With its butterfly-shaped blooms and winter colour, growing cyclamen is always a good idea. But knowing why your cyclamen is dropping is key if your plant is looking a little worse for wear, and you want to give it a new lease of life.
Although it can be grown outside, cyclamen is also considered one of the best Christmas houseplants for the festive season. Offering winter flowers that are almost guaranteed to bloom on Christmas day, cyclamen can serve as the centrepiece for your Christmas tablescape or add some colour to your windowsills to counteract the winter gloom.
But while cyclamen is relatively easy to care for, it does need some TLC to truly thrive indoors. It needs the right amount of light, water, and fertiliser, and it’s a good idea to understand its growing cycle to understand why your cyclamen may be drooping. Then, you can focus on fixing these problems before it’s too late.
1. It’s been overwatered
Overwatering is one of the main reasons a plant’s leaves turn yellow - and also why they may start drooping.
David Denyer, expert florist at Eflorist, explains, ‘One of the most common reasons I see for drooping cyclamen is overwatering. These plants prefer their soil to dry out a bit between waterings. If you water too frequently, or if the pot doesn’t drain well, the roots can become waterlogged and begin to rot. When that happens, the plant struggles to take up nutrients and water, which leads to drooping leaves.’
Thankfully, there are ways to save an overwatered plant - if you don’t leave it too late. For starters, you need to stop watering for a while. Then, David says, ‘Make sure your pot has good drainage, and only water when the top inch or two of soil feels dry. If the soil seems too compacted or isn’t draining well, consider repotting with a well-draining mix.’
If you're worried you may be overwatering your cyclamen - or any other plant in your home - a moisture meter can tell you whether they actually need a drink or not.
2. It’s in the wrong location
You can learn a lot from a plant from its flowering period. Generally, summer-flowering plants love the sunshine and warmth while winter-flowering plants prefer cooler climes - and this is definitely the case with cyclamen. So, heat stress could be a factor if your cyclamen is drooping.
Morris Hankinson, Managing Director of Hopes Grove Nurseries, says, ‘Cyclamen prefer to grow in 10-18°C and are not tolerant of extremes. If you have cyclamen by a radiator or in full sun, it may well droop. Move it to a place with a consistent temperature in bright, indirect light.’
Of course, this can be difficult in the winter as you put your heating on regularly, so you may need to move it a few times before you find the ideal location for your cyclamen.
3. It’s been over-fertilised
If you want to ensure a happy, healthy, and blooming cyclamen for Christmas, fertilising it can be a good idea. And while there are many fertilisers you can make at home, it’s also very easy to over-fertilise your plant - and this too can cause a droopy cyclamen.
‘While it's tempting to give your plants a lot of nutrients, cyclamen don’t require heavy feeding. Too much fertiliser can cause a buildup of salts in the soil, which stresses the roots and contributes to drooping leaves,’ warns David. Don’t worry too much if you’ve done this, as over-fertilisation will rarely result in the death of your cyclamen. You’ll need to cut back, though.
And if you don’t want to risk feeding your cyclamen at all, Morris has suggested an alternative. ‘Ideally, plant cyclamen in a well drained soil or a gritty good quality compost if in a pot. Make sure the pot has drainage holes and there should be no need to add feed.’
If you don't want to re-pot your cyclamen but still want to improve drainage and prevent drooping, perlite can help. Just sprinkle some on top of the soil.
4. It’s struggling with pests or disease
While there are many pests you shouldn’t ignore in the garden, many people fail to realise that indoor plants can also be affected by pests and diseases. In fact, these could be the reason your cyclamen doesn’t look as sprightly as it should.
‘Common culprits like aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites feed on the plant’s sap, causing wilting and drooping,’ explains David. ‘Additionally, fungal issues such as powdery mildew or cyclamen mites can weaken the plant, leading to drooping and even leaf drop.’
Of course, your first port of call is to identify the problem and focus your treatment on getting rid of aphids or treating powdery mildew. However, most cases can be treated in the same way.
David says, ‘If you suspect pests, give your plant a good inspection and treat it with insecticidal soap or neem oil. For fungal issues, remove any affected leaves and use a fungicide. Also, keeping your plant in a spot with good air circulation can help prevent these problems.’
This bottle contains 100% neem oil, which can be warmed up and then be mixed with water and sprayed on your plants as a natural fungicide. This should help to prevent drooping.
5. It’s in its dormant period
Although houseplants rarely enter periods of dormancy, you have to remember that cyclamen isn’t your typical houseplant. It can be grown both inside and outside, which means that dormancy could be the reason why your cyclamen is drooping.
David says, ‘Many people don’t realise that cyclamen naturally go dormant after their flowering period. During this time, it’s perfectly normal for the leaves to droop, and, in some cases, die back completely. So, don’t panic — it’s just part of the plant’s life cycle. Keep it in a cool, dry place, and once new growth appears, you can start watering and caring for it as usual.’
Just leave it to its own devices for a while and it should bounce back in no time.
FAQs
What does an overwatered cyclamen look like?
If you’re worried you’ve overwatered your cyclamen, look out for any (or all) of the following signs:
- Yellow leaves.
- Drooping leaves.
- Rotten stems or visibly rotten roots.
- Poor or stunted growth.
- Wilted flowers.
- Mushy, brown crown.
How often should you water cyclamen?
During the growing season, you should water your cyclamen at least once a week - but you should always keep an eye on the top layer of soil. If it feels dry to the touch, you may need to increase this watering schedule.
During the dormant period (which is for around two months in the spring), you should reduce your watering schedule to prevent overwatering. Once every two weeks should be enough, especially if you move your cyclamen to a cooler, darker place during this dormant period.
With this information in tow, you should hopefully now know why your cyclamen is drooping - and what you can do to fix it.
