How To Care For Caladium Indoor
Care of caladium plants.
How to care for caladium indoor. Grow caladiums in acidic soil that s moist and well drained. Overwintering caladiums it seems a shame to have such a showy plant only give one season of color. Indoors or out caladiums are a seasonal plant with foliage in the summer and a rest period in the autumn or winter. Their rest period isn t determined by temperature or light cycle but by how long the plant has been growing.
The caladium plant prefers indirect light or moderate shade indoors. Make sure that each new tuber section has at least one growing site. A northern or eastern window is usually the best exposure. Your indoor caladiums only need a liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks.
Fertilize your outdoor caladiums once a month. Caladium plants whether indoors or outdoors die back and become dormant in the fall and stay that way until early spring. Fortunately it is possible to enjoy the same plants next year if you remember to dig up the tubers and bring them indoors to store for the winter. The two primary components are maintaining the right temperature and moisture level.
Water your caladium often but don t over water it. These are the kind of conditions you need to have in mind when planting your tubers. The poriferous soil there however will never hold any standing water. For those that wish to plant this plant in the field it is suggested that when the tubers start to germinate it will be better for you to construct a shade around the plants.
When spring comes your plant will come out of dormancy. The beautiful ornamental foliage makes the extra care required to grow and then re grow a caladium each year well worth it. Caladiums go dormant in the fall and their leaves die back. In habitat caladium will grow on limestone outcrops of tropical rain forests where they receive plenty of humidity with frequent rain falls.
Water once a month while the plant is dormant. Move dormant plant to a dark area that is around 60 degrees f. The bright showy leaves of this tropical native are grown from a tuberous root. When that plant has narrow leaves then it means that it can at least withstand the greater sun.
Place it back in its growing spot. A caladium is a tuberous rooted perennial that originally came from south america. The arrow shaped leaves of the caladium come in a variety of multicolored combinations and can be grown both indoors and out. Caladium care requirements are minimal when grown as a houseplant.
Read on to learn how to grow and care for caladiums. Indoor caladium plants require a medium light area with protection from midday sun which will scorch the leaves. Humidity is crucial to caladium houseplant care as the tubers are native to south american tropical forests and produce seasonal foliage during the rainy warm season.