Recover your cyclamen with yellow leaves with these simple tricks

Cyclamen can have yellow leaves if watered a lot

Cyclamen is a bulbous plant that blooms through the fall, and even into winter weather permitting. During those months it is beautiful, with its curious pink, red or yellow flowers. But it is also when there is a greater risk of having yellowish or brown leaves, since watering in those seasons becomes an even more difficult task to master.

The falling temperatures and the sun that is less and less intense, make the earth remain humid for longer. Cyclamen, like other plants, need water to live, but it does not always have to be watered as often. But even if it seems like it, poor watering is not always a reason for leaves to yellow. Yes it is the main cause, but certainly not the only one.

Sun or direct light

Cyclamen can turn yellow with heavy watering

Image - Wikimedia / Zeynel Cebeci

El cyclamen needs a lot of light, but never direct sun. If we put it in a sunny place, without any protection, its leaves will soon burn. First, yellow spots will appear that will turn brown on the most exposed leaves, but when we cut these, then it will be the others that will yellow unless we take the plant to an area where it is protected.

You can also burn if you are indoors near a window, since the solar rays, when passing through it, produce the magnifying glass effect, which ends up burning the leaves that are closer. Therefore, it is best to put it under or to the side of the window, but never in front.

Excess irrigation

Irrigation is a task that must be done yes or yes when you have plants, especially when they are in pots. But you have to try to do it right. We often make the mistake of watering them too much, and that hurts the cyclamen a lot. The roots rot from being without oxygen and being excessively humid, and then the leaves begin to die as well: first they turn yellow and finally brown. In extreme cases, it is not uncommon for fungi to appear, which can even cover the soil, stems and / or leaves with mold.

But How do you know if you have a lot of water? For this we will look at:

  • old leaves, which will be turning yellow;
  • the earth, which when touched will feel wet. When in doubt, we can check the humidity with a meter;
  • if it is potted and has a plate underneath, it may be filled with water;
  • if we take the pot, we will notice that it weighs considerably more than when it is dry;
  • If mold begins to appear, it is because fungi are proliferating in an environment that has become excessively humid.

What to do in these cases? Basically remove the plant from where we have it (be it soil or pot) and wrap the soil root ball with absorbent paper for 24 hours. If the paper gets wet quickly, we will replace it with a new one.

The next day, we can plant the cyclamen, but we have to do it in a land that drains water well. For example, if it is going to be in the garden, and the land we have gets flooded quickly, we will make a hole of about 50 x 50 centimeters and fill it with universal substrate (for sale here) mixed with perlite (for sale here) in equal parts.

In the event that we want to grow it in a pot, we will choose one that has holes in its base, and we will fill it with the previously mentioned substrate.

Lack of irrigation

Watering the plants must be an important task for the gardener

Lack of irrigation is another possible cause. And is that when the cyclamen does not receive the water it needs, its leaves turn yellow quickly. Why? Because water is essential for cells to divide and grow, for the plant to photosynthesize, breathe, feed. Water is life, and the first leaves to suffer when it is scarce are the newest.

If we want to know if our cyclamen is going thirsty, we have to look at if you show any of these symptoms / signs:

  • The newer leaves are the ones that turn yellow earlier.
  • The earth feels dry, very light. It is also possible that it has compacted, becoming unable to absorb water.
  • If it has flowers, the stems will "fall", as if they were hanging.
  • The plant will look sad, with fallen leaves.

Luckily, this has a very easy solution: you just have to water it conscientiously: if it is in a pot, we will put it in a basin with water so that only the pot is submerged. We will leave it there for about 30 minutes.

In case it is on the ground, we will make a tree grate with soil so that the water remains concentrated around the plant, and we will add about 2 liters of water. They may seem like a lot, but when the soil is too dry, you have to add more water than we normally would so that it can absorb it again at a good rate, as it compacts.

Has run out of space

The cyclamen is a small plant, which grows about 20 centimeters tall by about the same width. But if it is kept in a small pot, what will happen is that its leaves will lose their natural green color. and they will turn yellow. Even the new ones can get smaller and smaller.

To know for sure that it needs more space, we must see if it grows roots through the holes in it, or if it has been in it for more than two years.

How do we solve the problem? Well, what we will do is plant it in one that is about 7 centimeters wider and taller than the one you already have. For this, we will use universal substrate, since it is a soil prepared so that a great variety of plants, including cyclamen, can grow well.

Can it happen to him if he's on the ground? It really is a bit difficultas it does not take up much space and, if it is planted in the garden, it is easy for the roots to find all the nutrients it needs. Problems could only arise if a fast-growing rhizomatous plant (for example, an Ensete, a Muse, or a bamboo) is planted near the cyclamen. Then we would see that the leaves turn yellow.

Cyclamen can turn yellow if you are short on space

We hope that these tips will help you to recover your cyclamen with yellow leaves.


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  1.   Roux Perez said

    I have cyclamen plants in window boxes on the balcony! Is this feasible or not?

    1.    Monica Sanchez said

      Hello Roux.
      Yes, but it depends on the size of the planter. Think that each plant needs at least 30 centimeters (width) of space.
      A greeting.