Come annaffiare un ciclamino?
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Were you given a beautiful cyclamen over the festive season, only to find its stems drooping and its leaves turning yellow a few weeks later?
Do not feel guilty. Cyclamen (Cyclamen persicum) is a robust plant, but it has an Achilles' heel: its bulb hates stagnant moisture.
Watering a cyclamen calls for a specific technique to prevent rot. Here is a complete guide to keeping your plant in flower all winter and getting it to bloom again the following year.
1. The golden rule: never wet the crown!
To water correctly, you need to understand the plant's anatomy. Cyclamen grows from a tuber (a kind of large, flat bulb) at the soil surface.
The danger: If you pour water directly into the centre of the foliage, onto the tuber, it will collect there. This causes grey mould (Botrytis). The stems become soft at the base and come away.
2. How can you water without killing the plant?
There are two ways to water a cyclamen without risking rot:
Method A: watering from below (the safest)
Fill a saucer or the bottom of a sink with water. Stand the pot in it and let the plant take up water from below for 15-20 minutes. Then let it drain thoroughly. The soil is moist, but the bulb stays dry.
Method B: precision watering (the quickest)
If you do not want to move your pots, you can water from above, on one strict condition: aim only at the edge of the pot, carefully avoiding the bulb in the centre.
A tool for pinpoint precision
A long, slender spout lets you direct water along the edge of the pot without touching the bulb in the centre or wetting the foliage. This is what our copper-coloured watering can is designed for.
- 🎯 Slender spout: Reaches under the leaves to direct water onto the soil.
- ✨ Copper-coloured stainless steel: A safe material that does not rust.
3. When should you water?
Cyclamen prefers cool conditions, ideally 15-18°C. In living rooms heated to 20°C, it needs water sooner.
- The finger test: Touch the soil. If the surface feels dry, water the plant.
- The visual sign: If the flower heads begin to droop slightly, it is urgent!
Warning: NEVER spray water on cyclamen leaves or flowers. Unlike tropical plants, cyclamen dislikes this, and it encourages disease.
4. Help! My cyclamen is dying in spring!
That is normal! Cyclamen follows a reversed seasonal cycle: it flowers in winter and rests in summer.
From April/May onwards, the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. Do not throw the plant away!
- Gradually stop watering.
- Cut off the dried leaves.
- Keep the pot, containing the bare bulb, in a cool, dark place such as a garage or cellar all summer, without watering.
- In September: Repot the bulb in fresh potting compost and start watering again. It will flower again!
5. What about wild cyclamen (Neapolitan cyclamen)?
In the garden, cyclamens (often Cyclamen hederifolium or coum) are much more self-sufficient. They grow in the shade of trees.
They generally do not need watering, except during extreme drought in autumn when growth resumes.
Your turn!
The secret to caring for cyclamen can be summed up in one sentence: Keep it cool and water around the edges, never in the centre.
With the right precision watering can, you can keep your plant from one year to the next.
View the designer watering cans collection