Cyclamin, Hyacinth, Caladiums Winter Care
Some plants are not dead, dramatic, or personally offended by your care. They are just dormant. Cyclamen, caladiums, and hyacinths all have natural rest periods where their leaves may yellow, die back, or disappear completely. This can be alarming if you are used to houseplants that stay leafy all year, but dormancy is part of how these plants survive and recharge for their next round of growth.
In Calgary and across much of Canada, dormancy can be a little confusing. Our indoor spaces are warm and dry in winter, our outdoor seasons are short, and many bulbs and tubers are sold as seasonal plants. The right care depends on the plant, the time of year, and whether you are growing it indoors, outdoors, or in a pot.
This guide covers how to care for dormant cyclamen, caladiums, and hyacinths, including when to reduce watering, when to stop fertilizing, how to store bulbs or tubers, and when to restart care.
Dormant Cyclamen Care
Cyclamen are popular indoor plants with bright flowers and attractive patterned leaves. They are often sold in fall and winter because they prefer cool conditions and can flower beautifully when many other plants are slowing down. After flowering, many cyclamen naturally begin to yellow and die back. This does not always mean the plant is dead. In many cases, it is entering dormancy.
What Cyclamen Dormancy Looks Like
A dormant cyclamen may stop flowering, produce fewer leaves, develop yellowing foliage, or slowly collapse back to the tuber. This is normal, especially as temperatures rise or after the plant has finished blooming.
The tuber is still alive beneath the soil, storing energy for the next growth cycle. If the tuber is firm, the plant may still have a good chance of returning.
Watering Dormant Cyclamen
During dormancy, cyclamen need much less water than they do while actively growing. Once the leaves have yellowed and died back, keep the potting mix barely moist to almost dry. Water only enough to prevent the tuber from shrivelling.
Do not keep dormant cyclamen evenly wet. Wet soil around a resting tuber can easily lead to rot, especially indoors where air movement may be limited.
Temperature and Light for Dormant Cyclamen
Cyclamen prefer cool conditions. During dormancy, keep the plant in a cool, shaded, dry location away from heaters, furnace vents, sunny windows, and other hot spots. A cool room, basement shelf, or protected indoor area can work well as long as the pot does not freeze.
While the plant still has healthy leaves, bright indirect light is helpful. Once the foliage has died back completely, light is much less important until new growth begins.
Should You Cut Back Cyclamen Leaves?
Remove yellow, dead, or mushy leaves gently as they fade. Avoid cutting off healthy green leaves too early, because they are still helping the tuber store energy. If a leaf comes away easily with a gentle tug, it is ready to go.
Fertilizing Dormant Cyclamen
Do not fertilize dormant cyclamen. Fertilizer is useful when the plant is actively growing, but it is not needed while the tuber is resting. Wait until you see fresh new leaves before slowly resuming a light feeding routine.
Repotting Cyclamen
If the potting mix has broken down, become compacted, or is staying wet too long, repot the cyclamen near the end of dormancy before strong new growth begins. Use a loose, well-draining potting mix and avoid burying the tuber too deeply.
Bringing Cyclamen Out of Dormancy
When new leaves begin to appear, gradually increase watering. Move the plant back into bright, indirect light and keep it cool if possible. Once it is actively growing again, you can begin feeding lightly with a balanced fertilizer.
IncrediGrow tip: The key with cyclamen is patience. A resting cyclamen may look unimpressive for a while, but if the tuber is firm, do not throw it out too quickly.
Dormant Caladium Care
Caladiums are grown for their colourful, heart-shaped leaves. They love warmth, humidity, and bright filtered light, but they are not cold-hardy in Calgary or most of Canada. When temperatures drop or the growing season ends, caladiums naturally die back to their tubers.
If your caladium has lost its leaves, it may not be dead. It may simply be resting.
When Caladiums Go Dormant
Caladiums usually begin dormancy when days shorten, temperatures cool, or the plant has completed its active growing season. Indoors, they may also slow down if conditions are too cool, too dry, or too dark.
The leaves may yellow, soften, flop, or disappear entirely. The important part is the tuber. If the tuber is firm and not rotten, the plant can usually return when warm growing conditions come back.
Preparing Caladium Tubers for Storage
Once the leaves have died back, carefully remove the caladium tubers from the pot or garden bed. Gently brush off excess soil and trim away dead foliage.
Let the tubers cure in a dry, well-ventilated area for about one to two weeks before long-term storage. Do not wash the tubers unless you have a specific reason to do so. Extra moisture during storage increases the risk of rot.
How to Store Caladium Tubers in Canada
Caladiums are tropical plants, so they should not be stored like hardy spring bulbs. Store caladium tubers warm, dry, dark, and well ventilated. Aim for around 16°C or slightly warmer. Avoid cold garages, unheated sheds, refrigerators, freezing temperatures, and damp basements.
This is especially important in Calgary, where garages and storage rooms can get much colder than people realize. A caladium tuber may rot or fail if it is stored too cold for too long.
Storage Medium for Caladium Tubers
Store caladium tubers in a paper bag, cardboard box, or breathable container with dry peat moss, vermiculite, sawdust, or a similar dry storage medium. Keep tubers separated so that if one develops rot, it is less likely to spread to the others.
The goal is dry, not crispy. If the tubers begin to shrivel badly, the storage medium can be very lightly misted, but it should never become wet.
Checking Stored Caladium Tubers
Check stored tubers occasionally through the winter. Discard any that are soft, mouldy, rotten, or badly shrivelled. A healthy caladium tuber should remain reasonably firm.
When to Replant Caladiums
Replant caladiums when warm conditions return. Do not rush them into cold soil or a chilly room. Caladiums want warmth before they wake up properly.
Plant the tubers about 5-8 cm deep with the bumpy side or growing points facing up. Use a loose, well-draining potting mix and place the plant in bright indirect light or partial shade. Outdoors, caladiums prefer a protected, warm, shaded location.
Watering Caladiums After Dormancy
After planting, water lightly at first. Once shoots appear and active growth begins, gradually increase watering. Caladiums like consistent moisture while growing, but the tubers can rot if they are kept cold and wet before they are active.
Fertilizing Caladiums
Once the plant is actively growing, feed lightly with a balanced fertilizer such as Mega Mass All Purpose. Avoid heavy feeding before the tuber has produced new growth.
Caladiums are foliage plants, so the goal is steady, healthy leaf production rather than forcing fast, soft growth.
Hyacinth Care After Flowering
Hyacinths are spring-flowering bulbs known for their strong fragrance and dense flower spikes. They are often sold as potted indoor bulbs in winter and early spring, but they can also be grown outdoors in the garden.
After flowering, the care you give a hyacinth bulb determines whether it has enough stored energy to grow again.
What to Do After Hyacinths Finish Blooming
Once the flowers fade, cut off the spent flower stalk. Leave the leaves in place. The foliage may not be beautiful at this stage, but it is doing important work by feeding the bulb.
Allow the leaves to yellow and wither naturally over the next several weeks. Do not braid, tie, or remove green foliage early. The longer the leaves can photosynthesize, the better the bulb can recharge.
Watering Hyacinths After Flowering
Keep the soil lightly moist while the leaves are still green. Once the foliage has fully yellowed and died back, reduce watering. Dormant hyacinth bulbs prefer drier conditions and should not sit in soggy soil.
A hyacinth after flowering may look rough for a while. That is normal. The goal is not to keep the leaves pretty forever. The goal is to let the bulb pull back as much energy as possible before the foliage naturally dies away.
Should You Dig Up Hyacinth Bulbs?
Outdoor hyacinths do not usually need to be dug up every year if they are planted in well-draining soil. In many Canadian gardens, they can remain in the ground and return in spring.
However, you may choose to dig and store hyacinth bulbs if the planting area stays too wet, if you need to move them, or if they were grown in a seasonal container.
Forced indoor hyacinths are a little different. They often do not rebloom well indoors the following year. After the foliage dies back, they can be planted outdoors, but they may take time to recover and may not flower strongly right away.
Cleaning and Drying Hyacinth Bulbs
If you are digging a hyacinth bulb, gently remove it from the soil after the foliage has died back. Brush off loose soil and remove dead or damaged material. Let the bulb dry in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area for one to two weeks before storage.
How to Store Hyacinth Bulbs
Store hyacinth bulbs in a paper bag, mesh bag, or breathable container. Keep them in a cool, dark, dry place with good air movement. Do not seal them in plastic.
Avoid storing hyacinth bulbs with apples, bananas, or other ripening fruit. Ripening fruit releases ethylene gas, which can interfere with flower development in bulbs.
Planting Hyacinth Bulbs in Fall
Hyacinth bulbs are usually planted in fall before the ground freezes. Choose a sunny to partially shaded location with well-draining soil. Plant the bulbs pointed end up, about 10-15 cm deep and roughly 10-15 cm apart.
Water after planting to help settle the soil. After that, avoid keeping the area waterlogged. Hyacinths need moisture to root, but they do not like sitting in wet soil.
Fertilizing Hyacinths
A balanced, slow-release fertilizer can be applied when planting in fall. Avoid over-fertilizing, especially with high-nitrogen fertilizers, as this can encourage leafy growth at the expense of flowers.
Quick Dormancy Comparison
| Plant | Dormant Part | Water During Dormancy | Storage Temperature | Important Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cyclamen | Tuber | Barely moist to almost dry | Cool, but not frozen | Do not keep the pot wet once leaves die back. |
| Caladium | Tuber | Dry storage | Warm, around 16°C or slightly warmer | Do not store caladiums in cold garages or refrigerators. |
| Hyacinth | Bulb | Moist while leaves are green, drier once dormant | Cool, dry, and ventilated | Outdoor bulbs usually do not need to be dug every year. |
Common Dormant Plant Mistakes
Watering Too Much
The most common mistake with dormant plants is treating them like actively growing houseplants. Once a plant has died back to a bulb or tuber, it usually needs far less water. Wet soil plus no active roots or leaves is a perfect recipe for rot.
Storing Tropical Tubers Too Cold
Caladiums are tropical. They need warmer storage than many people expect. A cold garage in Calgary may be fine for some hardy items, but it is not a safe place for caladium tubers.
Cutting Leaves Too Early
With cyclamen and hyacinths, green leaves are still doing work. Let them yellow naturally whenever possible. Removing foliage too early can weaken the plant and reduce future growth or flowering.
Fertilizing While Dormant
Dormant plants are resting. They are not using fertilizer in the same way an actively growing plant would. Wait until new growth appears before feeding again.
Need Help Waking Up a Dormant Plant?
If you are not sure whether your plant is dormant, thirsty, rotten, or just being dramatic, bring photos into IncrediGrow or contact us before throwing it out. A firm bulb or tuber often still has life left in it, even if the top growth looks terrible.
We can help you choose the right potting mix, storage approach, fertilizer, and watering routine for Calgary growing conditions. Indoor gardening in Alberta is not always the same as following a generic plant tag, especially when furnaces, short winter days, dry air, and cold windows get involved.
For actively growing plants, ask us about balanced fertilizers such as Mega Mass All Purpose, along with well-draining potting mixes and amendments suited to your plant. For dormant plants, the best product is often patience and not overwatering the poor thing to death.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dormant Bulbs and Tubers
Is my cyclamen dead or dormant?
If the leaves have yellowed and died back but the tuber is still firm, your cyclamen may simply be dormant. If the tuber is soft, mushy, hollow, or rotten-smelling, it is more likely dead or rotting.
Should I water a dormant cyclamen?
Yes, but very sparingly. Keep the tuber barely moist to almost dry. Do not keep the soil constantly wet during dormancy.
Can caladiums survive winter outside in Calgary?
No. Caladiums are tropical and are not hardy outdoors through Calgary winters. Their tubers should be lifted and stored warm and dry before freezing temperatures arrive.
Can I store caladium tubers in the fridge?
No. A refrigerator is too cold for caladium tubers. Store them warm, dry, and ventilated, around 16°C or slightly warmer.
Do I have to dig up hyacinth bulbs every year?
Usually not. Outdoor hyacinths can often stay in the ground if the soil drains well. Dig them only if you need to move them, the area is too wet, or they were grown in a seasonal container.
Will forced indoor hyacinths bloom again?
Sometimes, but they may not bloom strongly the next year. Forced bulbs use a lot of stored energy. After flowering, let the foliage die back naturally, then plant the bulb outdoors if conditions allow.
When should I start fertilizing dormant plants again?
Wait until you see active new growth. Fertilizing before the plant wakes up can waste product and may contribute to salt buildup or stress.