INTRODUCTION

Cyclamen are a genus of plants containing 20 species,which are part of the family of Primulaceae, the Primrose family. In the wild, their distribution is centred on themediterranean, being natives of parts of Europe, western Asia and parts of North Africa.

CYCLAMEN persicum
They are herbaceous corms, with basal and long-petioled foliage. The flowers that sit above a clump of leafage. The leaves may be shaped from broad to rounded, kidney, or heart shaped. They may be blotched, patterned, lobed, or marbled on the upper surface and sometime the margins of the leaves are toothed. Their flowers are distinctively supported on long fleshy stems and may be pink, brilliant red, white, or any shades in between.
If cyclamens didn't have flowers they could still be grown as attractive foliage plants.

GROWING CONDITIONS
Cyclamen do not like warmth. If kept indoors they should be kept in a well lit room, free from heating. Alternatively, They can be kept outside on a well lit balcony or verandah protected from the sun. Cyclamen despise indoor heating and so they should be kept in an unheated room or moved into a cooler spot each evening. It is best to put the cyclamen out under a heavy foliage tree or a pergola, or on the veranda when the nights are cool. The cool nights will refresh the plant?s leaves and flowers.
The plump bulb-like corm from which the leaves grow should sit so that its top emerges from the surface of the potting mix. The corm needs to be kept on the dry side; water carefully around the sides of the pot and try to avoid watering over the corm or the leaves. Do not water with tepid water in winter (as indoor plants need), because they love their water to have that real winter chill.

CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Do not water your cyclamen from the top of the pot. Wetting of the corm and flowers and leaf stems encourages fungal rot. Water from the bottom, by sitting your cyclamen in a saucer or bowl of water for 10 - 15 minutes, and then removing it and letting the surplus water drain.
Never let your cyclamen sit in a saucer of water permanently - this will cause a yellowing of the leaves, rotting of the stems, and eventual death of the plant. Fertilize with fish emulsion regularly and Aussiecote or Osmocote slow release fertilizer in the beginning of the growing season.
Cyclamen are dormant in summer
When flowering finishes and the leaves have dried off, keep the corms dry - do not water during the summer dormancy. I have found the best place to keep them, is to turn the pots on their side and place them under a shrub that has the ground around the base of the plant sprayed with water now and again.
Never cut the spent flowers. Flowers that are finished should never be cut off. Instead, remove tired blooms and stems by gently twisting off at the base and pulling them away from the main bulb.
At the end of the cyclamens season the pot should be moved to a shaded spot outdoors and kept very much on the dry side until the following autumn. The leaves will die down completely during early summer.
At the end of Summer
When the days start to become cooler, the plant will begin making new growth. The cyclamen should then be repotted into some top quality potting medium. Cyclamens aren't troubled too much by pests and diseases but there is a minute mite (called cyclamen mite)that can cause the leaves to become twisted and distorted.
Affected plants can either be thrown away or taken to a shady spot outside and sprayed with an systemic aerosol insecticide. SYSTEX or Folimat.

NOTE. READ ALL DIRECTIONS ON CONTAINER BEFORE USING.