How to care for a cyclamen indoors
A cyclamen wants a cool, bright room, around 15–18 °C (60–65 °F) by day and 10 °C (50 °F) at night, away from radiators: above 21 °C (70 °F) the buds don’t open. Water it when the surface of the soil is dry, from the saucer or around the edge of the pot, never on the tuber. After flowering the leaves turn yellow and the plant rests until late summer.
Updated 12 October 2026. How we write these pages
How to care for a cyclamen in a pot
Keep it in a cool room near a window, in indirect light: around 15–18 °C (60–65 °F) by day and 10 °C (50 °F) at night. Near a radiator the soil dries fast, and above 21 °C (70 °F) the buds don’t open.
Water it when the surface of the soil is dry, ideally from below: stand the pot in a dish of water for a quarter of an hour, then empty the dish. Don’t pour water on the tuber in the middle, because it rots if it stays wet for long. While it’s growing and flowering, give it a feed for flowering plants every two weeks.
Cyclamen after flowering and in summer
After flowering
The leaves turn yellow.
In late spring they yellow and drop, and that’s normal: the plant is going dormant. Water less and less, and remove the leaves once they’ve dried.
In summer
Cool and shaded.
Indoors or out, with very little water: with no leaves the soil mustn’t stay wet. It comes from the Mediterranean, where it rests through the hot, dry months.
At the end of summer
New leaves appear.
If the pot is cramped, repot it with the top half of the tuber above the soil, and move it back into the light. Getting it to flower again indoors isn’t easy: if the stalks grow long and weak, find it a brighter spot.
Questions about cyclamen
Why are my cyclamen leaves turning yellow?
If it has finished flowering, it’s going dormant: the leaves yellow and drop, and the plant starts again in late summer. If it’s still in flower, feel the soil. The leaves turn yellow with too much water and with too little, and also with heat, dry air or too little light.
Why is my cyclamen drooping?
Usually it’s thirsty: a healthy cyclamen has firm, upright leaves. Feel the soil and, if it’s dry, water from below. If it droops while the soil is wet, don’t give it more water, because a tuber that stays wet for long can rot.
How often should you water a cyclamen?
There’s no fixed number of days. Feel the soil every day or two and water when the surface is dry. In a cool room that happens less often, and near a heat source much more often.
Can a cyclamen in a pot live outdoors?
On a windowsill, a balcony or in the garden it’s fine while the nights stay cool, somewhere bright and sheltered. It can’t take frost, so bring it in before the nights get close to freezing. In summer, while it rests, it can stay outdoors in the shade.
How do you care for a cyclamen in winter?
Near a bright window, in the coolest room you have and away from the radiator. Water from below when the surface of the soil is dry, and take off faded flowers: hold the stalk, twist it and pull sharply so it comes away from the base.
Is cyclamen toxic to cats and dogs?
Yes. Chewing it can cause drooling, vomiting and diarrhoea. The tuber is the most dangerous part: eaten in quantity it can cause heart rhythm problems and seizures, and it can kill. Keep it where they can’t reach it.
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