How to Save Caladium Bulbs
Caladiums are flamboyant foliage plants that produce heart-shaped leaves in red, pink, white and green variations. Massing in a shady location produces a striking effect. Used as accent plants they mix happily with annuals to provide color and texture. Caladiums occasionally produce a bloom that most gardeners remove since it slows leaf growth. Blooms can also cause tubers for over-wintering to be smaller as the plant's effort goes into seed production. Originating in South America, caladiums are true tropicals and will not withstand cold. Treat caladiums as tender perennials for bedding out in late spring. Dig and store during the winter in cold zones and mulch heavily in very temperate zones. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Garden fork or shovel
- Cardboard boxes, open trays or mesh bags
- Shredded paper, sand or vermiculite
- Fungicide
- Thermometer
- Cool dry place (ideally with controlled temperature)
Instructions
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Dig & Cure Caladium Tubers
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Digging of caladiums should be done in late fall when daytime temperatures begin to cool and foliage to lose green color. Dig before the first hard frost to prevent tuber damage. Use a garden fork if you have one as it can lift tubers without cutting.
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Remove clinging soil by wiping off; do not wash as caladium tubers are prone to rot. Sort by color or variety, then tuber size; labeling for later identification when planting out.
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Put caladiums in a well ventilated place with a temperature between 60 to 70 degrees for 1-2 weeks to cure. Do not store in the refrigerator. Make sure there is good air circulation around tubers; do not mound or pile.
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Prepare for dormancy after drying by removing any remaining foliage. Michael N. Dana and B. Rosie Lerner in their 2005 bulletin for Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service, "Winter Storage of Geranium, Canna, Gladiolus, Caladium, and Begonia" recommend removing root stubs, cutting out rotted spots and dusting with fungicide at this stage.
Store Cured Caladium Tubers
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Store like-sized caladium tubers in a cardboard box, mesh bag, or open container; keeping tubers in single layers is best practice. Never store caladiums in a closed plastic container where there is no air circulation.
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Separate caladium tubers with fillers like shredded paper, vermiculite and sand. Do not pack tightly; caladium tubers need some airflow.
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Store at 59 to 61 degrees; too cold and caladiums will not sprout later, too hot and they will sprout in storage. Use a thermometer to track storage temperature, and keep storage dark as light will cause premature sprouting.
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Protect caladium tubers from moisture during storage. Make a check every 2 weeks and discard tubers showing shriveling or decay.
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Check weekly for sprouting indicating storage temperature is too high; check thermometer and lower temperature to 55 degrees. Sprouted caladium tubers can be held for spring planting once temperature is lowered or potted for indoor enjoyment.
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Tips & Warnings
In very temperate zones like Florida caladiums can be wintered in place by heavy mulching after the foliage dies back to the ground.
Best time to re-plant over-wintered caladium tubers is early May, late May in the northeast.
Caladiums are toxic plants containing calcium oxalate and are dangerous to chewing pets and children, according to University of Davis extension horticulturist Ronald Smith, Ph.D., in his bulletin "Poisonous Plants".
Over-chilling will cause caladiums to remain dormant for months or refuse to sprout at all.
Vulnerable to root rot, caladiums will not grow well in cold wet soil. Best prevention is to grow in warm soils that are not waterlogged.
