You can start them in pots just big enough to hold them. Barely cover them
with soil. I use soilless mix. Water with tepid water to keep the soil
barely moist and set in a warm location -- they like heat. They will nto
sprout until they are warm. Keep them in a sunny window until it is time to
move them (gradually) outside. Nippig them off when they are a few inches
high makes them resprout more shoots. Enjoy.
Barbara Martin
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I bought an assortment of these corms/bulbs? Now what do I do with them?
The instructions are pretty specific 'plant in pots now' and nothing else.
How big of a pot? What soil mixture? Watering? Full sun/shade? When can
they go outside? Can I collect these bulbs/corms in the fall and store
them?
Can you tell this was an impulse purchase? How could I resist the great
colours in the foliage. Plus I need to get my hands dirty thus 'the plant
now' caught my eye.
Has anyone grown these? Is there any pest or disease I should watch for?
Should these be planted alone in a pot or can I add some other plants around
them?
Any help or suggestions appreciated.
TIA
Lydia
I bought an assortment of these corms/bulbs? Now what do I do with =
them? The instructions are pretty specific 'plant in pots now' and =
nothing else.
How big of a pot? What soil mixture? Watering? Full sun/shade? When =
can they go outside? Can I collect these bulbs/corms in the fall and =
store them?
Can you tell this was an impulse purchase? How could I resist the great =
colours in the foliage. Plus I need to get my hands dirty thus 'the =
plant now' caught my eye.
Has anyone grown these? Is there any pest or disease I should watch =
for? Should these be planted alone in a pot or can I add some other =
plants around them?
Any help or suggestions appreciated.
TIA
Lydia
How do you save caladium tubers over the winter? I have sent many to my =
mom in Bloomington, IN and finally this year, I decided to ask how she =
could save them over the winter. They have been just beautiful this =
summer in that part of the country.
Thanks......
Julie
Phoenix, AZ
Well, Julie, I bring the pots in (grow mine in pots) as the temps
start to be around 65F, which is the lowest they tolerate, and just
let them dry off and sit in my laundry room until spring, when I
repot them and start watering again. If your mom grows them in the
ground, check out my current article - which, oddly enough, is
devoted to Caladiums; I talk about dealing with those in it, too.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor: Gardening in Shade
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----------
From: Julie Barnhill
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Caladiums
Date: Sunday, September 15, 2002 12:18 AM
How do you save caladium tubers over the winter? I have sent many to
my mom in Bloomington, IN and finally this year, I decided to ask how
she could save them over the winter. They have been just beautiful
this summer in that part of the country.
Thanks......
Julie
Phoenix, AZ
----------
Marge,
Great (and timely) article (and other info on the web site)!! Do your pots of
caladium get light in the laundry room? Is it a nessary part of the
overwintering process? I was thinking of digging up my caladiums, plopping
them in pots, and then putting them in my basement (heated) until spring; but
they won't get much light unless I put them near/under my grow light
contraption... think it'll work? This is my first year growing them, and
they did very well in the fairly deep shade under my dwarf japanese maple.
Melissa in Chicago
In a message dated 9/15/02 1:29:08 AM Central Daylight Time, mtalt@HORT.NET
writes:
Melissa,
Here in FL, our caladiums are beginning to fade. They die back each fall
and do not reappear until late spring. They seem to disappear during our
mostly dry winters, and will not reappear until the days are long. I am not
sure what brings them back to life each year, but they do come up all on
their own. Granted, mine are not in the best conditions, so fewer come back
each spring. I plant new ones that last about 3 to 4 years until they also
need to be replaced.
Anne in FL
zone 9b, sunset 26
It is easy enough to be friendly to one's friends. But to befriend the one
who regards himself as your enemy is the quintessence of true religion. The
other is mere business. -Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948)
of
> caladium get light in the laundry room? Is it a nessary part of the
> overwintering process? I was thinking of digging up my caladiums,
plopping
> them in pots, and then putting them in my basement (heated) until spring;
but
mtalt@HORT.NET
Well, Melissa, mine end up with light because I overwinter other
plants in there and leave the lights on all day for them, but I do
not think it is required when they are dormant tubers. In fact, have
stacked the pots a couple of times after the foliage died down and
was removed, so the bottom pots couldn't have gotten much light:-)
The important item is keeping them above 65F.
If you dig them from the ground, you may want to allow the foliage to
die off and then clean them and store them in onion bags or old nylon
pantyhose like daff bulbs. There seems to be some issue about soil
born fungi with regular garden soil. That said, I dig my Canna and
plop them in a container with whatever soil clings to the rhizomes
and leave them in the garage all winter. Those I sprinkle with water
occasionally as I lose too many when they get totally dry, but the
Caladiums want to be totally dry.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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----------
> From: Obiedobe1@AOL.COM
> Marge,
> Great (and timely) article (and other info on the web site)!! Do
your pots of
> caladium get light in the laundry room? Is it a nessary part of
the
> overwintering process? I was thinking of digging up my caladiums,
plopping
> them in pots, and then putting them in my basement (heated) until
spring; but
> they won't get much light unless I put them near/under my grow
light
> contraption... think it'll work? This is my first year growing
them, and
> they did very well in the fairly deep shade under my dwarf japanese
maple.
Annetta, I have read that even where they are hardy, caladiums ought
to be lifted and stored for dormancy. Do not know why, exactly, but
seems they will fade away after a while if left in the ground...could
be something to do with the breeding for the fancy leaves as I am
sure that the species in the wild are not lifted and stored for
dormancy.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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----------
> From: Annetta Green
> Melissa,
> Here in FL, our caladiums are beginning to fade. They die back
each fall
> and do not reappear until late spring. They seem to disappear
during our
> mostly dry winters, and will not reappear until the days are long.
I am not
> sure what brings them back to life each year, but they do come up
all on
> their own. Granted, mine are not in the best conditions, so fewer
come back
> each spring. I plant new ones that last about 3 to 4 years until
they also
Marge,
One thing nice about caladiums is that they are cheap. I can leave them in
the ground and not worry about them. If I have to add a few now and then so
be it. I really don't have anywhere cool to store them, as the garage gets
hotter than the ground on any given day.
Anne
Unfortunately they aren't that cheap elsewhere...I think most of the
commercial growers are in Florida, aren't they?
Debbie
-----Original Message-----
From: Gardens & Gardening [mailto:GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU] On Behalf Of
Annetta Green
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 10:51 AM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: Caladiums
Marge,
One thing nice about caladiums is that they are cheap. I can leave them in
the ground and not worry about them. If I have to add a few now and then so
be it. I really don't have anywhere cool to store them, as the garage gets
hotter than the ground on any given day.
Anne
Thanks for the info, Marge, I think I will plop them in pots for now since
they are not dying back yet, and then I will clean them up and store them as
you suggested. I don't think our basement gets below 65, but I'll hang them
up high down there just in case (we have a dehumidifier, so it's actually
pretty dry down there for an old basement). Sure would be nice not to have
to rebuy these next year. And speaking of next year, do you just put the
tubers back in the ground, or do you have to start them in a pot, or do
something else?
Thanks again!
Melissa in Chicago
In a message dated 9/16/02 5:07:15 PM Central Daylight Time, mtalt@HORT.NET
writes:
You can order directly from growers and suppliers in Florida and they will
be cheap cheap cheap, plus, ofcourse, postage and handling, but still
cheap... well worth it. The only one I have bought in recent years was one
I'd never seen before (but now know its name and can order it, too
directly); it was growing in an 8" pot, and cost an arm and a leg - well,
$12. Disgraceful, when you consider what you can buy the corms for.
I really like the way Caladiums look in a shade garden with Hostas and Black
Mondo Grass, etc.
karen, nj
in
> the ground and not worry about them. If I have to add a few now and then
so
> be it. I really don't have anywhere cool to store them, as the garage
gets
Annetta, I wondered if they might not be less expensive for you,
since Florida is where they are propagated....lucky you!
Debbie....you're right...they ain't cheap up nawth here:-)
BTW...welcome home!
Melissa, I grow mine in pots, not the ground, so pots is where they
are. Considering you're in Chicago, you could start in pots if you
have a bright enough place for them - or you time it just right; say
a month to 6 weeks before you can safely put them outside. You'd be
ahead of the game as they take forever (it seems) to start back into
growth. You would need to bring them to a spot that was about 70F to
get them to start into growth well again.
One thing to remember if you start in pots, water them in and then
only keep the soil from getting dried out until they have foliage.
Too much water on tubers with no foliage promotes tuber rot.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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Melissa,
I think your caladiums would be happier if you let them go dormant.
A couple of years ago, I had a yellow-colored carex (sedge) potted up
because it kept trying to die when in the ground. Fall arrived, and I
decided to bring it inside rather than risk overwintering it out of
doors...and I put a red leafed caladium in the pot, too, for added
color. The carex survived even if it didn't thrive, but the caladium
was really unhappy and finally went dormant in January. It only put out
one leaf at a time when it finally emerged from dormancy next
summer...and disappeared completely sometime in July.
Soooo, I simply dug up caladiums last fall and forced them into
dormancy.
packed them in boxes between layers of newspapers...checked them monthly
for problems...and planted them out last spring. They started up where
they left off last fall and seemed happy for the most part, other than
the fact they didn't like our drought.
Barb in Southern Indiana Zone 5/6 dorsettb@kiva.net
Gardening: A leisure-time activity involving lots of time
and little leisure.
Gardens co-listowner gardens-request@lsv.uky.edu
http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/gardens.html
> How cold did you lwt the weather get before you dug them up?
> Barbara M. Martin
I dug them right around first frost...soil was still warm but air
temperatures were getting into the uncomfortable range. I was pulling
out cannas, callas, and dahlias at the same time. Callas and caladiums
came indoors and cannas and dahlias got the cooler storage under the
house. The callas broke dormancy in early April, but the caladiums were
more than willing to wait...and they didn't grow by much until June's
weather warmed the soil. They don't like cool soil, and really
appreciate warmer conditions.
(Type cannas and callas several times quickly and don't get mixed
up...good luck!)
Barb in Southern Indiana Zone 5/6 dorsettb@kiva.net
Gardening: A leisure-time activity involving lots of time
and little leisure.
Gardens co-listowner gardens-request@lsv.uky.edu
http://lsv.uky.edu/archives/gardens.html
How cold did you lwt the weather get before you dug them up?
Barbara M. Martin
"Red Hot & Pink Vinca" Mid-Atlantic Garden Report:
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Seems to me gardeners in Tulsa (people do amazing ground cover plantings and
borders with giant caladiums, they love the heat there) told me they used to
leave them until a cold night right around when frost was starting to
threaten and then dig them up. Dry them out on the sidewalk pack in paper
grocery bags and toss somewhere till spring. But you know how people can be
cavalier in giving first hand instructions. (As in oh yeah now that you ask
I do heat the crawlspace with a leaky heat vent so it stays pretty warm. Or
whatever.) LOL
Barbara M. Martin
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> From: Barbara Martin
> How cold did you lwt the weather get before you dug them up?
----------
Caladiums do not tolerate temps below 65F without damage. They may
survive, but the longer they are exposed to temps below that, the
more cellular damage occurs and the worse they will perform in
future.
I haul my potted ones in any night forecast for below 65 and take
them back out during the day while days are still in the 70's or
warmer. In the ground, expect soil temps will remain higher for a
while - you could wait until day temps are in the 65 range and nights
hitting into 50s, but I, personally, would not wait until just before
frost when temps are being more like 40s...these are truly tropical
plants; not at all cold hardy.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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I pulled the Caladium tubers out yesterday around 6pm. We dipped below 60
overnight so I wanted to make sure that they wont sustain any damage. Since
the leaves were lovely and showed no signs of wilting, I replanted most of
them into a huge pot and took it indoors. I left two plants in my son's
sand bucket and left the roots exposed (my bad) with the leaves attached
[stayed overnight in the corridor). I was certain that when I pick them up
this morning the leaves will be all wilted.
The leaves showed no signs of any damage at all this morning when I went
downstairs. They looked exactly as they did when I lifted the plant from
the soil. Since I had no time to replant them this morning, I let them be
until I return home tonight. I find this amazing!
Mariana
Zone 6b, Brooklyn, NYC
See my gardens @ http://photos.yahoo.com/gardengrl911
My caladiums are still outside -- we have had colder than 46 because it was
46 when I checked at 8:00 the other morning. They are under a tree and in a
sheltered spot, they are fine. I leave them out as long as possible, just
take care they don't actually get frozen -- The soil temp has to stay warm
enough to protect them.
Barbara M. Martin
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Since
> the leaves were lovely and showed no signs of wilting, I replanted most of
> them into a huge pot and took it indoors. I left two plants in my son's
> sand bucket and left the roots exposed (my bad) with the leaves attached
> [stayed overnight in the corridor). I was certain that when I pick them
up
I was just surprised that the leaves held out overnight w/o soil covering
them, I merely tossed them into the bucket, the entire plant.
Mariana
Zone 6b, Brooklyn, NYC
See my gardens @ http://photos.yahoo.com/gardengrl911
was
> 46 when I checked at 8:00 the other morning. They are under a tree and in
a
60
> overnight so I wanted to make sure that they wont sustain any damage.
> Since
> the leaves were lovely and showed no signs of wilting, I replanted most
of
from
> the soil. Since I had no time to replant them this morning, I let them
be
I believe the minimum recommended soil temp is 55, so going by 60 air temp
for pots is good rule of thumb because damp soil in a small pot tends to be
cooler than the air.
On the other hand, in fall when the surrounding stonework and walls are
warmed in the day and retain heat into the night, there is a little leeway.
Luck has something to do with it too, if you wait too long and they get cold
then eeeeeeeeeeeuuuuu they are nasty when you go to dig them out later.
Barbara M. Martin
Now at Cottage Garden: "Plant MORE Bulbs!"
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was
> 46 when I checked at 8:00 the other morning. They are under a tree and in
a
60
> overnight so I wanted to make sure that they wont sustain any damage.
> Since
> the leaves were lovely and showed no signs of wilting, I replanted most
of
from
> the soil. Since I had no time to replant them this morning, I let them
be
The tubers help to sustain the leaves as they store moisture and
food. I've been hauling my pots in and out and just told them
tonight that this is IT...in they stay; no more water, it's dormant
time:-)
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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----------
> From: Gardengrl
> I pulled the Caladium tubers out yesterday around 6pm. We dipped
below 60
> overnight so I wanted to make sure that they wont sustain any
damage. Since
> the leaves were lovely and showed no signs of wilting, I replanted
most of
> them into a huge pot and took it indoors. I left two plants in my
son's
> sand bucket and left the roots exposed (my bad) with the leaves
attached
> [stayed overnight in the corridor). I was certain that when I pick
them up
> this morning the leaves will be all wilted.
> The leaves showed no signs of any damage at all this morning when I
went
> downstairs. They looked exactly as they did when I lifted the
plant from
> the soil. Since I had no time to replant them this morning, I let
them be
Er, uh, Barbara...65F is the lowest they should go. They will not
immediately die at lower temps, but they sustain damage below 65F.
This is soil temperature, which, in the ground means they can stay
out when air temps are lower, but in pots, air temp is same as soil
temp. It's the tubers that don't want to go below 65F.
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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----------
> From: Barbara Martin
> I believe the minimum recommended soil temp is 55, so going by 60
air temp
> for pots is good rule of thumb because damp soil in a small pot
tends to be
> cooler than the air.
> On the other hand, in fall when the surrounding stonework and walls
are
> warmed in the day and retain heat into the night, there is a little
leeway.
> Luck has something to do with it too, if you wait too long and they
get cold
> then eeeeeeeeeeeuuuuu they are nasty when you go to dig them out
later.
Um I didn't think I was *that* crazy, here are two different references
indicating storage temp of 65 but soil temp of 55. (How this can be I am not
sure, but one recent growers sheet from Penn State for commercial production
greenhouse growers also said they could grow on in greenhouses at air temp
of 60 although they would prefer it a minimum of 70.) There are some
indications that different varieties may have slightly different cold
tolerance, too.
Conservatively, unless you live in southern Florida I would plan on throwing
them out every year and feel lucky if they keep -- it's a lot of work to
pull them, clean them, dry/age them, snip off leaves, store warm (my house
isn't even 65 degrees at night!), restart in spring, drag in and out on cold
nights .... and there's always that temptation to let it slide a little on
the one night it really does dip down into the definititive cold range. by
oh about ten degrees the weather guesser "missed"!
Anyhoo.
http://msucares.com/pubs/is1523.htm
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8517.html
Barbara M. Martin
Now at Cottage Garden: "Plant MORE Bulbs!"
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My D had them growing in garden in central FLA (zone 9) -- they definitely
had frosts down there (the ground would get all crisp and white) and in
summer the Caladiums came back just fine.
karen, nj
be
> cooler than the air.
> On the other hand, in fall when the surrounding stonework and walls are
> warmed in the day and retain heat into the night, there is a little
leeway.
> Luck has something to do with it too, if you wait too long and they get
cold
in
> a
> sheltered spot, they are fine. I leave them out as long as possible,
just
> take care they don't actually get frozen -- The soil temp has to stay
warm
below
> 60
> overnight so I wanted to make sure that they wont sustain any damage.
> Since
> the leaves were lovely and showed no signs of wilting, I replanted
most
> of
> them into a huge pot and took it indoors. I left two plants in my
son's
> sand bucket and left the roots exposed (my bad) with the leaves
attached
> [stayed overnight in the corridor). I was certain that when I pick
them
> up
> this morning the leaves will be all wilted.
> The leaves showed no signs of any damage at all this morning when I
went
> downstairs. They looked exactly as they did when I lifted the plant
> from
> the soil. Since I had no time to replant them this morning, I let
them
Interesting...my reference was from a Florida grower fact sheet.
What it said was that the tubers start to sustain damage below 65F.
They don't necessarily die, but they sustain damage that can affect
how they perform in future, so if your goal is to keep them, it is
best not to subject the tubers to lower temps.
I don't understand the 55 soil / 65 air temp. either..doesn't seem to
make sense as it is the tubers that are sensitive, not the foliage
(tho' that will start drooping when it gets too cold for it)...70F
was what I found as their preferred storage temp. I do not think
they mind diurnal fluctuation. My laundry room goes down to 60F at
night and my pots seem OK.
One other thing I have read from Aroid-L is that much of the Florida
crop is virus ridden, which means that the tubers decline after the
first year; get smaller and smaller - so they are best treated as
annuals. However, I am inclined to save plants over if I can, so I
do.
Grown in pots, they are easy to winter over - just haul the pots in;
let them dry off; pull off the dead leaves and ignore them until
spring. Works for me...
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
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----------
> From: Barbara Martin
> Um I didn't think I was *that* crazy, here are two different
references
> indicating storage temp of 65 but soil temp of 55. (How this can be
I am not
> sure, but one recent growers sheet from Penn State for commercial
production
> greenhouse growers also said they could grow on in greenhouses at
air temp
> of 60 although they would prefer it a minimum of 70.) There are
some
> indications that different varieties may have slightly different
cold
> tolerance, too.
> Conservatively, unless you live in southern Florida I would plan on
throwing
> them out every year and feel lucky if they keep -- it's a lot of
work to
> pull them, clean them, dry/age them, snip off leaves, store warm
(my house
> isn't even 65 degrees at night!), restart in spring, drag in and
out on cold
> nights .... and there's always that temptation to let it slide a
little on
> the one night it really does dip down into the definititive cold
range. by
http://www.suite101.com/topic_page.cfm/253/3890
not
> immediately die at lower temps, but they sustain damage below
65F.
> This is soil temperature, which, in the ground means they can
stay
> out when air temps are lower, but in pots, air temp is same as
soil
-
Hey Flora --
A question about Caladiums. Are they the kind with the large white and
green leaves? (A lame and totally unspecific question, I know!) Also,
are they the kind you have to dig up in the winter and bring in? If so,
how do you store them ?
S.
> From: Sohini Baliga
> Hey Flora --
> A question about Caladiums. Are they the kind with the large white
and
> green leaves? (A lame and totally unspecific question, I know!)
Also,
> are they the kind you have to dig up in the winter and bring in? If
so,
> how do you store them ?
----------
Not Flora, Sohini, but, yes, Caladiums can have large white and green
leaves. They also come with green and red; pink and red and other
combos thereof. If you live where your winter temperatures go below
50F, yes, you do have to dig them up and store them in a warm place.
Either that or grow them in pots, which can be sunk into the garden
beds. That way, all you have to do is dig up the pot.
I wrote a pretty detailed article about Caladiums in 2002 that may be
of some use to you; it also tells how to overwinter them. Here's the
URL:
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/shade_gardening/94839
Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor: Gardening in Shade
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Thanks Marg, I've dug Caladiums and kept them for the next year and "should"
do that always. Just too forgetful so I look for them on the bulb sales racks
in spring. So every year I have them in a different place but they seem to do
well anyhow.
I'm struggling to write on DD's laptop and have a buildup of almost
300 messages just from a few days trip to Lake Havasu, Arizona. What great
sunshine....it's great to get a real life view of Alan's territory! Flora
