Do Caladium Bulbs Come Back
The attractive leaves grow between 6 and 12 inches in length.
Do caladium bulbs come back. Buy potted caladiums ready to plant or grow them from tubers. Caladium bulbs pose a fall dilemma dig them up or let them be. All varieties die back naturally and become dormant in the winter. Store bulbs in dry peat moss perlite or vermiculite.
How to plant caladiums. Many gardeners in the new orleans area noticed the following spring that caladiums that had reliably come back for years did. Grow caladiums caladium bicolor for their showy leaves and a low mounding growth habit. Space them 8 to 14 inches apart depending on the ultimate size of your plants as listed on the tag.
Caladiums will grow from their tubers every year in u s. Caladium plants usually grow between 1 and 2 5 feet tall. I have discovered this. When i plant early they seem to peter out early.
If i wait and plant later they last thru fall. Another option is to bring them indoors for the winter. Though they re sometimes called bulbs they are really tubers plant tubers point side up about 1 to 1 1 2 inches deep. As far as planting you re supposed to wait till soil gets above something like 70.
T hese hardy plants just need a little warm soil and some occasional watering and fertilizer to provide vibrant colors all season long. The plants grow from tubers and will mature to full size in one season. Let bulbs dry inside out of direct sun with plenty of air circulation. In usda hardiness zone 8 caladiums are not reliably hardy so you can try insulating the tubers from cold with a thick layer of mulch.
If you want to dig up the tubers do it before the soil temperature drops below 55ºf. Planting and growing our classic caladium bulbs is a breeze. Caladium varieties available at burpee seeds. We have contacts in louisiana and the houston tx area that report caladiums surviving some winters.
All caladium varieties are not equally susceptible to cold damage. Caladiums like well drained soil. The tubers you plant this summer can be used to grow caladiums again next year either left in the ground or stored and replanted. Remove the leaves when they are easily tugged away from the bulb shake off the soil do not wash.
Caladiums come back every year in florida from i 10 south i 10 works well for most southern states. If the beds where the caladiums are planted will stay undisturbed. If the area puddles after a good rain you might want to look elsewhere to plant your bulbs.