Being adapted to a Mediterranean climate, this plant comes into growth in the autumn, flowers in winter or early spring (the rainy season) and goes dormant for the entire summer (when it’s hot and dry). They will do wonderfully outdoors in San Francisco and can also be grown indoors.
Cyclamen prefer bright indirect light and need cool temperatures. An east window is often a good spot to keep a cyclamen but in the winter in Wisconsin a southern exposure may be better. Ideal daytime temperatures are 60-65ºF and night temperatures around 50ºF, although today’s hybrids can be maintained over a wider temperature range after purchase with good performance. Individual flowers as well as the blooming season will be extended if the plants can be kept cooler. To encourage continuous flowering, remove any spent blossoms by twisting the stem and pulling sharply to remove it cleanly from the base.
These plants also need high humidity and moist soil to continue blooming. Cyclamen should be watered thoroughly when the soil looks and feels dry on the surface. Avoid watering the crown or center of the plant, which may rot if it remains too wet. Many people prefer to bottom water, or stand the pot in water for 15 minutes. Allow the soil to almost dry out before watering again. Plants that are kept too moist or too dry will develop yellow leaves (although this and bud blasting or aborting may also be caused by hot, dry conditions or insufficient light, too). The foliage should remain firm and erect; if it seems soft, then the plant probably needs to be watered. Set the pot on a tray of wet gravel to provide extra humidity, and keep the plants away from warm drafts. Cyclamens do need fertilizer but too much will promote lush growth that is more susceptible to disease. Use a low-nitrogen fertilizer or houseplant food for blooming plants every two weeks when in active growth.
