How To Plant Caladium Bulbs by Miss Debbie

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Learn all about Caladium Bulbs with Lively Roots resident plant whisperer Miss Debbie:
-Learn all about Caladium Bulbs, how to plant them and all of the different colorful premium Caladium Bulb variations we carry on our website!
-Planting Caladium indoors vs. Planting them outdoors
-Annuals or Perennials
-Flower growth
-Leaf Growth
-Planting in groups
-Caladium Bulbs Eye

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Do you may have nostalgic memories of certain bulbs growing in your grandparent's or parent's home garden beds and pots? There are so many varieties, colors, shapes, and sizes! At Lively Root, we offer old favorites and recommendations for more unusual and exotic bulbs too. We want to take the mystery out of planting them if you've never done this before and give you some ideas of where to use these bulbs in your garden space!

These are some of our very favorite bulbs. You can use these in your home garden beds and in container plants too! They’re lovely mixed with annuals or amongst perennials along a garden path so you can get up close and personal with them!

Caladiums are tender bulbs that produce colorful tropical foliage in pinks, fuchsias, reds, and whites with variegated patterns throughout the spring and summer months.

And if you're like us, it's hard to pick just one color! There are so many gorgeous ones.

You'll want to treat this plant as a tropical annual in Zones 3-8, planting after the spring's last frost date. We have a blog on our website that discusses planting zone so you can figure out what zone you’re in. That will determine when it’s safe to plant your bulbs. Another way to determine when its time is to find that little gadget in your kitchen called a meat thermometer!

Remember:

Full sun is 6-8 hours (parking lot baking sun).

Part sun is 4-6 hours of sun (afternoon sun)

Part shade is 4-6 hours of morning sun is less hot (afternoon shade)

Shade is 2-4 hours of morning sun (cool of the day)

And depending on the variety you choose will determine how much sun it can take.

Indoors vs. Outdoors

Only plant these in pots for indoors if you have a green-house or where the humidity is exceptionally high. These need lots of humidity (90-100% sauna-like) to really thrive well inside. They need a bright, indirect lighted spot. And remember these go dormant in the fall and winter months. So, the leaves will eventually fade and dry up.

Annuals or Perennials

After talking to the grower, he recommended purchasing new bulbs each year because as each new year passes, the bulb loses vigor and doesn’t perform as well with less leaves and smaller growth. So, it’s up to you. Some people try to save them, but we consider them annuals and toss them when the first frost kills them back in planting zones lower than 9.

Flowers

These caladiums grow from 18-24 inches tall. And a bonus is you have the color without the deadheading of spent flowers. They can produce a flower, but it's quite inconspicuous, and we recommend to cut it out, so it doesn't go to seed and deplete growth on the plant.

Shade Caladiums color up and brighten the garden with a burst of color where many flowering plants won't grow.

Leaf Growth

Expect on the #1 size bulb to get about 10-15 leaves and the Jumbos about 15-30. You can stagger them in a checkerboard pattern in the garden if you want a showy display.
Planting outside in the garden

For the #1s plant them about 1’ apart. For the Jumbos, plant 18-24” apart.

If planting outside, mix in about 1/3 compost to the native soil for good drainage. As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to dig a hole 2-3 times deeper and wider than the bulb's length/width. In heavy soil, like clay, you can go two times the length but always amend if you have clay soil. So, if your bulb is 2" high, then you'll dig down 6" deep and wide. Take the native soil and mix in the compost. At this point, you can add in a balanced mix for bulbs and mix it all like batter. If you're planting a grouping, measure about 18-24" between each bulb to give them room to fill out and air circulation.

Put the bottom of the bulb (the flat end) down into the soil. Position the eyes facing towards the sky and cover it with the soil mixture. Then water well.

To learn more, check out the blog: https://www.livelyroot.com/blogs/plan...