Cyclamen indoors
Cyclamen are part of the
Primrose family. They are tuberous plants and have no
obvious visual links to the Primroses, although they are
similar to Dodecatheon in having reflexed petals. The
Cyclamen family is wide ranging, with many garden hardy
types. It is possible to have various hardy cyclamen in
flower for every month of the year.
For indoor strains, we
look to the group of cultivars based upon Cyclamenus
persicum - generally winter and spring flowering plants
which are available as indoor plants in a wide range of
colours.
As well as the vivid
flower colour, there are many foliage variations, ranging
from pewter through to bronze.

The range of
colours available in indoor cyclamen
- Flowering Period
Cyclamen are normally sold during the Christmas season
and beyond into the winter. Most will bloom from
mid-November until mid February, provided conditions are
right
- Light Cyclamen
prefer bright indirect light. An east window is ideal
- Temperature Cool
temperatures are preferred with an ideal daytime
temperature of 60 to 65F and night temperatures around
50 deg F. Do not place them near radiators or other heat
sources within the home.
- Watering &
Humidity Plants prefer to be kept moist. Water very
carefully at soil level but keep moisture away from the
area on the tuber where the leaf and flower stems grow.
If that gets wet, the plant may rot. It is safer to
water from the bottom, but do not keep the plant stood
in a saucer of water Most are planted in a peat moss
soil that dries quickly. One signal to watch for is the
leaves, which are normally firm and erect, with almost
crunchy feeling if you brush through them with your
hand. When the plant needs water, the leaves feel
softer.
- Dormancy Stage
In late winter the cyclamens stop blooming and the
leaves turn yellow as the plants go dormant. They can be
set outdoors in part sun for the summer, fed and watered
regularly, then brought back inside in September when
they will start to form new foliage and flower buds.
Alternatively, after flowers start fading, gradually
withhold water. When the foliage is withered, remove the
"bulb" - tuber - from the soil, clean off all soil from
it and store it in un-moistened peat moss or vermiculite
in a plastic bag at 50 degrees F. Replant in good
potting soil in May or June, keeping the upper half of
the tuber above the surface. Pot in a mixture of 2 parts
peat moss to 1 part packaged potting soil and 1 part
sharp sand or perlite, with ground limestone added at a
rate of 3 to 5 ounces per bushel
- Fertilizer
Feed about twice a month with a suitable general liquid
feed.
- General Snap
off all faded flowers - from the stem base .