How to Grow Caladiums and an Introduction to Their Varieties

Caladium is also known as five-color taro and two-color taro. Its leaves are shield-shaped, arrow-shaped or heart-shaped, and the leaf blades bear colorful spots or colorful veins, making them look extremely beautiful. Many people want to grow one. Here we introducehow to grow caladiums.

1. A brief introduction to caladium

1. What kind of plant is caladium?

Caladium is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant of the genus Caladium, tribe Caladieae, family Araceae. Its basal leaves are shield-shaped, arrow-shaped or heart-shaped. The leaf surface is covered with transparent or opaque spots of various colors, and the underside is powdery green; the tube of the spathe is ovate, green on the outside, greenish white on the inside, and often blue-purple at the base.

2. Is caladium toxic?

The other parts of caladium are not toxic, but its underground swollen tubers are toxic. Poisoning occurs only if you eat the rhizome; after eating it, the throat and tongue become numb. However, as a foliage plant it has no adverse side effects at all.

2. How to grow caladiums

1. Soil: what kind of soil is best?

Caladium likes loose, fertile, well-drained soil. For the potting soil, you can mix leaf mold or peat soil with sandy loam and add a small amount of bone meal, or you can mix garden soil, leaf mold, river sand or perlite, etc.

2. Propagation: what is used for propagation?

Bulb propagation can be used. It is best done in spring before the plant has sprouted. Use a small knife to gently cut apart the small bulbs growing near the plant, or cut the seed bulbs into seed pieces with buds. Let them dry in the shade for 1 day, then plant them in a flower pot and wait for them to sprout.

3. Care: how do you care for it?

(1) Temperature: Caladium likes a high-temperature environment and cannot tolerate low temperatures, frost or snow. The suitable growing temperature is 20-30°C. The suitable temperature during the growing period from June to October is 21-27°C, and the suitable temperature during the dormant period from October to June of the following year is 18-24°C, not lower than 10°C at night, and maintained at 10°C during dormancy.

(2) Light: Caladium likes a semi-shaded environment and does not like strong light. After planting the bulbs, water thoroughly and place them in a dark place. After the seedlings emerge, move them to a semi-shaded place for care. Once they have grown, a shading rate of 50%-60% is most suitable.

(3) Watering: Caladium likes a high-humidity environment and avoids dryness or poor drainage. Keep the soil moist during the growing period, and be careful to maintain the air humidity around it. After September, the leaves gradually wither, so watering should be reduced.

(4) Fertilizing: April to August is the peak growing season for caladium. Organic fertilizer or nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium topdressing can be used, applied once a month; after September, the leaves gradually wither, so fertilizing should be stopped and the bulbs left in the soil to overwinter.

4. Pest and disease control: which problems should be prevented?

During the growing period, caladium is prone to leaf spot disease, which can be controlled by spraying with a 700-fold dilution of 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder; during storage, the tubers are prone to dry rot, which can be controlled by soaking in or dusting with a 500-fold dilution of 50% carbendazim.

3. What varieties of caladium are there?

There are many varieties of caladium, mainly divided into three major groups: green-veined, white-veined and red-veined.

1. Green-veined caladiums: there are White Egret, Snow White, Lord Derby and Mrs. Chris. White Egret has white leaves with green main veins and edges; Snow White has pure white leaves with dark green veins and edges; Lord Derby has rose-red leaves with green main veins and leaf edges; Mrs. Chris has off-white leaves with blood-red markings on the leaf surface.

2. White-veined caladiums: there are Miss Muffet, Main Body and Jo Dai. Miss Muffet has light green leaves, white main veins, and small dark red spots on the leaf surface; Main Body has milky white leaf centers, green leaf edges, white main veins, and dark red patches embedded on the leaf surface; Jo Dai has heart-shaped leaves, white veins, green leaf edges, and red patches between the veins.

3. Red-veined caladiums: there are After Snow, Crown Stone, Attala, Blood Heart, Red Beauty and Red Flame. After Snow has white leaves with red main veins; Crown Stone has dark green leaves with white spots on the leaf surface and orange-red main veins; Attala has pink and green markings on the leaf surface and red main veins; Blood Heart has rose-red leaf centers, white outer areas, green leaf edges and dark red veins; Red Beauty has rose-red leaves, green leaf edges and red main veins; Red Flame has rose-red leaves, a dark purple-red center, white markings around it, and red main veins.

The above is how to grow caladiums and an introduction to their varieties. We hope it is useful to everyone.