Visible pests or suspicious leaf spots on your Cyclamen should be addressed early. Use the signs below to identify the problem and choose the right treatment.
Fine webbing in the leaf joints, tiny moving dots, and a stippled, dusty look to the leaves. They thrive in the dry air many homes have.
The fix
Wipe the leaves gently with a damp cloth and dry them off, then treat with an insecticidal soap or neem product made for houseplants, repeating as its label directs until they are gone. Test the spray on one leaf and wait two days before treating the whole plant, and skip any plant the label warns against. Isolate it from other plants.
Other possible causes
Not a match? Compare the signs below to find the one you have.
Mealybugs
How to tell
White, cottony fluff tucked into leaf joints and along stems, sometimes with sticky residue.
The fix
Test isopropyl alcohol of 70% or less on a small part of the plant first and wait 1–2 days to check for leaf damage. Then dab each one with a cotton swab dipped in it. If you use a neem product made for houseplants, follow its label. Test the spray on one leaf and wait two days before treating the whole plant, and skip any plant the label warns against. Check weekly: they hide.
Small, brown, limpet-like bumps stuck to stems and the undersides of leaves, often with sticky honeydew.
The fix
Scrape them off gently with a fingernail or old toothbrush, then treat with a neem or horticultural-oil product made for houseplants, as its label directs, and keep checking. Test the spray on one leaf and wait two days before treating the whole plant, and skip any plant the label warns against.
Small black flies run across the soil and fly up when you water. Their larvae live in soil that stays damp.
The fix
This watering advice applies during active growth. A leafless cyclamen with a firm tuber in summer rest needs greatly reduced watering. Do not keep dormant medium wet or soak the tuber. Let the top layer of soil dry between waterings and catch adults on yellow sticky traps. A drier surface discourages egg laying and reduces egg and larval survival. If gnats persist, use a treatment labelled for fungus-gnat larvae on houseplants, following its instructions.
Brown or black spots, often with a yellow halo, usually after the leaves stayed wet or the soil was overwatered.
The fix
Remove affected leaves, improve airflow, don’t leave water sitting on the leaves, and let the soil dry more between waterings.
Sunburn (not a pest)
How to tell
Dry, bleached, or brown patches only where strong direct sun hits the leaf, with no bugs or webbing. Cyclamen wants bright, indirect light.
The fix
Move it back from the glass, out of the strongest sun.
Cyclamen mites
How to tell
New leaves and flower buds come out small, curled and twisted, and the buds may never open. The mites are too small to see without a magnifier.
The fix
Move the plant away from your other plants and cut off the worst affected leaves and buds. Cyclamen mites are very hard to get rid of, so throw a badly infested plant away rather than trying to save it. Avoid keeping the air around it very humid, since the mites thrive in it.
Thrips
How to tell
Silvery streaks and tiny black specks appear on leaves and petals, and flowers may open misshapen or not at all. Shake a flower over white paper to see the slender insects.
The fix
Isolate the plant and remove badly damaged flowers or leaves. Avoid soaking the foliage or crown. Use only a thrips treatment labelled for this plant, follow its instructions and test a small area first. If leaves get wet, dry them promptly. Depending on the species, non-feeding stages shelter in the potting medium, plant crevices or on leaves. Sticky cards monitor flying adults. Keep checking for several weeks.
