Taking Care of Your Caladium Leaves in Winter

Caladium is a striking plant with large leaves, strong veins and vibrant colors. These plants add wonderful color and foliage to indoor and outdoor spaces. We've put together a caladium plant care blog so you can enjoy these beautiful plants without having to worry about damaging or killing them. 

Growing caladium indoors

In fact, because caladiums hate cold and frost, you need to bring them indoors in the winter. caladium tubers are very sensitive to cold and will die if you don't bring them indoors. 

Most importantly, caladiums will only grow leaves during the milder parts of the season - from April to October. In winter, they can be bare and less dramatic.

Caladium‘lemon Blush’

How to handle humidity

If you wish to grow caladiums as houseplants only, you can and must create certain conditions for them. caladiums traditionally grow in warm climates, so they need humidity. In winter, houses with central heating may be too dry for these plants to thrive.

If you want to simulate a humid climate for these plants, you can try using a humidifier or misting the foliage frequently with Mr. Plant glass bottles.

Try to keep your caladium away from radiators and heating vents, as these will only dry out your plants further. 

Get the right amount of light

If you are growing a caladium plant indoors, then you need to give it plenty of sun exposure, while making sure you don't burn the leaves by putting it in the midday sun. 

As you will learn, caladiums are golden anemone plants and they are very sensitive. For this reason, caladium care in the winter can be difficult because the sun is usually low or the sky is overcast. Consider purchasing artificial fluorescent lights, which will allow you to control the light conditions to which your plants are exposed - not too much, not too little!

Caladium ‘Candidum Junior’

How to handle fertilizer

You should avoid the temptation to fertilize caladium in the winter - it only needs fertilizer in the months it grows - spring and summer. In the fall and winter, you should treat caladium as a hibernating creature that will not thank you for fertilizer and other soil additives. 

However, you should still continue to water the plant during the colder months - check to see when the soil is dry. Do not water caladium if the soil is wet, as this can lead to overwatering, which can lead to root rot and other problems that can plague plants when the weather gets cold and the plants are in excessively wet soil.

Planting new tubers

Once spring arrives, you should take your tubers out of the peat or sack and pot them up. Otherwise, just start re-watering the old pot where the tubers are re-growing. 

Once you have a new tuber season, make sure your pot is in a better lit space as it needs more sunlight during the first few months of regrowth. 

If you want to keep your caladium outside during the warmer months, now is the time to do so - move the pot back outside until fall, then start the whole process over again!

Caladium ‘New Wave’

We hope this is a useful guide outlining the care rituals for caladium plants and how to implement caladium care during the winter months. Despite all the hardships of a cold, blustery winter, the joy you feel when this beautiful plant grows back is unparalleled. Now send us a message to get the quote!