features of growing indoor cyclamen

How to grow indoor cyclamen?

You have most probably seen cyclamen flowers in outdoor gardens. But they are one of the best choices for growing indoor flowers, especially in fall and winter.

Most known for Christmas presents, cyclamen flowers are in various colors. White, red, purple, pink, or even bicolored colors exist. Each color would be suitable for a specific part of your house.

The flower’s shape is close to a butterfly’s body due to its petals’ form. The leaves also are formed like a heart, giving your room a perfect sight in cold weather when most other plants are dead.

They were initially grown in the Mediterranean region and are now available indoors in all areas. We will do our best to explain all the details of “How to grow indoor cyclamen?”.

What is the history of planting?

• Some believe that the flower is native to Persia as it is called Cyclamen Persicum. However, historical documents suggest that the flower comes from Greece. There are also theories suggesting that the flower comes from Turkey.
• An amazing fact about cyclamens is that, unlike most other plants, they die back in spring and experience a period of dormancy in the next season.
• The flower has been hybridized to shorten the maturity period, strengthen the plant, and other progresses like larger petals, less need for light, and more tolerance against light.
• On the other hand, the sweet scent of wild cyclamen is much less in hybridized species.

What is the indoor cyclamen propagation process?

If you want to propagate cyclamen, you have different options, such as tuber propagation, nursery transplants, and growing seeds.

1. Dormant tubers

• It might be hard to find ready pots, especially in regions where cyclamens are more challenging to grow outdoors.
• Therefore, you must find a container with suitable drainage that matches the plant’s natural conditions. It must also have enough space for the mature size of cyclamen (6 to 9 inches on average).
• The quality of your potting soil must be highly acceptable, and the ground must contain about three-fourths of the space of your pot. Remember to use airy soil with sufficient levels of drainage.
• The seed must be placed one inch under the top level of the soil. However, a small amount of dirt should cover the source to make it still visible. Deep planting causes a rotten seed. Furthermore, the soil around the seed must be pressed hard.
• When watering the plant, you must be careful not to do it over the tuber. This might also ruin the whole process.
• Instead, water around the perimeter of the pot to the point that you see the water draining off the drainage hole. It’s recommended to wet once again to make sure of complete saturation.
• It would help if you did not keep the pot in warm places. It must be placed in a cool place. A temperature of around 60 to 65 degrees would be most suitable for the plant.
• Direct sunlight is troubling for the growth of cyclamens. That is why you must avoid placing the plant near a window where sunlight directly reaches your plant.

1. Nursery transplant

• This approach is less risky with lower stress. The pot you select for the nursery plant must have enough space for the mature plant. So, we must be cautious about the dimensions of our pool.
• Remember not to set the plant to a deeper or higher level than the level it had in its previous pot. Therefore, you need to adjust the depth of your plant to the same group that it was beforehand, using a potting medium. The height of your plant is of high significance.
• There must not be any air pockets in the soil of your pot. So, make sure to water the edges of your pool repeatedly.
• As we mentioned earlier, direct sunlight must be avoided. You must also be cautious not to water the leaves as it will cause the plant to rot.

How to grow indoor cyclamen? (Steps & Tips)

Now is the time to explain how to grow indoor cyclamen after propagation:

1. The plant might be at stake of rotting if you don’t take constant care of it. Whenever you want to water the plant, try to ensure the soil is dry with a moisture meter.
2. The only condition where the plant can take advantage of the water is dry soil.
3. We must also be aware of the moisture in the air. There must be balanced humidity in the room where you keep the cyclamen.
4. Indoor humidity is 30-50 percent less than outdoor humidity, likely less than the air moisture required for cyclamen growth.
5. You can compensate for it by placing the other plants in a very close range to your cyclamen. After watering other houseplants, the water evaporates, making up for indoor lack of moisture.
6. Another point we must consider while waiting for our plant to bloom is the food we provide.
7. A liquid fertilizer with less nitrogen would be a proper choice for this plant. Mix the liquid with water to reduce its strength to half. Feed your plant every two weeks.
8. Feeding the plant during blooming and dormancy is a mistake. Therefore, you must avoid that.
9. While reading the article, you noticed that cyclamen blooms in winter and dies in summer, unlike most other plants. So, what is the primary reason for that?
10. As mentioned earlier, cyclamen needs sufficient humidity and draining, the same thing that happens in winter.
11. In summer, the hot and dry weather, with more direct sunshine, must provide proper plant growth conditions. That’s why it dies back.
12. You must have realized why we emphasized not placing your pot near a window with direct sunshine. The condition reminds the plant of summer, causing it not to bloom.
13. Although many believe that cyclamens cannot live more than a short time, we can keep them alive and well for years.
14. We must always keep some factors in mind to take complete care of our plant. 
15. These factors consider our pot’s suitability in draining, moisture, and airflow—as bright but indirect sunshine liquid plant food, which was fully explained.

The final words

Cyclamens are known for their durability in summer and are used as Christmas presents. We covered all the essential information for growing the plant from seed to maturity.

As we mentioned, there are three methods to the propagation process. We can take a little risk, use dormant tubers, act less stressfully, and go for a nursery transplant.

On the other hand, we can make our house a better place by growing cyclamen and keeping it for years with just a few simple tips on how to grow cyclamen indoors. Suggestions that we covered.

It costs little to bring nature to your house in the cold of winter.

What other tips do you know about growing cyclamen indoors?