Caladiums

[Christina]

I love Caladiums but were I live zone 5 about the time thay get starded summers over. Anyone have any Ideas that would give the a faster start?

[txbeyer]

Christina, the only answer is to start them early indoors ( I assume you don't have a hobby greenhouse). If you have an area where temps are above 60 degrees consistently (indoor window ledge, etc), pot them now for outdoor planting around May or when minimum temperatures don't drop below 60 in your outdoor garden or grow them in a large decor pot indoors until the pot can be transported outdoors after temperatures are consistently above 60 degrees. Caladiums are tender tropicals and maintaining a warm soil and air temperature above 60 or so is pretty important to success along with keeping them in shade. This is a challenge for you in Zone 5, just like us trying to grow Tulips in Zone 8/9 which require freeze and long period of cold exposure.

[Christina]

Thank you I do have a greenhouse but it so hard to heat, About April it gets warm enough to use. I can use my closed in front porch, I will try your Ideal. I better get some order...

[Vicki in West MI]

Hi Christina,
That's what I did for the first 2 yrs., then last year forgot to bring them in.
By the time I remembered they were mush. I have to be more diligent about that cause I really like them, and they are too expensive to use as an annual.

[missg]

Hi CHRISTINA,
I start, my caladiums and other plants
in my basement under grow lights.
I planted the bulbs around the end of
April, by the end of May they was
a nice size. I'm just started to plant
them outside this week.

[JohnsBromeliads]

I love Caladiums but were I live zone 5 about the time thay get starded summers over. Anyone have any Ideas that would give the a faster start?

Hi Christina, thats not exactly correct about growing Caladiums in the shade, these days, about 80% of Caladium cultivars are grown in full sun all day.
I attend the Cladium Growers festival every November in Lake Placid Florida. In production now are over1400 acres of Caladiums from just two of the major growers in Lake Placid, all in full sun, all day.
If you really like Caladiums, contact "Happines Farms" Lake Placid Florida. Purchase them by the box, and its free shipping to the lower 48 states. Just do a Google search for Lake Placid FL, or Happines Farms. Once you get to the main page, they list all the growers and their on-line ordering section...

[Pushin-up-Daisies]

Yes, indeedy they have a huge variety of caladiums, I use to order every yr. when I lived in fl. but up here in zone 7 They freeze during the winter Or either the squirrels eat them. These are 1 of my favorite plants.

[ok_nurse]

I just bought some beautiful caladiums and planted them in full sun and they got sunburned. I know they did well in full sun last year but I never remembered them ever getting sunburned. Any ideas? Maybe they just transported from the greenhouse and hadn't been exposed? They look like they'll make it with new growth but all the large leaves became transparent and withered. Its a shame. If I wanted bulbs I would've bought bulbs-ya know?
-D

[zuzu's petals]

I just bought some beautiful caladiums and planted them in full sun and they got sunburned.

Aw NO! Sorry your babies got toasted.

Maybe they ... hadn't been exposed?

That would be my best guess -
especially if you know that you bought cultivars that can tolerate full sun.
Many commercial growers of Caladiums know that a great many buyers (like myself)
purchase them specifically to grow in shadier spots
and I think that they tend to grow them under shade cloth in anticipation of that.

I still grow my potted Caladiums in bright shade every year,
I just find that they seem to hold their coloring better.