Dormancy & Blooming: Your Guide to Cyclamen Care

Cyclamen are popular for their bright fall and winter flowers. Often given as gifts during the holiday season, cyclamen flowers can last for several weeks indoors. However, once the blooms have wilted and the plant becomes dormant, many plant owners find it difficult to encourage them to bloom a second time. Luckily, there are steps you can take to encourage your cyclamen to bloom a second year:

Understanding Dormancy

Cyclamen are perennials, native to the Mediterranean region where the summers are sunny and dry. To survive the extreme conditions, the plant goes dormant during the summer to conserve energy. For those not expecting this behavior, it's understandable to assume the plant has simply died. However, plants with dormancy periods rest until the environmental conditions are ideal for new growth. For cyclamen, this means flourishing and flowering in the fall and winter when the temperatures are cool and moisture is more prevalent.

Ideal Conditions

The key to encouraging your cyclamen to bloom again is to provide it with ideal conditions during dormancy. Here's what to do:

• After the plant stops actively flowering, reduce watering and fertilization frequency.
• When the leaves begin to wither and turn yellow, do not remove them until they are completely dry.
• Place the plant in a cool place without much sunlight. Outdoor patios, balconies and porches are good options if they're covered. Otherwise, your garage or a cold room in the house will work.
• Water very sparingly, but keep the soil moist.
• When the temperatures start to drop again in the late summer months, you might see new foliage. Start watering regularly again and place in a spot with moderate sunlight.

With this care regimen, your cyclamen should be ready to bloom again in the fall and for years to come.