How to grow Cyclamen

Cyclamen persicum · Florist cyclamen, Persian cyclamen

Compact plant growing from a tuber, with upswept petals in pink, red or white held above the foliage. It flowers indoors in winter and early spring, needs cool rooms, and rests in summer.

Quick facts

Type	Houseplant
Family	Primulaceae
Light	Partial shade
Frost	does not tolerate frost
Soil for sowing	from 10 °C
Where it grows	At home

When to plant

Planted as a young plant from a nursery while it is dormant — in early spring before the buds open, or in autumn after leaf fall.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Growth	every 7 days	10…18 °C	phosphorus and potassium, 14 days into the stage; phosphorus and potassium, 44 days into the stage; phosphorus and potassium, 74 days into the stage; phosphorus and potassium, 104 days into the stage; phosphorus and potassium, 134 days into the stage; phosphorus and potassium, 164 days into the stage; phosphorus and potassium, 194 days into the stage
Winter rest	every 14 days	7…18 °C	—

Growing notes

Light

Bright, indirect light. Too little light gives weak plants with smaller, paler flowers and long leaf stalks.

Soil

Well-drained potting mix. When repotting, set the tuber with its upper half above the surface.

Care

Keep it cool, about 16–18 °C by day and 10 °C at night; above 21 °C the buds fail to develop. Water thoroughly when the surface feels dry, at the edge of the pot or from below so the tuber does not rot, and stand the pot on a tray of wet gravel for humidity. While it grows and flowers, feed every two to four weeks with a dilute low-nitrogen flowering-plant fertiliser. After flowering, in late spring, water less and stop feeding; the leaves yellow and the tuber rests for six weeks to three months in a cool, shady place, with the compost neither soaking wet nor bone dry. Resume watering when new leaves appear. All parts, especially the tubers, are toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).

Pests and diseases of Cyclamen

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.