Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) care

Flowering · needs attention to keep

Last updated 26 October 2026

Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) wants bright indirect light, and cool. Water it every 6 days. Water from below, into the saucer, and never into the crown. Let it take up what it wants for twenty minutes, then pour the rest away. Pot it in free-draining compost with grit. A weak high-potash feed every two weeks while in flower, and repot once a year. Humidity: above 50%. Toxic to cats and dogs — the tuber especially, which can cause heart problems in quantity.

Cyclamen: swept-back flowers in white, pink and red over marbled heart-shaped leaves, flowering right through winter. It wants a cool room — 12–15 °C — and collapses in a warm one, which is why most are treated as disposable. Kept cool and rested dry through summer, the tuber comes back for years.

Quick facts

Water: Water every 6 days. Water from below, into the saucer, and never into the crown. Let it take up what it wants for twenty minutes, then pour the rest away.
Light: Bright indirect light, and cool.
Humidity: Above 50%.
Soil: Free-draining compost with grit.
Feeding: A weak high-potash feed every two weeks while in flower.
Repotting: Repot once a year.
Toxic to pets: Toxic to cats and dogs — the tuber especially, which can cause heart problems in quantity. The ASPCA lists Cyclamen (Cyclamen spp), the genus as a whole, as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026).
Difficulty: Needs attention.
Mature size: 20–30 cm tall.
Native to: The eastern Mediterranean.

Watering a Cyclamen

Water every 6 days. Water from below, into the saucer, and never into the crown. Let it take up what it wants for twenty minutes, then pour the rest away.

That cadence is the one PlantParlour sets for this species when you name it, and it is deliberately on the cautious side — a plant that asks a day early is safer than one that asks a day late. Log each watering and the reminder moves with the plant rather than with the calendar.

Light

Bright indirect light in a genuinely cool room — 12–15 °C. A cyclamen in a warm lounge collapses within a fortnight, which is why most are treated as disposable.

Humidity and temperature

Above 50%. Central heating in winter is what turns a comfortable room into a dry one, and it is the usual reason an established plant suddenly browns at the edges or picks up spider mites.

Soil and potting

Free-draining compost with grit, and the top of the tuber left proud of the surface — buried, it rots.

Feeding

A weak high-potash feed every two weeks while in flower. Stop feeding in autumn and start again when you see new growth in spring — feeding a plant that isn't growing just builds up salts in the pot.

Repotting

Repot once a year. Repot the dormant tuber in late summer, keeping its shoulders above the compost.

Common problems

Collapsing, floppy leaves and stems
Too warm — or water in the crown.

Fix: Move it somewhere cool and water from below only.
Yellow leaves in spring
Normal. It is going dormant.

Fix: Stop watering, let it die back, and keep the tuber dry until late summer.

Yellow leaves: how to read it on any plant
Grey fuzzy mould on the stems
Botrytis from damp still air.

Fix: Remove affected parts, improve airflow, and keep water off the crown.

Propagation

From seed. Tubers do not divide successfully.

A cutting taken in PlantParlour keeps its link to the plant it came from, so a propagation years later still traces back to the mother plant — which is the point if you ever sell or trade it.

Toxicity and safety

Toxic to cats and dogs — the tuber especially, which can cause heart problems in quantity.

The ASPCA lists Cyclamen (Cyclamen spp), the genus as a whole, as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026).

If your pet has eaten a plant, call your vet, the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435, or the Pet Poison Helpline on (855) 764-7661. Both are open around the clock and may charge a consultation fee. Take the plant or its label with you.

This is general information, not veterinary advice. We don't test plants: what we say about toxicity follows the ASPCA's published plant list as it stood on 26 October 2026, and that list can change. "Non-toxic" means not poisonous — a pet that eats enough of any plant can still vomit, and fertiliser, pesticide or leaf shine on a plant can harm it. It also only helps if the plant is what you think it is. It covers cats and dogs only; ask your vet about rabbits, birds, reptiles or anything else, and a doctor about children. Read our terms.

Every houseplant in the library the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs

Questions people ask

How often should you water a Cyclamen?

Water every 6 days as a starting point — that is the cadence PlantParlour sets for Cyclamen persicum. Water from below, into the saucer, and never into the crown. Let it take up what it wants for twenty minutes, then pour the rest away. Light, pot size and the time of year all move that number, so treat it as a reminder to go and check rather than a rule.

How much light does a Cyclamen need?

Bright indirect light in a genuinely cool room — 12–15 °C. A cyclamen in a warm lounge collapses within a fortnight, which is why most are treated as disposable.

Is Cyclamen toxic to cats and dogs?

Toxic to cats and dogs — the tuber especially, which can cause heart problems in quantity. The ASPCA lists Cyclamen (Cyclamen spp), the genus as a whole, as toxic to cats and dogs (checked 26 October 2026). If a pet has eaten part of a plant, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center on (888) 426-4435 straight away.

How do you propagate a Cyclamen?