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I love caladium. You have inspired me to try them next year. I can keep them in the garage over the winter. They have so many color combinations and even different kinds of beautiful leaves and if they over winter well they are a good buy.
That's great! Me, too! This was my first caladium success. I love the white/green veined ones, and the burgundy! I tend to overdo it many times in various aspects of my life. This is one of them. I'm addicted now to caladiums.
I've bought tubers in a bag. I'd stare at a tuber and try to determine what was top or bottom. How do you tell when there are no old roots? Does it matter which side is up?
funny thing I had to do in horticulture school. We had to plant all sorts of bulbs and tubers every which way and keep records and then go dig them up some time later. They all righted themselves to point to the soil surface and the heat of the sun. Since then I don't take much care cause they can rearrange themselves somehow. Don't remember exactly how but they did. I'm sure there is a scientific name for this phenom but that was 38 years ago and I've forgotten it.
To those of you who have dug up and kept caladium bulbs over the winter, would hanging them in mesh bags in the garage work, even if the garage got down to freezing several times over the winter.
Guess I could hang them inside in the spare bedroom closet, but that seems kind of musty.
I've never had any luck with leaving them in the ground OR storing them.
I just get a few bags at Lowes every stpring. I have them in my front flowerbed and they've done well this year. Very showy and pretty. I bought a pot of them and they did ok, but not as good as the ones in my flowerbed. 100 degree heat and not enough water probably. I wouldn't buy them in a pot planter again.
I've wintered over caladium and elephant ears for years. I'd wait until it got cool in the fall, but not cold, lift the whole plant for caladium, cut the leaves off and lift for EE, then dry spread out on the basement floor. Once they were good and dry, I'd strip the dried leaves and wrap them in newspaper, multiple bulbs as long as they weren't touching. Put the wrapped bulbs in a plastic crate. They all did fine. This was in Wash, DC.
I am a caladium nut and will try to remember to take a photo of my porch. I have tried and tried to dig up and overwinter tubers but no matter what I do, I end up with a mushy tuber that I have to throw out. I have given up and just spend a small fortune at happinessfarms.com every year. LOL
I believe your caladium is "Kathleen". The pink will fade as the leaves age. They will also fade if they get too much sun. I have learned to put my red and pink caladiums in deep shade. Which fortunately, my front porch gets.
Caladiums and daylilies. 2 plant types I am crazy about and which I can never get enough of. Someone once described gardening as "cheap therapy" and I have to agree!
The secret to tuber storage is dryness. You must dry them very well before storing them - I spread them out on newspapers, well spread, until they're totally dry, as shown by leaves dry to the base. Then store them loosely wrapped in newspaper in a dry place. Also, they should never get below 50 degrees or so.
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I'm addicted now to caladiums.
