Cyclamen a Great Holiday Gift Plant

Consider a cyclamen for this holiday season.  The uniquely shaped flowers come in a variety of colors and stand above attractive variegated leaves. 

Select a healthy plant with just a few open flowers on stiff upright stems and lots of buds tucked under the leaves for maximum enjoyment.  Grow this Mediterranean plant in a cool bright location indoors.  Consider moving your plant to an even cooler room at night to extend the bloom time.

Water the plants thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil evenly moist.  Always pour off excess water that collects in the foil wrap or saucer.  Over- and under-watering are usually the cause of failure.

Start fertilizing your cyclamen about one month after purchase.  Use a dilute solution of flowering houseplant fertilizer and remove faded flowers for a neater appearance and better bloom.

Once the plant is done blooming, the leaves will begin to turn yellow and the plant will enter a normal resting period. 

A bit more information:  Stop watering when all the leaves are yellow and dry.  Allow your plant to rest by moving it to a cool dry place for several months.  After the rest period you can bring your plant out of dormancy and encourage it to bloom. Begin watering and place it in a sunny window.  You can also repot your plant at this time.  Move potbound cyclamen to a slightly larger container.  Plant it so that half of the tuber is above the soil surface.  Fertilize with a dilute solution of flowering houseplant fertilizer about once a month.

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indoor-holiday-plants cyclamen

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