Caladium

 
каладиум двухцветныйCaladium bicolor

Aroid family. Homeland - South America. There are 15 species in nature.

  • Caladium bicolor is a herbaceous, stemless plant. It has oblong tubers, about 10 cm long. Leaves on long petioles, arrow-shaped or spear-shaped, up to 30 cm long. Small nondescript flowers are collected in an inflorescence cob, characteristic of all aroid. Many hybrid forms of leaves differing in color are common in culture. So in some the surface of the leaf is red, in others it is purely silver, but in most it is two-tone, for example, silver with a dark green edge or red with silver or green interspersed.
  • Humboldt's caladium Caladium humboldtii is a herbaceous plant, with tubers about 3 cm in diameter. Leaves on long petioles, arrow-shaped or spear-shaped, up to 10 cm long, dark green with silver spots. If you arrange additional lighting, the plant does not lose leaves during the rest period.

Caladium: Care at Home

Temperature: In summer, the usual room, preferably not higher than 25 ° C, since at high temperatures it is difficult to maintain the necessary humidity. Since autumn, the plant goes into a dormant period, which takes place at a temperature of about 15-16 ° C. If caladium stands on a balcony or veranda, then in the fall, when it gets cold at night, you need to transfer the pots to the house and put them on the sunny window until the leaves begin to wilt. During this period, water with mandatory complete drying of the soil in the pot (it should become very light).

каладиум двухцветныйCaladium bicolor

Lighting: Bright diffused light, mandatory shading from direct sunlight, during midday hours from March to late July on the south and southwest window. Already in August, the sun in central Russia will not be aggressive for leaves. It grows well on the east or northwest window. Some varieties of caladium tolerate full sun for 6-8 hours a day.

Watering: From spring to autumn it is quite plentiful, but the soil should not be too damp and must have time to dry out at the top of the pot. With the death of leaves, watering is reduced, and then stopped altogether.

Top dressing: In the period of active growth from March to July after 2 weeks, feed caladium with balanced fertilizer at a ratio of NPK10:10:10 (the proportions may differ, but the ratio should be in equal parts). Dilute the fertilizer according to the instructions or dilute a little more with water.

Humidity: Caladium loves moist air, so for summer the pot needs to be placed on a tray of moist expanded clay or wrapped in a wide layer of moist moss. Spraying only with soft warm water from a fine sprayer.

Transplantation: With the end of the dormant period in March, caladium tubers are transplanted into fresh soil consisting of 1 part of leaf earth, 1 part of finely chopped pine bark (or coconut substrate), 1 part of humus, 1 part of fine gravel.

You should plant them about 4-5 cm deep, when landing in boxes at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other, and if you choose a pot, then with a diameter of 15 cm it will be just right. The depth of the slide is such that a layer of foam, expanded clay or cork drainage about 2 cm high is placed on the bottom. In autumn, with the end of the growing season, to save space, you can remove the tubers from the pot, shake off the soil, and put them in dry sawdust in a box. The resting period of caladium tubers is three to five months. Store tubers in the basement, under the stairs in the pantry, at an optimal temperature of 15 ° C.

Propagation: Daughter tubers.

By the way

Caladium is considered a very capricious plant. This is justified, first of all, by the fact that it is decorative during the spring-summer period, and it is rather difficult to preserve the tubers until next year. They store tubers, unlike many similar plants, warm - at 15-17 ° C, not higher.

When the leaves are dry, watering is stopped completely, the tubers can be taken out of the pot and stored in dry peat.

In the spring, plant tubers in small pots with fresh soil, move to a room where the temperature is 2-4 ° C higher and start watering a little, preventing waterlogging.

During the summer, with the growth of the plant, it can be transferred to large pots.

Growing problems

The edges of the leaves brown, the cuttings droop, the leaves curl - if it's too cold. The plant does not tolerate temperatures below 16 ° C and does not tolerate drafts.

Leaves dry out from the edges and ends, cuttings droop - if the room is too hot, very dry air and the soil dries quickly.

Caladium does not grow well, the leaves are small - if it is too dark. Caladium needs a well-lit place with light shading from the direct sun. In addition, in low light, the color of the leaves is lost. This also happens if the plant has not been transplanted and fed. Although, fertilizer feeding should be treated with caution - "it is better to underfeed than overfeed."

You should not wipe the leaves of caladium from dust - the leaf blade is tender and can easily break, it is better to brush off the dust with a fluffy brush.