saving cyclamens

[suee]

Has anyone any tips on saving cyclamens? Indoors and dry, or outside in a sheltered place?
Thanks, Sue

[kentvegplot]

Hi Sue, are these indoor ones with quite large flowers, or the much smaller ones?

For the smaller ones, I just put them somewere sheltered in the garden and they shoot again the following winter. For the larger ones, I think you just need to keep them cool and a little on the dry side once they have finished flowering.

Not sure about feeding though, someone else might be able to help?

[suee]

Thanks KVP - they had quite big flowers - I've seen people with them on windowsills outside in fairly low temperatures, but I suppose they are sheltered from the heat of the house.

[rustylady]

The ones with small flowers are easier to keep going, they're quite hardy so can just be put outside in a sheltered spot after flowering. The large flowered ones can be kept but are quite tricky and in my opinion hardly worth the effort. If you really want to keep them then try a Google search for precise instructions.

[Glasshousevirgin]

Don't claim to be expert here but I had a plant shop in a previous career and had to keep untold Cylamen in good condition until sold.
I feel you are right to want to keep them dry but they must be cool also, so having them as indoor plants is really tricky. Essentially I feel the small ones are easiest to keep but the large will do well in the same conditions; they just need more meticulous attention.
Light I found to be a key factor and at any time of year and the best pace seems to be a bright windowsill in a cool room. Perhaps a bedroom or conservatory that is not heated or even has the window open a crack rather than rooms that you spend a lot of time in ( and are heated) like your lounge or kitchen.
In our shop we used to water them only when dry and only a small amount in cool seasons. Some people like to only water from the bottom by filling the saucer but I found this didn't always get to the plant up top and left in deep water it over did it.
If all the flowers go slushy and the leaves disappear you are over watering or there is too little light (or both) so let your plant dry out and recover in plenty of natural light. Don't give up too soon even if there is only the bulb left as they do go almost dormant at times. I have found leaving them outside for a few months they often recover on their own. As long as the bulb is firm and not rotten then it has a good chance to grow new leaves and flower again after a recovery period.
To ward off fungal disease a dose of copper sulphate solution or Mancozeb can sometimes be insurance against premature losses.
Feeding when the plant is not thriving is not advisable but when I threw a few dormant cyclamen outside for a rest I fed them some liquid or slow release fertilizer suitable for annuals to spur them on to flower.
Hope this helps