Caladium Growing Small Leaves

Buy potted caladiums ready to plant or grow them from tubers.

Caladium growing small leaves. The foliage is beautifully designed in pink or red splotches. To grow caladiums plant the tubers in a moist shady location at least 6 to 8 inches apart in well draining soil. Caladiums are tropical perennials that have almost unparalleled foliage and make showy houseplants. Fancy leaf caladiums generally have large heart shaped leaves sometimes growing to more than a foot long.

Caladium common pest and cultural problems. Partial sun shade 2 bulbs small are 1 to 1 1 2 inches in diameter. They can easily give you the visual impact of flowers while only being foliage plants. Strap leaf varieties typically have narrower arrow or lance shaped foliage.

Carefully stock tubers in a garage or porch at temperatures between 60 and 90 degrees fahrenheit 15 to 32 c. Additionally caladium plants produce leaves only from spring to fall and then require a rest period of around five months to recharge and sprout anew in spring. Although the leaves of both types tend to be thin and fragile some newer varieties such as proven winners heart to heart line have been bred to have thicker leaves making them more sun tolerant and resistant to tearing. 1 medium are 1 1 2 to 2 1 2 inches.

Caladiums grow from tubers that look like bulbs and if the tubers are injured in storage the plants can be stunted. Though they re sometimes called bulbs they are really tubers plant tubers point side up about 1 to 1 1 2 inches deep. First signs are small translucent spots with a broad yellowish edge that slowly enlarge and become angular or irregularly circular with a reddish center. Red scarlet ribs low growing.

To keep them blooming fertilize your caladiums once per month during the growing season with a 5 10 10 fertilizer. Remove infected plants and do not plant in the same location next year. How to plant caladiums. This strap leaf caladium variety has creamy white small to medium sized heart shaped leaves adorned in green margins.

Small leaf 8 12 tall. A mass of caladium is an explosion of whites greens reds and pinks that are mottled veined and striped. Although tropical they grow fast enough to be enjoyed as annuals during the summer in cooler climates and all year long as houseplants. Caladiums thrive in warm humid shade and dazzle in shade gardens with their large pointed arrow shaped leaves splashed with shades of green white cream pink and red.

Space them 8 to 14 inches apart depending on the ultimate size of your plants as listed on the tag. Next water the plants frequently so that the soil stays moist but not soggy. Plants are more compact and a bit more cold tolerant. Jumbos large are 2 1 2 to 3 1 2 inches in diameter.

It thrives in cooler temperatures. In general the larger bulbs produce more and bigger leaves faster than the smaller bulbs.