Cyclamen: tips on location, care & diseases

Cyclamen is a popular ornamental plant for both the home and the flower bed. However, there are a few things to keep in mind for a lush flowering.

Cyclamen (Cyclamen) delights us both in the garden and in a cool spot indoors with its characteristic downward hanging flowers, whose petals rise upward almost like the delicate wings of a colourful butterfly. Depending on the species, these flowers bedded on a nest of heart–shaped leaves begin to flutter through our field of vision as early as winter or in summer. But in order to enjoy this visual delight year after year, you need to be very careful when caring for these primroses (Primulaceae), because cyclamen are real divas, especially when it comes to watering.

Cyclamen: origin and properties

Most species of this perennial flowering plant originate from the Mediterranean region. Only one species has actually reached the Alps, the European cyclamen (Cyclamen purpurascens). Depending on the species, these plants with the characteristic upward petals cam bloom in winter into spring or in summer and fall. Flower colours now range from white to pink to purple, thanks to industrious growers. Cyclamen can also boast warm orange and red tones, as well as multicoloured flowers. Tubers are formed as organs of survival. These serve as an energy reserve for the plant, which grows between 15 and 35 cm tall.

Cyclamen: various species

There are about 22 different species of cyclamen. They have different ranges, different flowering times and differ in terms of foliage and flower colour. Common types include:

• The ivy-leaved cyclamen (Cyclamen hederifolium)
• The Persian cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum)
• The European cyclamen (Cyclamen purpurascens)
• The Eastern sowbread (Cyclamen coum)
• The spring sowbread (Cyclamen repandum)

Everything you need to know about these cyclamen species can be found here.

Cyclamen: as a perennial or for the home?

Perennial or living room: it depends on the species. The Persian cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) is, as the name suggests, the choice for the pot in the living area. The species originates from Asia Minor, but came to Europe as early as the 17th century. It is not hardy in our country and therefore belongs indoors – at least in winter. Other species such as the ivy–leaved cyclamen or the European cyclamen can survive our winter temperatures without any problems and can be planted out in the garden where they will bloom in the most beautiful colours year after year.

Cyclamen in the garden: the right location

Winter–hardy cyclamen feel right at home in the garden. If you give them a nice spot in shade to partial shade, and place their tubers in humus–rich, moist soil, they will spread all by themselves and form beautiful dense clumps. Once you have found the ideal place for your cyclamen, the procedure for planting the bulb is as follows:

• Planting time: early summer or autumn
• Water the tuber
• Remove weeds
• Planting hole: 5 – 7 cm depth
• Planting distance: 10 cm
• Mix excavated soil with compost
• Put the bottom of the tuber down into the planting hole
• Cover with soil and water well

Pruned cyclamen are usually planted out after flowering, when the leaves wither. However, the potted plants can also move to the bed during flowering. The flowering time depends on the species.

Cyclamen in the house and in the pot

Cyclamen bring colour into the house when outside everything is dull and dark. That is what makes them popular houseplants. But heated indoor air, which provides us with a pleasant warmth in the winter, is not at all well tolerated by the plants. If you want to create a feel-good atmosphere for the early bloomers, choose the location and the pot according to the following criteria:

• Location: bright, but not direct sun
• Temperature: 12 – 15 °C
• Soil: well–drained potting soil
• Pot with drain hole

If you buy plant tubers instead of pre-potted cyclamen, leave about a third of the bulb protruding from the soil when planting. In summer, your cyclamen will be happy to have a shady spot on the balcony or terrace. However, in winter the plants should be in a protected, frost–free place.

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Plant care measures

Proper care of the cyclamen is the guarantee that the plants will not become sick, because incorrect watering in particular renders these graceful flowering plants susceptible to fungal infestations.

Watering cyclamen

Especially during the flowering period cyclamen need a lot of water, the bulb must never dry out completely. Under no circumstances does the plant tolerate waterlogging. That is why you need a little sensitivity and the right technique to find the sweet spot. In the pot, water from the bottom or with the dipping method. At the same time, the top of the tuber should not get wet. When watering from the bottom, the saucer is emptied after half an hour. The upper parts of the plant are not sprayed with water. In the bed, water after long dry periods. But also after rainfall, check whether the soil under the large leaves has become wet at all. Generally, watering is done when the top layer of soil has dried out. You can find out more about the correct technique and ideal timing when watering cyclamen here.

Fertilising

Fertilising cyclamen requires the right timing, so that you can maximise the duration of flowering with the application of nutrients. For this purpose, during the growth phase, fertilise with liquid fertiliser in the irrigation water. And at the following intervals:

• Pot: Every 2 – 4 weeks
• Bed: Every 2 – 3 months

Our Plantura Liquid Flower Food is a liquid fertiliser that is easy to apply through the irrigation water. Immediately after flowering, do not fertilise for a period of eight weeks. The tubers need a certain period of rest. As an alternative to regular fertilising, the bed can be mulched with compost once in the autumn.

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Repotting or transplanting cyclamen

Repotting or transplanting is not absolutely necessary, but of course feasible if desired. Allow your plant to move six to eight weeks after it has finished blooming. By this time, the first new shoots should have formed. Then it is time to move on to the next step:

• Dig up the tuber
• Water tuber and remove soil
• Remove injured and dead roots
• Divide tuber (if necessary)
• Plant tuber as described above

Remember to leave the bulb of a potted cyclamen protruding about one–third from the soil. When repotting, the new pot should be about 5 cm larger than the old.

Common diseases and yellow leaves

Properly cared for cyclamen remain healthy. If diseases appear, most likely, the problem was with the watering. Here you will find the most common diseases listed:

Gray mould

• Characteristics: gray, mould–like coating on the leaves
• Reason: too warm location, too moist soil.
• Countermeasure: repot, adjust location and watering.

Late blight

• Characteristics: tuber rot
• Reason: too wet soil, withered leaves
• Countermeasure: none – prevention is key

Cyclamen wilt

• Characteristics: wilting and yellowing symptoms, brownish or reddish necrosis within the tuber
• Reason: poor substrate quality, soil pH too low, stress
• Countermeasure: none – prevention is key

There are also pests that love to mess with your cyclamen.

Black vine weevil

• Characteristics: feeding spots on the leaves
• Countermeasure: collect at night, rinse the roots and repot

Cyclamen mite

• Characteristics: feeding on shoot tips, malformed leaves and flowers (adult); feeding on tubers and roots (larva)
• Countermeasures: rinse roots and repot

If the leaves of your cyclamen turn yellow, this is usually not due to a disease, but to improper care. Most often the culprit here is watering. How and how often you should water cyclamen is explained in this article.