Caladium (Caladium) - a representative of the grassy Aroid family, who came from the rainforests of Central and South America, where it grows up to five meters in height. It was first described in the early 19th century by a French botanist. Tuberous plant.
In the historical homeland, caladium is cultivated for its nutritious tubers, which are used in cooking. Decorative species are bred as indoor and garden plants. A feature of caladium is that the depth of tuber growth affects the appearance of the plant: if the tuber is deeper, it is larger than the leaves, if closer to the surface, more leaves.
The juice of the plant is poisonous. Other names: "angel wings", "elephant ears", "heart of Jesus."
Description
Spreading stemless bush with large decorative leaves. It grows to 1 m in height. Leaf up to 30 cm long in the shape of a heart, bright color. The color of the leaves depends on the species and can be silver, pink or raspberry.
Perennial with periods of rest. In autumn, the entire ground part dries out, and next spring young leaves sprout. Flowering occurs in late spring, almost odorless. Indoor blooms very rarely.
The root system is a tuber with a diameter of up to 10 cm and fibrous roots extending from it.
Types of Caladium and their features
There are 15 basic types of caladium that are grown for decorative purposes. The most popular of them: Gubmoldt, two-tone and Schomburg.
| View name | Description |
| Gimboldt | Leaves are small, up to 10 cm long; the shape resembles arrows, the color mottled on a mainly green background is silver spots. Blooms in April, nondescript. When creating additional lighting, it does not fall into a dormant period, preserving foliage. |
| Bicolor | Based on the base view, many hybrids have been created. Leaves are swept, 25-30 cm long, up to 17 cm wide. Their color is different depending on the variety. It can be variegated when white and red spots are scattered on a green background, or red with a thin green border. White Christmas variety is distinguished by silvery leaves, on which thin green lines and spots are located. It blooms in late winter - early spring. The flowers form an ear. |
| Schomburg | The leaves are oval, smaller than that of the two-color. Color silver red, green streaks. Popular hybrid varieties: venous, red, silver-veined. |
| Linden | Found in the rainforests of Colombia. One of the largest leaves is up to 60 cm long and 20 cm wide. Dark green with white veins. Petioles are dense, covered with red stripes, up to 60 cm high. |
| Fluffy | Fleecy all parts of the plant. Heart-shaped foliage, green, up to 30 cm long. |
| Marble | The length of the sheet is 15-20 cm. White, gray and yellow spots are randomly scattered on the surface of the sheet plate. The main background is green. |
| Medium radiant | The dimensions of the sheet are the same as those of marble. Green with a white central vein, a feature of the species is the wavy edge of the leaf plate. |
| Garden | Not a variety, but a group of hybrids grown in the Netherlands and the USA. |
Home Care
The plant is tropical, the most important thing is to provide the necessary temperature and moisture level.
| Parameters | Spring | Summer | Autumn - winter (rest period) |
| Location / Lighting | Bright but diffused light. Northeast and northwest windows are preferred. It does not tolerate direct sunlight. Varieties with variegated foliage need more light. | After falling off all leaves, move to a dark place. | |
| Watering | Watering is gradually increased, as the deciduous part is formed. Excess moisture will lead to the death of the plant. | Abundant watering as the topsoil dries. Only soft, warm water. | Gradually reduce the frequency of watering. After the plant enters dormancy, occasionally moisten the soil. |
| Temperature | He loves heat and does not tolerate drafts and temperature changes. Optimum + 20 ... + 25 ° C. | Below + 20 ° С. | |
| Humidity | Prefers very humid air (from 70%). Spray in the air around the plant, the ingress of drops of water on the leaves leads to the appearance of ugly brown spots. At the stage of formation of young foliage, spray several times a day. | Not required. | |
| Fertilizer | Once every 2 weeks, with mineral fertilizer. | ||
Breeding
The plant propagates by daughter tubers, seeds or division of the main tuber. Seeds are sold in specialized stores.
When propagating caladium, it is important to choose the right pot and soil.
The pot should be 2-3 times larger than the tuber, with good drain holes. A drainage layer is necessarily laid out at the bottom of the pot.
An excellent mixture of soil from sheet soil, peat, humus in 1 part and ½ part of sand. Caladium does not like ready-made mixtures that are sold in stores.
Subsidiary tubers
In the spring, when transplanted into a pot, daughters are separated from the main tuber and planted in a separate container. They do not require special care.
Tuber division
The old tuber is cut into several parts (kidneys must remain on each), the place of cut is processed with coal. After this, parts of the tuber are planted in pots.
Seeds
It is used extremely rarely. Typically, this method is used when breeding a new variety. Seed is planted in a mixture of sand and earth, covered with glass. It is necessary to ensure a constant temperature of about + 30 ° C.
Regularly spray the soil. Under favorable conditions, sprouts appear at 2-3 weeks. When the shoots get stronger, it can be transplanted into a pot.
Important landing conditions:
- division is best done after the first period of rest;
- the tuber is divided by the folds;
- put it in the pot with the kidney up;
- to get "kids" in the fall, plant the tuber to a shallow depth;
- before leaves appear, watering should be minimal.
Mistakes in care, diseases and pests
| External symptoms | Cause | Remedies |
| Yellow and dry leaves. | Lack of moisture. | Spray the air around the plant. |
| Sluggish plant. | High humidity, draft. | Change conditions: reduce spraying, rearrange to another place. |
| Rotting foliage. | Water on the leaves, improper spraying. | It is necessary to spray the air around the plant, avoiding contact with it. |
| Twisting the leaves. | Lack of watering. | Change the watering schedule. |
| Folding foliage at optimal watering. | Low air temperature. | Change the place. |
| Rotting a tuber. | Overmoistening or hypothermia. | Remove the damaged part of the tuber, treat it with charcoal, replant with replacing the substrate ... |
| Smaller leaves that lose color. | Lack of light. | Change the place. |
| Dry leaf edges. | Sunburn, excess fertilizer. | Relocate to another place, temporarily stop feeding. |
| Sticky coating, yellowing. | Aphid. | Treat with insecticides. |
| Whitish coating. | Mealybug. | |
| Web. | Spider mite. |
Most often, Caladium suffers from root decay after transplantation. Therefore, some growers recommend a month and a half to check the tubers for decay.
Signs and superstitions
There are no signs or superstitions related to the Caladium.
The only potential harm is its toxicity. Although there were no fatalities, a very serious allergic reaction or poisoning is possible. Plant juice, getting on the skin, causes burns, irritation.
Therefore, it is recommended to put the pot with the plant in places inaccessible to children and pets. All transplantation or reproduction work should be carried out only with rubber gloves.
