How to Care for Caladiums?

Caladiums are stunning foliage plants with brightly colored leaves that are absolutely frost-tolerant. Can you grow Caladiums indoors? The special needs of this plant make using caladiums as a houseplant quite challenging.

However, a few tips on how to care for caladiums indoors may allow you to enjoy the attractive foliage longer than tubers are grown outdoors. Moving your caladiums inside will preserve the tubers for spring growth and possibly extend the foliage season. Can I move my caladiums indoors? Tender tubers and bulbs need to be lifted in the fall and then any chance of frost can terminate them. caladiums tubers are frost tender and will die if exposed to cold.

Therefore, in northern climates, they need to be brought indoors and even in warmer areas they usually die in the winter. This is all well and good because the tubers that produce the leaves need some rejuvenating rest. Many gardeners try to use caladiums as a houseplant. There are some special instructions for caring for caladiums indoors to keep the plant healthy and protect the tubers. Plants grown in areas that experience cold winters can be planted in containers to move them into when cold temperatures threaten.

Caladium‘lemon Blush’

However, growing caladiums as a houseplant have its challenges because the plant requires high humidity, and heated home interiors are often very dry. In addition, Caladiums produce leaves only from spring through fall and then need about a five-month break to recharge and re-sprout in the spring. You can extend the foliage display slightly by bringing the container indoors, but eventually, the leaves will die and the tubers will go dormant until warmer temperatures arrive.

Nevertheless, placing the plants in containers will protect the tubers and prevent them from being damaged in winter outdoor conditions. How to care for shells indoors Indoor shell plants need medium light areas to prevent midday sun from burning the foliage. A northern or eastern window is usually the best exposure.

Humidity is critical to Caladium indoor plant care because the tuber is native to tropical South American forests and produces seasonal foliage during the warm rainy season. Mimicking the plant's native conditions is the key to the successful introduction of plants into the interior of the home.

Caladium ‘Candidum Junior’

High humidity in a warm home can be maintained by misting and placing a dish filled with pebbles and water underneath the container. Evaporation will moisten the surrounding air and provide the necessary humidity for your mussels. Keep your plants away from heating vents that blow out dry air and drafty windows or doors. While your plant is still in its foliage glory, you need to keep it hydrated and happy.

You should only fertilize when the plant is actively growing in spring through late summer. In the fall and winter, no special food is needed. Water when the soil feels dry to the touch. Keep plants in an area with a temperature of at least 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius). When the leaves begin to die, let them continue until they are completely wilted, then cut them off.

You can then lift the tubers, let them dry and store them in peat in a breathable bag, or leave them in the soil and suspend watering. In spring, either plant the stored tubers or start watering the potted tubers. Move the containers to slightly brighter light, taking care to protect the new shoots from the burning light. Once the container is fully sprouted, gradually reintroduce it outside until fall and then repeat the process again.