Florist’s cyclamen

Light and exposure

Cyclamen wants bright light but no scorching sun. An east- or north-facing window, or a spot set back a little from a south exposure, gives it the brightness it loves without cooking its foliage. In full bloom, good light helps the buds open and brings out the colours.

Avoid dark rooms, where it grows leggy and flowers poorly. The ideal spot is bright and above all cool: a lightly heated bedroom, a hallway, a windowsill away from any heat source. Light matters, but coolness matters even more.

Watering

Watering is the point that decides everything. Always water from below: set the pot in a saucer or a basin of water for about fifteen minutes, let the compost drink, then tip out the excess. Never wet the heart of the plant or the top of the tuber, water that sits there rots the crown and that is the most common cause of death.

Keep the compost fresh but never soaked during flowering. As summer begins, when the leaves yellow and the plant goes dormant, cut watering back sharply until it is almost fully suspended. The tuber then rests dry, and you gently resume watering at the end of summer when new leaves appear.

Soil and repotting

A light, rich and above all very well-drained compost suits it. A mix for flowering plants with a little sand or perlite added stops water from sitting around the tuber. Drainage here is a matter of survival, not comfort.

When planting or repotting, let the top of the tuber stick out slightly above the compost, half exposed. Buried too deep, it holds moisture on its crown and rots. A good drainage hole at the bottom of the pot is essential.

Temperature and humidity

This is a plant that loves the cool, against the grain of our overheated homes. It thrives between 15 and 18 degrees by day, and enjoys even cooler nights, down to 10 degrees. Under these conditions, flowering lasts for weeks.

Heat is its enemy. Placed near a radiator or in a room at 22 degrees, it yellows, its flowers fade quickly and it goes dormant early. Do not mistake it for a tropical plant: the milder and cooler its surroundings, the better it does. That is exactly what makes it a little temperamental in a well-heated house.

Pruning and upkeep

Cyclamen is not pruned. Care consists of removing spent flowers and yellowed leaves as they appear. Do not cut them with scissors: grip the stem at the base, close to the tuber, and pull sharply with a slight twist to detach it cleanly.

This gesture matters, because a cut stem left in place decays and can rot the crown. Regularly removing old foliage keeps the plant healthy, airs the heart and encourages new buds to form.

Pests and diseases

Tuber rot is problem number one, almost always caused by watering from above or by an excess of water. A softening heart, an unpleasant smell, foliage that collapses all at once are the signs. Prevention lies in watering from below and good drainage, there is little remedy once the crown is affected.

In a room that is too warm and stuffy, also watch for grey mould, botrytis, which covers leaves and flowers with a grey felt. Ventilate, remove affected parts, lower the temperature. Aphids and cyclamen mites can deform young foliage, more rarely.

Propagation

The florist’s cyclamen is propagated by seed, not by division: cutting the tuber gives nothing but rot. Collect the seeds from the capsules that form after flowering, when the stalks coil into a spiral, then sow in autumn in fresh compost, in darkness and in the cool, around 15 degrees.

Germination is slow and irregular, it takes several weeks, and you should count on a year or more before the first flowers. It is an exercise in patience, but it lets you raise plenty of plants. For most gardeners, coaxing an existing plant to flower again year after year remains the most rewarding path.

Toxicity

Cyclamen is toxic. It is the tuber that concentrates the danger: it is rich in saponins, in particular cyclamin, irritant substances. Eaten, it causes drooling, vomiting, diarrhoea and digestive upset, and at high doses cardiac trouble. The risk mainly concerns dogs and cats that dig up or chew the tuber, more rarely children drawn to the plant.

The leaves and flowers are far less loaded, but it is best to keep the plant out of reach of animals that nibble. Handling the foliage poses no danger, washing your hands is enough. If the tuber is eaten, contact your vet or the poison control centre.

Month-by-month care calendar

Green Hub tips

• Always water from below, by soaking the pot, and never over the heart. Water that sits on the tuber rots it, the number one cause of death.
• Flee the heat. Away from radiators, between 15 and 18 degrees, a cyclamen flowers for weeks; at 22 degrees it fades in a few days.
• Leaves yellowing in summer? That is normal, the plant is going dormant. Reduce water, let it rest dry, it starts again at the end of summer.
• Do not confuse it with Cyclamen hederifolium, which is hardy in the garden in Belgium. The florist’s cyclamen does not survive winter outdoors.
• The tuber is toxic to dogs and cats. Keep the plant out of their reach and do not let any animal dig in the pot.