Most information you find about the holiday Cyclamen plants tells you not to water from above because you might get “crown rot.” Personally, I have never found this to be the case if I water the plant really well and then wait to water again when it’s slightly dry, but before the plant wilts. So although this postcard tells you to water from the bottom by putting the pot in a dish of water, feel free to ignore this and water from the top. After all, in the natural world Nature doesn’t water these plants from underneath… The key is to not give it a “lick and a promise” by watering frequently from the top so that the area around the stems is kept constantly moist.

I have found that the main problem with the florist Cyclamen plants is that people become afraid of overwatering, and then let them get so dry that they wilt. Unfortunately when this happens, the buds don’t recover and go on to bloom. So avoid letting the plant wilt. Check your indoor Cyclamen every day and when the soil looks and feels dry, water it well so that the entire root ball is saturated. If you plant is in a decorative container such as those pictured on the postcard above, take them out of the fancy pot, water them well and let the excess water drain away, and then put their plastic pot back in the decorative holder. 

Since these plants naturally go dormant once the temperatures get warmer, most people don’t try and keep them from year to year. It’s okay to thank them for brightening the shorter days of winter, and put them in the compost come spring. 

These plants love to be cool, so keep them away from heating units and fireplaces. If you have a room that goes down to 50 or 55° at night, the Cyclamen will be quite content.