Cyclamens

The cyclamen is probably my favorite indoor flowering houseplant. In the old days, it required a very cool environment; but the new hybrids are very adaptable to ordinary room temperatures. Cyclamen are used throughout northern California for outdoor planting during the winter months. We started using them for spring planting in our area several years ago.

Cyclamen need a sunny location and should be cleaned once a week by removing any spent flowers or yellow leaves. We feed ours weekly with Daniel’s, an amazing organic fertilizer. The results are incredible.

New flower buds are initiated in the crown of the plant. These buds keep the plant blooming all winter and, in many cases, throughout the spring and into the summer. The trick is to keep the crown clean of any dead material that may cause rot and lead to botrytis. When removing spent flower buds or leaves, pull to the right or left, not straight out, and make sure the full petiole is removed completely from the crown.

Watering is one of the most critical requirements in growing a good cyclamen. They need a lot of oxygen in the soil and should not be waterlogged. Clay pots are preferable to plastic because they allow an exchange of oxygen into the soil. The best method for watering a cyclamen is to give it a good drink, filling the pot up to the rim with water and allowing it to dry out before watering again.

A customer told me that after all these years, he finally learned the secret to watering a cyclamen. He waits until the plant starts to wilt; this is like the plant saying to him, “I need a drink.” He then waters it thoroughly, and by the next morning, it is perky and rigid. His cyclamens are in flower until the heat of summer.

Miniature cyclamens are f-1 hybrids, and are gaining in popularity; they add another dimension to the cyclamen world. These hybrids are grown in four-inch pots, have a smaller flower, are more prolific, and often can bloom throughout the year. They are a great windowsill plant. They lend themselves to planting in window boxes, and can be planted outside at the same time as pansies. They withstand light frosts and give a dramatic display of color.

Photo courtesy of hardcastle