Soaking Caladium Bulbs Before Planting

We found no differences in the amount of height control provided by any of the treatments.

Soaking caladium bulbs before planting. Although dry is the ideal state for stored bulbs some bulbs such as amaryllis or lily of the valley require soaking before planting to give them a head start. How long before potting can i soak the bulbs. Caladiums need rich well drained soil. Again caladiums in sun want more water too.

Outdoor beds find a location where the soil drains well. In the north zones 3 7 pull the bulbs by trimming off the tops dig up the bulbs shake out the excess dirt and separate if clump is large and store the bulbs in the basement area. If there are still water puddles 5 6 hours after a hard rain scout out another site. In the south or zones 9 10 usually heavy mulching 3 6 will allow the bulbs to survive the winter.

End of season bulbs go dormant. The caladiums can be grown in pots until the outdoor soil temperature is above 70 f. Prepare the soil for planting. Soaking before spring planting ensures adequate water storage for plant and root development.

They can be planted directly in the garden during spring or started indoors four to six weeks before the average frost date. Peat moss compost ground bark or decomposed manure all work well and. After soaking we returned the bulbs to proper storage conditions until we potted. When you take them out of storage if your bulbs appeared over dried there are a few ways to rehydrate them.

Find the buds by running your fingers over each side of the tuber to locate the small pointed projections that form the buds of the new stems. The buds may be difficult to see. Till the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches 15 2 cm and work in compost or chopped leaves to enrich it. Place the tuber with the bumpy bud side up.

When planting caladium bulbs directly outdoors wait. If you re planting caladiums in pots a standard rich potting soil will do. Caladiums like a little bone meal or 6 6 6 once a month or so more for cladiums in full sun. Bulb size tips planting separations by bulb size.

Soaking the tubers in warm water 120 f for an hour before planting. Most bulbs are planted in the fall. They can be planted directly in the garden during spring or started indoors four to six weeks before the average frost date. After all danger of frost is over plant caladium bulbs in the garden covering them with about 1 inch of soil.

Or amend the soil with the addition of organic material to raise the level 2 3 to improve the drainage. After the roots emerge in 2 to 3 weeks fertilize weekly with a liquid 1 1 1 slow release fertilizer. In our trials we soaked hyacinth bulbs the day of the day before and seven days before planting. Watering in early am late pm seems to make em happy you don t need to soak the ground.