Caladium

CALADIUM (kah-lay’-di-um). A genus of striking, large-leaved herbs of the Arum Family, native to tropical America, and grown for their ornamental veined and marbled foliage as bedding plants, or more commonly in the greenhouse and conservatory. The principal species is Caladium bicolor, from which have been developed many varieties and hybrids with brilliantly colored and variously marked leaves.

Click Here to Read – Planting Caladium Bulbs

For outdoor planting the dormant tubers should be set out about 2 in. deep as soon as danger from frost is over, in a semi-shaded position. Plants started in the greenhouse as directed below, and gradually hardened off may be used instead of the tubers, setting them 12 to 24 in. apart. Cultivate and water frequently.

Indoors caladiums can be started from seed but they are usually grown from bulbs planted one to a 3- or 4-in, pot in a mixture of 1 part light sandy soil and 4 parts humus. This should be kept moist and the temperature should not go below 70 deg., while it can go as high as 100 deg. without injury. When 3 or 4 leaves have developed, repot; then continue to shift as necessary, making the soil a little heavier each time by adding more loam and feeding with liquid manure every 2 or 3 weeks. Whether indoors or out, caladiums need plenty of food, plenty of moisture in the loose, friable soil and, preferably, a humid atmosphere.

Caladium Questions Answered

Question: The stems of my fancy leaf caladiums grow so tall they fall. The leaves stay all rolled up and turn brown before they open fully. How should these plants be grown?

Answer: Fancy leaf caladiums need high temperature and moderate water until they are started. Then they need plenty of indirect light and regular watering coupled with good drainage, if they are to grow sturdy and bushy. Too much shade and too much water makes the growth tall and weak. While direct sunlight will burn and ruin the more delicate varieties, they will be better and sturdier plants if they have an abundance of light.

Question: My caladiums have been growing in pots all summer. Now as soon as a new leaf starts the oldest one dies. Should the bulbs be taken up and dried?

Answer: Caladium bulbs should be dried off and rested during the early winter. By the first of October the watering should be gradually increased until all the leaves dry off and in about a month the plants should be set aside in a warm place and the soil only syringed a little every two weeks until March. In March the bulb should be repotted in new soil. Placed in a warm place and watered sparingly until good roots develop, the plant will soon have a cluster of new leaves. Then the water, shade, humidity, and temperature should all be increased as the plant matures.

A plant known as Elephants Ear and formerly included with the Caladiums as Caladium esculentum, is really a species of Colocasia not a caladium.

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