Growing Caladiums

Caladiums are tropical plants that are grown for their spectacularly colorful foliage. Although tropical, they grow fast enough to be enjoyed during the summer in cooler climates and all year long as houseplants. Shade and humidity lovers, Caladiums dazzle in shade gardens with their large, pointed arrow-shaped leaves splashed with shades of green, white, cream, pink and red.

A Word of Caution: Caladiums can be a skin irritant and are poisonous if ingested.

You can purchase Caladiums already in leaf or you can start with the less expensive tubers. Tubers purchased from a nursery will have a knobby appearance. Each knob is actually an eye that will produce a leaf. Sometimes the tubers are a bit desiccated and the knobs are hard to spot, but they should re-hydrate and sprout. Fresh tubers ordered from growers will sprout the fastest.

It can be confusing determining which end of the tuber is up, because the roots grow from the same side as the leaves. Trust the tuber to know what to do, and bury it about 2 inches deep with the knobs facing up.

When pottinng, start them in a damp peat/soil mix. Caladiums like a slightly acid soil (5.5 - 6.2). Once they sprout, move into indirect light.

To start caladiums indoors for outdoor planting, pot them up about 4 - 6 weeks before your last frost date. Wait until the soil warms to plant outdoors. Peat pots will make transplanting easier on the plants.

Winter Care in Cold Zones: If grown outdoors in a cold climate, they can be considered annuals or you will need to dig and store the tubers over winter. Do not wait for them to be hit by frost.

Division: You can divide your Caladium tubers in the spring, to create more plants. Cut the tuber into sections that each contain at least one eye or knob and pot or plant as normal.

Houseplant Care: When growing Caladiums as houseplants, water whenever the soil feels dry and feed monthly. Begin watering less in autumn, as plants naturally stop growing.

Problems: Although Caladiums are carefree growers, they can be subject to the following problems if growing conditions are not ideal: tuber rot (especially if planted outdoors in cold, wet soil), Southern blight, leaf spot and root-knot nematodes. Indoor Plants: aphids and spider mites.