When you first see a cyclamen, it leaves a deep impression, at least that's how it was for Yimu: broad thick leaves, a riot of flower colors, with a kind of all-embracing grandeur, and also a touch of delicate, modest elegance. For a moment even Yimu found it hard to describe just how lovely the cyclamen is.

Pink cyclamen

Yimu thinks the cyclamen's greatest feature is its very, very long flowering period, generally staying in bloom for 4 to 5 months. As the city flower of Qingzhou City, Shandong Province, the cyclamen is truly loved by people, and many households grow potted cyclamen. This is a herbaceous plant from the genus Cyclamen in the family Primulaceae. Its flowers blooming in winter adorn our plain, colorless cold season, just like a black-and-white painting from old times suddenly splashed with paint, making people delighted, immersed, and stirred.

Bright red cyclamen

Yes, the charm the cyclamen possesses seems able to break through the loneliness of winter. Placed in the living room, study, or on the balcony, it seems to add a layer of colorful clothing to the home. Its thick, fleshy leaves simply cannot hide the cute and playful spirit beneath them. Waking up in the morning and seeing the cyclamen's plump, fresh flowers, you still feel a secret delight inside.

Purple cyclamen

The cyclamen has a strong ability to resist pollution and a relatively strong capacity to break down sulfur dioxide in the air. Its thick leaves silently absorb these polluting gases and then convert them into non-toxic or low-toxicity substances. The flowers of some cyclamen varieties even carry a strong fragrance, which is truly rare. In addition, cyclamen can also be grown hydroponically, which makes caring for it at home even simpler.

White cyclamen

Yimu often receives many fans asking why their cyclamen at home won't grow well, mostly showing wilting leaves, or simply dying outright, which is truly a pity. Today Yimu will, based on his own experience, explain in detail the care methods for cyclamen to help everyone successfully grow cyclamen at home, so it grows healthily and blooms beautifully. Yimu will explain in detail from the aspects of light, watering, soil, temperature and air permeability, fertilizing, and pest and disease control.

Potted cyclamen appreciation

Light

Cyclamen likes a sunny, well-lit environment. Except in midsummer when the sun is scorching and it needs shade and cooling, in other seasons cyclamen should be kept in a ventilated, sunny spot. Sunlight is very important for the growth of cyclamen. When placing it at home, you can choose a sunny spot facing the sun, a desk where sunlight streams in, or a coffee table by the windowsill, ensuring plenty of light reaches it. Especially now in winter, cyclamen needs sunlight; whether for growth or blooming, it needs the nourishment of sunlight.

Watering

Cyclamen originates from the deep mountains of Greece, Syria, Lebanon, and other places, where the native climate is very humid, and its fleshy leaves also determine that it likes a relatively humid environment. If the soil in the pot is dry, cyclamen easily wilts and falls over. This is mainly because its leaves are fleshy but its stems are not; if short of water, the stems shrink and cannot support the weight of the fleshy leaves, so it immediately falls over. Long-term wilting is very bad for growth and also bad for ornamental value, so keeping some moisture in the cyclamen's pot is very important. But Yimu wants to remind everyone: never let water accumulate in the pot long-term. When you find the pot is slightly dry, just water it thoroughly, and keep this habit. Do not water every day, or water on a fixed schedule of every few days. Watering by observing the dryness and moisture in the pot is the scientific and professional way to water. Note that in summer when temperatures are high, cyclamen enters dormancy, and in this season you need to strictly control water, either not watering or watering just a tiny bit; overwatering in summer easily causes root rot. In addition, Yimu also wants to remind you: many people online say that since cyclamen has fleshy leaves, you must not spray water on the leaves, otherwise it will cause leaf rot. Yimu tells you this is complete nonsense! If that were true, how would wild cyclamen survive? Doesn't rain fall on their leaves??? So certain online claims are very misleading to flower lovers. In fact, during the growing season cyclamen especially needs humidity in the surrounding air. Yimu reminds you that northern flower lovers who run the heating in winter have very dry indoor air, and cyclamen will be very uncomfortable. At this time especially, you need to frequently spray water on the leaves. But there is a prerequisite: spray water on the leaves only when the soil is relatively dry, and after spraying do not keep it too enclosed. Place it in a ventilated, sunny spot as much as possible so the moisture evaporates naturally and quickly; only then does the cyclamen feel comfortable.

Soil

Cyclamen has certain requirements for soil. You cannot use soil that is too sticky, such as the common garden soil; this kind of soil is highly sticky, drains poorly, and also retains fertilizer poorly. As a herbaceous plant, cyclamen is not suited to such soil. Cyclamen prefers fertile, sandy loam rich in humus, with a loose texture, good drainage, and good fertilizer retention. The cyclamen you buy from the flower market or online generally uses this kind of soil. Do not change the soil lightly; if you do change it, change it to the suitable soil mentioned above. If you change to the wrong soil, it can easily cause the cyclamen to die. Below, Yimu recommends a professional soil from the Miracle-Gro brand; the "water-control general-purpose type" is best, and the "ordinary general-purpose type" is also acceptable.

Temperature and air permeability

Cyclamen very much likes a cool environment and is extremely afraid of heat, so in midsummer it even enters a semi-dormant state and stops growing. Maintaining a temperature of around 12 to 20 degrees is suitable for its growth. In summer it needs to be moved to a shaded, cool environment for care; in winter, cyclamen is a relatively cold-tolerant plant, but if the temperature drops below 0 degrees there is still a risk of cold damage, so whether you are in the north or the south, Yimu uniformly recommends overwintering it indoors, safety first. In addition, keeping cyclamen in a ventilated environment is very, very important. Wild cyclamen has good ventilation, grows vigorously, and is not prone to pests. Household potted plants need to imitate this environment; without ventilation, pests and diseases are extremely likely, which will be discussed in detail later.

Fertilizing

Cyclamen resumes growth after autumn begins, and this is a very suitable time to fertilize. Generally, compound fertilizer or organic fertilizer can be used. What Yimu needs to remind you is not to fertilize too much at once; be sure to apply thin fertilizer frequently. You can fertilize once about every 15 days. Fertilizing can help the leaves develop larger and thicker, make the flowers more vivid, and speed up blooming.

Pest and disease control

Many flower lovers' cyclamen at home showing wilting, yellowing leaves, and dead seedlings are all related to pests and diseases. This is because cyclamen is a plant extremely prone to pests and diseases, which is related to your care environment. For example, long-term high temperatures and an enclosed, unventilated space give bacteria and pests a good environment to grow, and cyclamen easily becomes infected. The diseases cyclamen is generally prone to include soft rot, gray mold, anthracnose, scale insects, and various other pests and diseases. This is mainly related to its fleshy leaves: the leaves are large and dense, so the internal ventilation is inherently poor, and pests love to eat fleshy leaves, so it is extremely prone to disease. First, Yimu will talk about prevention. Everyone must not think that if a flower has no disease, it does not need to use medicine; that is a wrong idea. Yimu once had three years of experience managing plant greenhouses and sheds. When we professionals manage plants, even if the plants are very healthy, we maintain the habit of spraying medicine once every half month to a month. This is a protective measure. Therefore, the same goes for potted plants at home: if you want to grow them longer, you need to spray medicine regularly for protection. For example, before planting you can disinfect the soil with potassium permanganate; after planting, spray mancozeb once every half month for protection; after a few months, switch to fungicides such as carbendazim, or you can mix carbendazim with mancozeb to prevent bacterial infection. If the plant develops pests, you can spray some modern insecticides; today's insecticides can achieve low-toxicity killing, such as Huhuashen insecticide, general-purpose flower insecticide, and so on. When spraying, Yimu suggests you choose a sunny noon when the flowers are relatively dry, so the effect of spraying is better.

Summary

The above are some methods Yimu brings you for caring for cyclamen, and I hope they are helpful to you. Overall, cyclamen likes sun, fears drought, and is not tolerant of waterlogging; it also goes dormant in summer, so it is not an easy plant to grow and needs your careful tending. But its features of blooming in winter and having a very long flowering period make it very worthwhile to grow, and Yimu still strongly recommends everyone grow this plant. Below, Yimu personally recommends a Taobao link for a potted cyclamen with very high cost-effectiveness. If you need it, you can buy it.

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Text/Yimu Flowers, Chen Yimu