How to Deadhead Cyclamen
Traditionally sold at Christmas, cyclamens add beauty to the inside of your home during the winter months, bloom continuously and profusely with regular deadheading of spent blooms. Cyclamens bloom from fall until spring and display showy pink, red or white blooms atop long stems. Their foliage ranges in color from light to dark green with variegations of white.
- Keep cyclamen plants indoors during the winter months. This house plant responds well to cool temperatures and good light conditions. Cyclamens grow as a tuber plant. Water from the base of the pot instead of the top to prevent rotting.
- Inspect the plant each day looking for flowers that have started to wilt and fade are ready for removal. Deadheading the spent flowers prevents seeding and encourages new blooms. Removing old blooms after the initial set of flowers extends the blooming season into early spring.
- Place one hand at the soil level to prevent pulling the plant out of the pot. With the other hand, gently grasp the base of the stem with the spent bloom. Swiftly tug the stem from the plant’s base for a complete and clean removal. Discard the stem and bloom.
- Look for yellow or discolored leaves and remove at the base of the plant. Leaves should easily break away from the base of the plant with a pinch or gentle tug. Removing dead foliage promotes healthy leaf re-growth and a fuller looking plant.
- Move cyclamen plants outdoors to a shady location during the summer while the plant goes dormant. Water the plant once or twice a month, just enough to moisten the dirt. Return the cyclamen to the indoors in the fall when new growth emerges.