What are the post-autumn care methods for caladium?
Caladium, also known as heart of Jesus and two-color taro, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus Caladium of the Araceae family. It is native to the Amazon River basin in South America, and its leaves are peltate-sagittate or heart-shaped. It prefers high temperatures, high humidity and a semi-shaded environment. Below is an introduction to the post-autumn care methods for caladium.
I. Post-autumn care for caladium
Summer is the ornamental period for caladium. After the ornamental period ends, it enters autumn and winter, and winter is the dormant period for caladium.
The main ornamental period for caladium is summer, when the leaves are varied and brightly colored, giving a fresh feeling. But the quality of growth depends largely on the management after the previous autumn.
After dormancy, caladium will sprout again in late spring, but before that, post-autumn care is needed, including autumn management, winter storage and spring planting, so that it can grow normally the following year.
II. Post-autumn care methods for caladium
Generally, starting from October, caladium will show yellowing leaves, and the petioles will wilt and droop. At this time, watering needs to be controlled. When all the leaves of the caladium have withered, take it out of the flower pot, place it in a dry place indoors with good light for a few days, and then store it in sand. The sand should first be disinfected.
The temperature for sand storage of caladium should be kept above 10°C. Every half a month, spray water once, but it must not be too moist; the sand surface just needs to be slightly moist. Note that when digging out the tubers of caladium, do not damage the tubers, otherwise the tubers of caladium will rot during winter storage.
In the spring of the following year, take out the tubers of caladium and cut them into several pieces for planting. The cut tubers can be treated first to prevent rot; simply coat the cut surfaces with plant ash.
When planting, you can choose leaf mold soil, add some bone meal as base fertilizer, plant the tubers well, then water thoroughly, and place them in a dark place for care. Once the caladium sprouts, it can be placed in a semi-shaded place for care. Attention should be paid to maintaining a certain level of air humidity.
In addition, when planting the tubers, you can choose to place the tubers facing upward, which sprouts faster, but the growth effect is not good. You can also plant the tubers of caladium facing backward, and the growth will be more neat.