Cyclamen woes/questions

My cyclamens - My cyclamens - the temperamental white one and the more stable red one with its blooms and seed pod.
@meiteoh (416)
Switzerland
May 12, 2008 7:15am CST
I live in Neuchatel, Switzerland where it's colder than usual because of the increase in altitude (500 m above sea level). In March, we had 15 cm of snow when it was supposed to be the start of spring. The current temp ranges from 24 C (max) to 11 C (min). Anyway, I have two pots of cyclamens which I purchased in February - one red and the other white. Since moving to the current place, I have always left them at the same spot, near the edge of the balcony where they enjoy some full sunshine. The red one is doing fantastic; it is blooming (two flowers and five more on the way) and there is even a seed pod ripening. The white one on the other hand is a bit temperamental. The past few days has seen strong sunshine and I wonder if that's why my white cyclamen has limpy leaves and flowers. This morning, I watered it and it looked GREAT, like the red one but when it hit noon, the outer leaves and flower(s) went droopy/limpy. I changed the soil to be on the safe side (because I know cyclamens don't like wet conditions) - there is nothing wrong with the root system and it drains very well. I'm just wondering whether the limpness is because of the full direct sunshine... I moved it into the shade where it is way cooler about an hour ago so maybe it's too soon to tell; I'm hoping that it'll get better soon because I'd love to see it bloom and seed like the red one. I've attached a photo of the two cyclamens in case anyone wants to take a look and comment...
1 response
@coolseeds (3919)
• United States
14 May 08
Cyclamens have some important issues. Air, temperature and moisture. I have read that they will rarely succeed if the temperature is above 65F degrees during the day and 50F degrees. They should be watered daily to keep the soil moist but not wet. In the best situation you should keep them on top of a tray of water filled with pebbles. Avoid pouring water over the crown because it may cause the corm to rot. They prefer a humid atmosphere so misting will help. They do not like drafts.