on the surface, however, avoid watering the leaves or tubers in the center, which may rot if the soil remains too wet. A safer watering method is to place each pot in a saucer of water for about five minutes, or until the soil is uniformly moist.
- Feeding: Half-strength fertilizer is best, or you will get mostly leaves with few flowers. Use a half-strength portion of liquid houseplant fertilizer every two weeks while the plant is in bloom.
- Flowers: As each flower fades, remove the entire flower stalk from where it attaches to the tuber by giving it a sharp tug. New flowers will emerge from one of the many buds waiting just below the foliage.
What to Do After Cyclamens Stop Blooming
Some folks just treat cyclamens as disposable holiday plants, similar to poinsettia. If you wish to keep your cyclamens growing, here are tips:
- In early spring, cyclamens naturally stop blooming; leaves will turn yellow as the plants go dormant. Gradually reduce water until June and pick off the dead leaves. Set the plants outside in partial shade, and water and feed regularly. Do not wet the center of the plant.
- In early June, stop watering altogether and expose the corms to full sun.
- At the end of July, begin watering again. When the corms begin to develop young leaves, replant in a larger pot.
- Bring the plant back inside in early fall. They will usually start producing new leaves and flower buds soon, and you will have recycled your cyclamen!
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I did not remove a spent blossom and a seedhead formed. I planted the seeds and got several plants. All grew to maturity. I have done this several times with many diferent cyclamen. I make gifts of them to friends and neighbors. Have you noticed that some cyclamen have a sweet perfume like scent(mostly white) while others have no scent?
I found a very beautiful cyclamen plant...it was marked down to almost nothing--why-I really don't know! But-it is so very beautiful! But-I haven't ever had much luck with cyclamen! Any special "hints" that I might use? Thank you!
I have a offshot of am aloe Vera that I repotted in catus soil. The leaves are getting black spots on them. Please help.
Hi Rita, We’d suggest you go to an aloe vera page and an expert can help you there. Here’s one : https://www.almanac.com/blog/natural-health-home-tips/aloe-vera-self-regenerating-first-aid-kit
I ordered some Hardy Cyclamen bulbs last Fall and they started sprouting before I could get them planted outside. (We had a very early, very harsh winter.) I planted them in a pot inside and they have survived, although they are very small, and are blooming. I would like to plant them outside. Should I just leave them, watering occasionally as I do now, and wait to plant them in the Fall?
You can plant them in a bigger container if you like and put the pot outside. Or, you can plant them in the ground and water when soil is dry.
Good Morning,
My cyclamen finished flowering about a month ago..They are near the north window, about 15" away. Now, a few leaves are still standing out and green. What do I do now. I live in an apartment and have a terrace. it could go down to 20 or less out there. Since the cycle is the opposite of what you described, what should I do to get them to bloom next season. They were in bloom since September. Thanks
Let the plant go dormant. Start watering regularly in early spring and move the plant closer to a sunny window. When tempetures allow it move the plant outside.
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