Caladium Plant Dying

Dormancy shouldn t occur until the fall.

Caladium plant dying. Once every week or fortnight will probably do the trick depending on how much light the plant receives. Inconspicuous calla type flowers appear in summer but they are usually hidden by the leaves. In addition because most caladiums are hybrids they often revert to all green. The genus caladium includes seven.

Your caladium should really be in a sunny window. This will give you a nice full look. Your best defense against caladium plant pests is vigilance. A caladium is a tuberous rooted perennial bulb plant that dies back and becomes dormant in the fall and stays that way until early spring.

How to plant caladiums. In southern areas they can be planted further apart. When planting in containers you may want to put them closer together. This is a normal rest period but until then there will be a colorful show.

Caladiums come from tropical brazil and do not like low temperatures. In northern and central areas plant caladium tubers about 6 apart on center. Even so some of the older leaves will always be flopping over no matter what you do. Caladium k ə ˈ l eɪ d i əm is a genus of flowering plants in the family araceae they are often known by the common name elephant ear which they share with the closely related genera alocasia colocasia and xanthosoma heart of jesus and angel wings there are over 1000 named cultivars of caladium bicolor from the original south american plant.

Glowing in full shade this luminous foliage plant is terrific to add color and drama to shady borders and containers. Caladium plants are not typically troubled by insects but sometimes caladium plant pests nibble their leaves or cell sap. Outdoors or as a houseplant the caladium one of the few deciduous foliage plants dying back to the soil each fall. It is always advisable to select tubers that are disease free and store them in an area with temperatures above 50 degrees fahrenheit to avoid high humidity.

When air temperatures drop below 65 degrees fahrenheit including at night the leaves will begin to droop and eventually collapse. Caterpillars and aphids can be problems. If the plants are in pots bring them indoors and set them back outside during the daytime. During dormancy you can leave the leafless tubers without water in soil and start watering them come spring growth style.

If you see ragged margins on foliage look for the creatures and hand pick them off the plants. Once their leaves all die off at the end of summer in autumn cut them off and store the tuber in the soil in a warm spot. Even with the best conditions your plant will display its colorful foliage only 6 8 months before you begin to see the foliage begin to die back. They can be slow to start growing at the start of spring and then slowly start to add more leaves as they become established.

Most people discard this plant after it stops producing colorful leaves. The common problem associated with the planting of caladium is the tuber rotting which is a fungal decay of tubers in storage or during the growing season.