Question
Five years ago, I received a magnificent cyclamen as a gift, which I took good care of. It has always remained beautiful and has flowered a lot. For the past 4 months, however, it has been withering away, no longer flowering and losing its leaves. What can I do about it?
Answer
First of all, congratulations! Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) is not the easiest of houseplants. Even I often classify it as a plant to be thrown into the compost after flowering, so complex is its cultivation.
Your problem is your plant’s need for a little change. In nature, cyclamen grows on the Mediterranean coast, where it experiences very distinct seasons: hot, dry summers, cool (even cold, but without frost), wet winters. The plant has developed a cyclical growth habit. It grows and flowers in winter and goes dormant in summer. For generations, florists have been working on cyclamen that are better adapted to growing conditions in our homes – plants that can tolerate heat better, that can flower for longer and that don’t need a dormant period – and they’ve succeeded, or almost succeeded. In the case of miniature cyclamen in particular (the larger varieties still seem to insist on their cyclical growth), we now have varieties that can grow and flower all year round. Except that…
Let It Rest!
Four years of non-stop growth is a lot for a plant that normally spends 6 months a year in dormancy. Your plant is trying to tell you that it’s time to let it sleep a little. Cut back on watering for a few months and remove dead leaves. Some people will tell you to put the plant in the dark, but it doesn’t matter whether it’s in the sun or the shade during its dormancy. Around November, when the night-time temperature drops a little, gently start watering again. As growth resumes, you can increase watering. I’m afraid, however, that it will now be difficult to convince your cyclamen to stay growing all year round: as it ages, it reverts to its true nature. You’ll have to keep it dormant in summer and let it grow in winter.
Larry Hodgson published thousands of articles and 65 books over the course of his career, in both French and English. His son, Mathieu, has made it his mission to make his father’s writings accessible to the public. This text was originally published in Le Soleil on July 31, 2005.
Before I got reacquainted with cyclamen as an expensive cheap cool season annual, I grew them as perennials because I did not know any better. They were there for a few years prior to my time, and I tended to them through my four years of high school. They continued for several years afterward until they were eventually discarded when their garden was landscaped. They defoliated for their summer dormancy, but happily regenerated for autumn through late spring. I suspect that they enjoyed the Mediterranean climate of the Santa Clara Valley.
very useful details from Larry, as always. Thank you.
When I learned that Cyclamen is grown from a tuber and will rot if watered from the top, it was easy to keep alive (6 years now) by putting the pot in a small dish of water every 4 or 6 days so the roots can soak up water from the bottom, letting the tuber remain dry… it blooms at least twice a year