Caladium flower. Caladium - adorable elephant ears. Top dressing and fertilizer
indoor plant caladium
Indoor caladium flower is often called "Christ's heart" and "elephant ears". The indoor flower received these names solely because of the peculiar in shape, very thin and beautifully colored leaves. It is worth noting that the caladium flower is a seasonal plant and it lives from spring to autumn. It is in autumn that the flower loses its leaves, and in winter it rests. During the rest period, the pot with plant tubers should be removed to a dark room, for example, under a bath, under a bed or in a pantry. However, do not forget about caladium until spring. It is necessary to periodically check the flower and water it in cases where the earth dries out. In this article we will tell you how to care for caladium at home, and the rules of cultivation.
In the spring, you need to get the pot and carefully examine the tubers. All dried parts must be removed and sprinkled with charcoal wounds. After that, the tubers should be planted in a loose and fresh substrate, to which charcoal must be added. Be sure to water the flower. The planting depth of the tuber should correspond to its diameter.
Caladium Care
In order for the caladium flower to germinate, it should be placed in a damp and dark place or just cover the pot. In which the tuber is located in a dark package. Of course, you should not keep the pot constantly under the bag. And how to care for and grow caladium at home. It must be periodically opened for ventilation. After the sprout is accepted, it can begin to be accustomed to room humidity, and also gradually sprayed. So we have already learned how to care for a caladium houseplant at home, but there are still some points.
caladium flower
How is the care and cultivation of caladium at home? It is necessary to water the caladium indoor flower quite plentifully and regularly. However, do not flood the plant, as this can lead to rotting of tubers and roots. Also, the plant needs moderate lighting: diffused and bright light. As for the air temperature, the flower feels much more comfortable if the temperature does not drop below 15 ° C even at night. For this reason, you should not put the caladium on the balcony in the summer.
Particular attention should be paid to feeding. The growing season of the plant is very short and requires the acceleration of all processes. That is why the flower is in dire need of nutrients. Closer to the middle of summer, it is necessary to gradually reduce the amount and frequency of feeding. Also, if you have a cactus at home, we suggest that you read the article on how it goes at home.
Here is such a simple care for caladium at home, since this is a houseplant, it requires special cultivation.
The Aroid family, to which the Caladium belongs, are considered natives of the southern parts of America and have more than 12 species. Caladium is a perennial with juicy tubers. Another name for it is angel wings, since this herbaceous plant has large colorful leaves that resemble arrows, or a heart.
The shape of the tuber of an adult plant resembles a dark brown turnip, and a young one resembles a cone. A pink sprout with sleeping buds, quite thick and powerful, is located in the center of the tuber. Roots are thick, fibrous.
The cut leaves emerge from the bud. They can form a pseudo stem, but the caladium does not have a real stem. The lush rosette of the plant consists of long-petiolate vaginal leaves. Sometimes the diameter of the bush exceeds 0.5 meters. The color of the leaves is quite bright and varied. The veins are distinct, mostly in the opposite tone.
When the first leaves develop sufficiently, the appearance of a peduncle can be observed. There is no plant near the flower garden, the flowers form an inflorescence-cob, located in the middle of a snow-white bedspread with a slight greenish tint. Spherical berries will ripen a couple of months after pollination.
Species and varieties
Indoor caladiums are not species representatives - they are hybrids. For selection, 3 species representatives were selected, endowed with some features.
Caladium bicolor
The plant is native to the Antilles, Brazil. It has arrow-shaped oval leaves of a very large size. The coloring is quite diverse and, in addition, the leaves are covered with spots of various colors and shapes.
Caladium Humboldt
It grows in the damp forests of Brazil. Arrow-oval dark green leaves do not exceed 10 cm in length and are covered with whitish spots.
Caladium Schomburg
The leaves are medium in size and oval-elliptical in shape. Varieties of the plant differ in color.
Care
Caladium cannot be called a capricious plant, but also unpretentious as well. He needs specific conditions.
Temperature
All year round the temperature regime should be moderate.
Lighting
The intensity of lighting depends on the color of the foliage - bright greens require a lot of light. The only condition is the absence of direct rays, that is, only diffused light is needed.
The rest period is clearly expressed and lasts six months. During this period of sleep, the leaves fall completely.
soil for caladium
Any neutral soil with sufficient nutrition and good drainage will do.
The growing season requires weekly top dressing. Fertilizer is selected complex mineral. With the end of watering, stop feeding.
Watering
From the beginning of the growing season until the end of summer, the plant requires a lot of moisture. Watering is done as soon as the top layer of the earth dries up. Water needs soft, settled, room temperature. Watering is very important to maintain decorativeness; an overdried plant will become dull. But it is impossible to overmoisten the caladium, as the tuber easily rots. At the end of summer, watering is gradually reduced, causing the foliage to wilt. After their complete fall, watering is stopped.
Humidity must be quite high. To create the desired microclimate, use a household steam generator or place the plant in a florarium. Spraying will result in ugly spots on the foliage.
Transfer
Very early spring, the caladium needs an annual transplant. In proportion to the tuber, a container is taken, filled with new earth. Small nodules are spaciously planted in one large pot. Tubers are planted in 2 ways: for the growth of a lush bush, deepen by 4 inches, and to get babies, they are slightly added. After planting, watering the caladium is not recommended, it is only necessary to slightly moisten the soil. Increase watering as leaves appear.
reproduction
Caladium can be propagated by children, seeds, division of the mother tuber. A sufficiently large healthy tuber is chosen, cut into slices so that each has a kidney. Places of cuts are treated with coal, slightly dried. Landing is carried out in the usual way.
Due to the loss of varietal qualities by seedlings, propagation by seeds is used extremely rarely.
Tuber storage
After waiting for the complete drying of the earth in a pot, it is removed along with the tubers and carefully removed. Carefully clean the remnants of the roots and the ground. The tubers are sorted out, looking for damage, rotten spots. All this is removed by immediately treating the place with crushed coal. Prepared tubers are harvested. By the end of January, a bud begins to form, which will ripen in February.
Pests and diseases
Mealybugs, aphids, and spider mites are named as enemies of Caladium. In the fight against them, insecticidal preparations are used.
Caladium is prone to tuber rot. To prevent this from happening, you should strictly observe the level of humidity and the abundance of watering the plant.
Caladium is a plant with large, very beautiful leaves of a wide variety of colors. In shape, they resemble a heart or a spearhead, maybe that's why it has another name. "Heart of Jesus".
The veined leaves may have a double coloration. The main colors are purple, yellow, white, red and green, it all depends on the variety.
The plant does not have a stem, the growth of the leaves is basal.
Its peculiarity is that leaves grow only from late spring to late summer. Then they wither and die, and the plant goes into a deep dormant period until March.
Kinds
Caladium bicolor
The photo shows the view of "caladium bicolor":
Its leaves have a double color - a red center against a dark green background.
Caladium esculentum
Photo of the species "caladium esculentum": 
Caladium violaceum
The photo shows a view of "caladium violacecum": 
It differs in a slightly bluish tint of leaves with a lower part of red or lilac color.
Caladium hybrid
In the photo, the view of the "caladium hybrid": 
Home Care
This flower needs constant care, but it also pays off a hundredfold with a beautiful view in the summer months.
Post-Purchase Care
If a ready-made flower is taken, one must pay attention not only to the presence or absence of diseases, but also to the soil in the pot.
If she waterlogged, such a plant not worth taking. If everything is in order, then you do not need to transplant it after purchase. He just needs care, the usual for a period of growth.<
pruning
Pruning the caladium is contraindicated; at the end of growth, the leaves fall off on their own. Be sure to remove them from the pot so that they do not start to rot.
Watering
As the caladium grows, it needs abundant watering. Water as soon as the topsoil dries out. Watering is reduced when castings stop growing. In winter, the tubers remaining in the ground are only slightly moistened so that they do not dry out.
Important! Water the caladium with warm boiled water.
Landing
Planting begins with the germination of the tuber. To do this, sand is poured into the saucer and a tuber is placed on top. In order for the kidneys to hatch on it, it is necessary that the room was light and warm, at least 22 degrees. Sand must be dry and clean.
After germination, the tuber is planted in a pot. The size of the tuber is usually about 5 cm, which means that the pot should be at least 10-15 cm in diameter.
The bottom is filled with a layer of drainage, then coarse sand and half of the well-moistened earth.
Sand is poured again - a slide, a hole is made in it, into which the tuber is placed with the kidneys up, so that half of it remains on the surface. From above, it is covered with the second half of the prepared earth.
In a pot with a diameter of 10 cm, 2-3 young nodules can be planted, in 15 cm - 3-5. The planted tuber is watered very sparingly to prevent it from rotting.
When the first shoots appear, you can transfer the plant to a deeper pot.
Important! When planted deep, the plant produces large leaves, and when shallow, more of them.
Transfer
Caladium needs a transplant annually until the plant comes out of dormancy. To do this, the tubers are removed from the pot in which they hibernated, thoroughly cleaned and inspected for damage. Then they are separated and placed in a fresh substrate in the same way as when planting.
The soil
The most favorable soil composition for caladium is leafy and humus earth, sand and peat, all in equal parts. It prefers acidic soil.
top dressing
You need to feed the plant once every three weeks in spring and autumn, when leaves are actively growing. Fertilizer should contain potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen.
Growing from seed at home
Growing a plant from seeds may not give those generic characteristics (leaf color) for which they breed. If you pollinate the plants, you can get seeds in two months.
They should be sown immediately after harvest. The germination mixture should consist of leafy soil and sand in proportions 4:1. You need to deepen the seed exactly as much as its size. The soil needs to be well drained.
Seeds need high temperatures to germinate. 25 to 30 degrees. The higher the temperature, the faster the seedlings will rise.
A container with planted seeds can be covered with film or glass and ventilated from time to time. Watering is done only from a sprayer.
Seedlings appear through 15-20 days. They are transplanted twice. Tubers are finally formed by autumn.
reproduction
Reproduction needs to be done in early spring when tubers are removed from winter pots. The daughter young tubers are separated. You can divide an adult tuber. It is cut into pieces with a sharp, disinfected knife so that each piece has a kidney.
Sections are sprinkled with crushed charcoal or activated charcoal and set aside for a couple of days to dry. Then each part is planted in a separate pot.
Temperature
As a native to the tropics, Caladium requires high temperatures.
Minimum temperature should not fall below 20 degrees. The plant is also sensitive to drafts - it may begin to lose leaves.
Important! In winter, tubers are stored at a temperature of 16-18 degrees.
Lighting
To maintain the decorativeness of the leaves, the flower needs good lighting. However, the light must be diffused. The optimal location in the apartment can be east or west windows.
Air humidity.
Humidity reduction is unacceptable in the room where this houseplant lives below 70%. To maintain this level, you can spray distilled water around the flower, avoiding it as much as possible on the leaves. You can put the pot in a tray with wet pebbles.
Benefit and harm
At the Caladium poison juice, therefore, it must be kept away from children, and also protect hands with gloves when caring for it. The inhabitants of the homeland of this plant used its tubers for food, which is why it has such a name - "a plant with an edible root."
Diseases and pests
Caladium is prone to fungal diseases such as late blight, a bacterial wet rot that attacks the tuber. To avoid these problems, watering needs to be adjusted..
Pests that the plant can suffer from are aphids, spider mites and mealybugs. You need to fight them with insecticides.
Subject to the rules of care and maintenance of the flower, he will reward with lush hats of leaves of extraordinary beauty and elegance.
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Caladium - "a plant whose roots can be eaten", this is how the name of this decorative flower is translated.
A plant from the Aroid family, whose homeland is considered to be South America, is very common in Brazil. And by the way, the local population really eat the roots of Caladium.
About fifteen thousand species of this perennial plant are known. Outwardly, it is very similar to a liana, with its voluminous leaves. The height can usually reach five meters.
As for the color of the caladium leaves, they are unique, with a unique pattern, where almost all shades are combined, except for blue. The flowers are not so bright, they resemble cobs. In winter, the leaves begin to fall off, the plant "falls asleep". The peak of flowering is spring-autumn season.
What does Caladium love?
As for the proper care at home for such a plant, there are a number of important preferences:
Requires a lot of bright light. BUT! Not direct sunlight - they have a detrimental effect on the flower. It is better to have them on an open balcony, terrace. If you have such a flower in your country house, then you can expose the caladium to the air under a tree, to protect it from direct sunlight.
Humidity is one of the key factors for good growth. It is worth considering this when the air in the house is dry and correct the situation.
We must not forget that the caladium plant has a mandatory period of so-called "rest". As a rule, autumn-winter. For proper preparation, already in September, the amount of watering is reduced. As soon as all the foliage falls, a sign that he no longer needs moisture.
Tubers, after extraction, should be carefully cleaned and inspected for signs of decay, damage or disease. Places with signs of damage to tuber tissues are carefully removed, then treated with a fungicide. They need to winter in a dry place at room temperature.
Separately about watering
A balanced approach is important here, because from an excess of moisture the root will begin to rot, from a lack the appearance worsens.
Abundant moisture is required until August. This should be done only when the top layer of the soil dries out.
Please note that in summer the caladium flower needs about half a liter of water, but not all at once. The preferred water temperature is room temperature.
In no case do not pour water directly to the root, this should be done along the edges.
As we said earlier, watering is required to stop by September, thereby preparing for a special rest time.
Proper soil
For planting, choose nutritious, loose soil. You can make it yourself by mixing: ordinary garden soil with peat and humus. It is allowed to add a small amount of coal, sand.
Choose the optimal size of pots, the diameter of which will be 10 cm.
What can make you sick
The most common disease is root rot. The reason is usually an excess of moisture, excessive watering. You need to be very careful during the first month after transplantation. You see that a month has passed, but there are still no leaves, then it is most likely worth saying that the rhizome is rotting.
What to do? We need to check the root. Dig up and check if the root of a healthy plant is light yellow in color. If it starts to rot, immediately remove the affected areas and process. Be sure to replant in new soil.
The plant withers before our eyes, the cause may be a draft.
Mealy worms, mites and even aphids - all these pests can ruthlessly attack the caladium plant.
Which exit? It's simple, carry out a thorough treatment with any insecticide.
- Due to the ingress of water drops, the leaves begin to rot;
- The leaves curled up - the air temperature is too low;
- Waterlogging and drafts contribute to the appearance of mold on the leaves;
- The leaves have become less bright, and the edges are brown - little light and cold;
- It grows very slowly, the leaves are relatively small - lack of fertilizers.
Looking at the colorful photos of the caladium, you understand that in order to admire a gorgeous plant, it is important for it to provide the right conditions for maintenance and development. And believe me, then you will receive from him such an incredible return of beauty.
Photo of caladium
In nature, it is a herbaceous plant resembling a liana. Under natural conditions, it reaches up to 5 meters in height, and the leaves are such that a person can hide under them during rain. Under natural conditions, caladium grows as an undergrowth in tropical forests.
The name translates as "a plant with edible roots" is not accidental. One species, called Caladium esculentum, is grown in the tropics of South America, harvesting regularly from starch-rich rhizomes.
Leaves caladiums have an original shape, for which they are popularly called "Elephant Ears", "Angel Wings", "Christ's Heart". Patterns on sheet plates have a variety of patterns, and the range of colors does not contain only blue and blue shades.
Most often, the color is white, red, green, yellow, purple. Perhaps the presence of multi-colored spots.
Liana-like plant does not have a stem and creates a basal growth of leaflets, developing into dense rosettes, reaching a diameter of up to half a meter.
Caladium is a perennial tuberous a plant, at the base of the root system there is a flattened rough tuber, resembling a dark brown cone at the beginning, and then grows into a turnip with a diameter of no more than 10 centimeters. In the center of the tuber, a strong base of the bush is visible, and on the sides there are dormant buds. Fibrous and strong roots grow from the root collar.
When three or four leaves appear, you can expect flowering. This is an inflorescence in the form of an ear containing male and female flowers wrapped in a pointed white or green veil, observed for up to several days. After pollination, after 2 months, round reddish berries ripen.
Caladium is a poisonous plant, its juice is dangerous if it enters the esophagus and upon direct contact, it can cause allergies. Garden work on the care and planting of Caladium should be done with gloves. It is necessary to exclude possible contact of children with this plant, and also not to place it in children's rooms.
There are 15 known types of caladium, consider the popular ones.
This is the ancestor of potted hybrids with a characteristic dark green leaf color with silver stripes tapering to the edge. The arrow-shaped leaves are up to 10 centimeters long and up to 5 centimeters wide. Flowers that open in spring, resembling candles, have no decorative value.
This variety of caladium is distinguished by oval leaf surfaces up to 15 centimeters long and a variety of colors. A reddish-silver leaf pattern with green veins is common.
This species has arrow-shaped leaves, reaching a length of up to 30 centimeters. Drawing in the form of a red spot on a green background. Various color options available.
Favorite Caladium hybrids by gardeners:
Rosalie- the plant is distinguished by reddish leaves with a green border.
pink beauty- a variety with red veins of the leaf surface, pink in the center with a green border.
Florida Cardinal- leaves with a raspberry center and a green border.
Home Care
Hybrid varieties of caladium grown by flower growers do not enjoy their sympathy, despite their original appearance. The reason is a six-month dormant period that occurs in the fall.
Watering
The growth period begins in late March or early April, when the caladium is brought into the light and provided with abundant moisture at a temperature of +22 to +27 degrees Celsius. The frequency of watering is approximately 1 time per week. Excess water from the pan must be removed.
In summer, the plant needs 0.5 liters of moisture per day, divided into morning and evening intake. The water temperature should not be lower than +22 degrees Celsius.
It is desirable to water carefully, when drops of moisture get on the leaves, dark spots appear. Systematic removal of dust from the leaf surface is required.
Humidity
A tropical guest is kept at a humidity of about 70%. To do this, you can install a jar of water nearby, or place a flower pot on wet pebbles in a pan, and cover the surface of the earth with moss. You can also humidify the air with a household humidifier or steam generator.
top dressing
Top dressing is introduced from the end of May, only 2-3 times for the entire season. For this, a special liquid mineral fertilizer is used.
Leaves are falling
In September, when the leaves turn yellow and fall off, the plant goes to sleep. Flower pots are cleaned in a dark place until spring. The minimum temperature during this period is about +20 degrees Celsius.
During hibernation, care for the plant continues. A few tablespoons of water is enough to keep the soil from drying out.
If rotting is detected, it is necessary to cut out sore spots with a sterile knife and process the sections with crushed coal.
Illumination and air temperature
When grown at home Caladium is preferably placed in partial shade, with northern or western window illumination, excluding direct sunlight and drafts.
A guest from the tropics prefers an air temperature of at least 22 degrees Celsius and a humidity of about 70 percent. During the growth period, it is necessary to water abundantly and spray around the flower, avoiding direct moisture on the leaf surface.
The soil
For growing at home, use ready-made soil for Aroids. But you can prepare the substrate yourself, using a mixture of one part of peat, one part of leafy soil, one part of compost and half of the sand.
Feature of flowering: in room conditions, the caladium blooms and bears fruit extremely rarely.
Growing in the garden
When growing caladium in the garden it is planted in places of scattered sunlight. This corresponds to the conditions of natural growth of vines in the shade of other plants. In summer, abundant soil moisture is comfortable.
The soil for growing caladium is made from a mixture of compost, leafy soil, turf and sand with the addition of peat.
In late autumn, tubers are dug out of the ground, cleaned of old roots and placed in a box with sawdust, sphagnum moss or vermiculite.
reproduction
Caladium can reproduce vegetatively and seeds.
Vegetatively
For vegetative reproduction, daughter tubers are used or a large tuber is divided into several parts, each of which requires the presence of at least one kidney. It is important to sprinkle the cut surfaces with charcoal powder and dry them in the air.
seeds
reproduction seeds produced to obtain new hybrid varieties. Therefore, they are used from specialized stores. Growing caladium from your own seeds does not make sense, since this method does not preserve varietal characteristics.
Sowing seeds is carried out in a mixture of sand and hardwood, moistened at a constant temperature of +30 degrees Celsius under a film or glass. After 3 weeks, you can observe the spitting of the sprouts, and after a month they must be planted in separate containers. By autumn, full-fledged tubers are already growing.
Diseases and pests
A common disease of Caladium is root rot from overwatering. Fusarium and wet rot often appear on the roots during the first month after planting, when the first leaves have not yet grown.
If after 1.5 months the caladium has not acquired leaves, it is necessary to check the root for rot. Using a sterile knife, cut off the damaged parts and sprinkle the sections with powdered fungicides.
Caladium can become a victim of an attack by aphids, mealybugs, spider mites. Upon detection pests the plant needs to be treated with insecticides.
What to do if mold appears?
mold on leaves appears due to waterlogging and drafts. To eliminate it, it is necessary to reduce humidity and remove the flower pot in a closed place without drafts.
What to do if the leaves turn yellow and others?
Appearance yellow leaves can be explained both by the unsatisfactory conditions of the plant, and its infection with phytophthora, which can be controlled with the help of fungicides.
swirling leaves indicate a lack of moisture in the soil and high air temperature. To cure the flower, spraying and increasing watering are used.
Brown edges of the leaf surface indicate the freezing of the plant.
and the need to move it to a warmer place.
leaf pallor and the loss of contrast of patterns occurs with a lack of sunlight. You can use special lamps or move the vine to a comfortable lighting zone.
Video review
Caladium requires attention all year round, but the efforts of caring gardeners pay off handsomely in the summer with a generous fireworks display of new unique patterns, magnificence of colors that delight the eyes of connoisseurs of exotic elegant variety.
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