Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) care guide
Quick answer
To care for a cyclamen, keep it cool and bright, about 15 to 18 °C (59–64 °F) by day and 10 °C (50 °F) at night, away from radiators. Water when the surface of the soil feels dry, ideally from below, and keep water off the tuber in the middle.
Just received a cyclamen?4 first-day steps
- WateringVery sparingly while resting · summer
When the soil dries during active growth · winter - LightBright, indirect light
- Climate10–20 °C (50–68 °F)
- Pet safetyToxic to cats and dogs
Not sure it’s this plant?Get the free Botanicaly app and find out with a photoJust received a cyclamen?
- Cool, but keep it from frostWrap it for a cold trip home and unwrap it as soon as you are inside.
- A bright, cool spotNo direct midday sun, not by a radiator. It flowers longest at about 15 to 18 °C (59–64 °F) by day and about 10 °C (50 °F) at night.
- Take off the foilWater trapped around the tuber makes it rot. Let the pot drain completely.
- Water from below when the surface is dryStand the pot in water for about 15 minutes, then let it drain. Soil still wet? Wait.
When a flower fades
Each flower lasts a few weeks, and new ones keep coming from buds under the leaves. When a flower fades, the petals wither and the stem goes limp. That is normal. Twist the whole stem off at the base, as described in “Cyclamen in winter”.
All first-day details
A cyclamen likes it cool but not frozen, so keep it wrapped on a cold trip home and take it out of the sleeve as soon as you are inside.
Pick a bright spot without direct midday sun in a cool room, not next to a radiator. It flowers longest at about 15 to 18 °C (59–64 °F) during the day and about 10 °C (50 °F) at night. Above about 21 °C (70 °F), new buds can stop developing.
Decorative foil and pot covers without holes trap water around the tuber, which rots if it stays wet. Take the foil off or lift the pot out to water it and let it drain completely.
Then feel the surface of the soil. If it is dry, water from below: stand the pot in water for about 15 minutes, then let it drain. If the soil is still wet, wait. A plant that droops in wet soil does not need more water.
When and how to water
Water Cyclamen when the surface of the soil feels dry while it is growing or flowering. Watering from below is the easiest way: stand the pot in water for about 15 minutes, then let it drain. If you water from above, pour at the edge of the pot and keep water off the tuber in the middle, which rots if it stays wet.
After flowering it may enter summer dormancy. Keep it bright and cool and water very sparingly while it rests. When new growth starts again, increase watering gradually. Never leave the pot standing in water, and let the soil and the plant’s growth decide, not a fixed calendar.
Work out your own rhythm with the watering calculator.
Light and placement
Bright, indirect light
Cyclamen thrives in bright, indirect light. Direct midday sun can scorch the leaves. Place it 1–2 meters back from an east or west window, or behind a sheer curtain on a south window.
Feeding
Feed your Cyclamen every 14 days while it’s actively growing. Use a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer at half the strength on the label, and only on soil that’s already damp. Feeding dry roots can scorch them.
When growth pauses, skip the fertilizer and let it rest.
Temperature & humidity
Climate10–20 °C (50–68 °F)
Humidity40–60%
Cyclamen is comfortable between 10 and 20 °C (50–68 °F). It handles a cool room well, even in winter, as long as it stays above 5 °C (41 °F).
It does best at 40–60% humidity. It doesn’t need misting.
Cyclamen in winter
Cyclamen grows in autumn and flowers through winter into early spring, often for up to three months. It flowers longest when it is kept cool: about 15 to 18 °C (59–64 °F) during the day and about 10 °C (50 °F) at night. Above about 21 °C (70 °F), new buds can stop developing.
A cool, bright room suits it better than a warm living room. Keep it away from radiators, heat vents and warm drafts. Hot, dry air dries the soil fast and turns the leaves yellow.
Water when the surface of the soil feels dry. Watering from below is the easiest way: stand the pot in water for about 15 minutes, then let it drain. If you water from above, pour at the edge of the pot and keep water off the tuber in the middle, which rots if it stays wet.
Pull off faded flowers at the base: hold the stem low down, twist it and pull it away cleanly. Removing spent flowers keeps new ones coming.
After flowering: summer rest and new flowers
In late spring a cyclamen stops flowering and goes into a summer rest of two to three months. The leaves turn yellow and die back while the tuber stores energy for the next season. This is normal.
As the flowers stop, water less and less and stop feeding. Remove the leaves once they have yellowed and died back.
Over summer, keep the pot in a cool spot out of direct sun. Water very little, and never leave the soil wet while the tuber has no leaves. It can spend the summer outdoors in the shade, but bring it in before the first frost.
New leaves usually appear from late summer. If it needs a bigger pot, repot the tuber now in fresh, well-drained potting mix, with the top of the tuber above the soil. Then water normally again, move it to a bright, cool spot and feed it while it grows.
With cool nights and good light it can flower again in late autumn or winter. Reblooming is hard in a warm room, and the flowers are often smaller than when you bought it.
If you would rather not keep it through the summer rest, composting it after flowering is fine too. Many growers treat florist cyclamen as a one-season plant, because getting it to flower again takes patience and a cool room.
Common problems
Yellowing, drooping, and dry edges often point to watering or drainage. Compare the signs before changing the routine.
Find what’s wrong
Toxic to pets?
Yes. Keep it out of reach.
Wear gloves when you cut or repot it. Keep the sap away from your eyes and skin, and wash your hands afterwards.
Pet-safety information in the JungleBook uses ASPCA reference data where available. It is reference information, not veterinary advice. ASPCA lists the whole Cyclamen genus, so this applies to every Cyclamen species, including this one.
Full Cyclamen toxicity guide →
Pet-safe alternatives with similar light
Common questions
How should I water Cyclamen during dormancy?
Water your Cyclamen when the surface of the soil feels dry while it is growing, ideally from below: about 15 minutes in water, then let it drain. Keep water off the tuber, which rots if it stays wet. After flowering it may rest in summer, so keep it bright and cool and water very sparingly. Increase watering gradually when new growth starts. There is no reliable fixed day schedule.
How much light does a Cyclamen need?
Cyclamen thrives in bright, indirect light. Direct midday sun can scorch the leaves. Place it 1–2 meters back from an east or west window, or behind a sheer curtain on a south window.
Is Cyclamen safe for cats and dogs?
This plant can cause serious poisoning. Contact a vet promptly, even if your pet seems well. Keep Cyclamen out of reach of pets, or pick a non-toxic alternative like spider plant, pinstripe calathea, moth orchid, or Boston fern.
Why is my Cyclamen turning yellow or drooping?
Yellowing, drooping and brown tips can have several causes. Check the potting mix before adding water and follow this plant’s watering and rest instructions. If the mix is still wet, do not add more water. Check drainage and roots, then light, humidity, water quality and pests. Faded color or webbing alone does not show that the roots need water.
Why are my cyclamen leaves turning yellow in winter?
In winter, yellow leaves usually mean the plant is too warm, too wet, too dry or too dark. Move it away from radiators to a cool, bright spot, and water only when the surface of the soil feels dry. Leaves that turn yellow in late spring, after flowering, mark the start of its summer rest.
What do I do with my cyclamen after it flowers?
Let it rest. Water less and less, stop feeding, and remove the leaves once they have yellowed and died back. Keep the tuber in a cool spot out of direct sun over summer, and water normally again when new leaves appear in late summer.
How do I get my cyclamen to bloom again?
Let it rest in summer. When new leaves appear, move it to a bright, cool spot, about 10 °C (50 °F) at night, water normally again and feed it while it grows. It can then flower again in late autumn or winter, often with smaller flowers than when you bought it.
Should I water cyclamen from the bottom?
Yes, many growers do. Stand the pot in water for about 15 minutes, then let it drain. That keeps water off the tuber, which rots if it stays wet.
Sources7 references
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Plants of the World OnlineTaxonomy · accepted name · classification
- Royal Horticultural SocietyPlant profile · soil · moisture · position · under-glass context
- Iowa State University Extension and OutreachLight · temperature · watering · fertilizer · dormancy · repotting
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of ExtensionLight · temperature · water · humidity · fertilizer · pests and symptoms
- Clemson Cooperative Extension Home & Garden Information CenterTemperature · watering · deadheading · dormancy · reblooming
- UF/IFAS Gardening SolutionsLight · watering · dormancy · reblooming
- ASPCA Animal Poison ControlCyclamen spp. pet-safety record · not species-exact for Cyclamen persicum
- How we check our plant advice
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