Caladium - Elephant ear care and culture

Caladium - Elephant ear are widely grown as pot plants and are available from florists and garden centers during spring and summer.

 Caladium, also called as Elephant ear, Heart of Jesus, Angel wings, Phyllotaenium, Aphyllarum, is a genus in the Araceae family. This genus was described by Étienne Pierre Ventenat. These plants are widely grown as pot plants and are available from florists and garden centers during spring and summer. These colorful plants make ideal gifts at Easter, Mother’s Day and during the summer. They are practical gifts because they can be transplanted to outdoor areas.

© Victor Walters

IDENTIFY CALADIUM PLANT - ELEPHANT EAR

 Caladium are tropical species that originate in the Amazon Basin in areas such as Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Lesser Antilles, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Surinam, and Venezuela. They grow in open areas of the forest and on the banks of rivers and go dormant during the dry season.

 The wild plants grow to 40-90 cm tall, with leaves mostly 15-45 cm long and broad. There are several species, but by far the most cultivated is Caladium X hortulanum, of which there are hundreds of varieties. They are highly valued for their beautiful and exquisitely colored leaves, which are produced freely under proper growing conditions.

© Michael Noblit

 Caladium cultivars can be grouped into three basic types:

• Fancy-leaf: large, heart-shaped leaves; plant height is 18 to 22 inches; most prefer filtered shade or afternoon shade with morning sun in the landscape.

• Dwarf: leaves are heart-shaped like fancy-leaf types, but plants and leaves are smaller; plant height is 15 to 17 inches; the light requirements are similar to fancy-leaf types.

• Strap-leaf: elongated, heart-shaped leaves and narrower shaped leaves; plant height is 12 to 14 inches; used in hanging baskets, borders, or plantings in front of fancy-leaf types.

 Strap-leaf and dwarf cultivars are more expensive and generally less available because the tubers multiply more slowly than the fancy-leaf cultivars in field production. They also perform better in hanging baskets, tolerate more sun, and are shorter than the fancy-leaf cultivars. However, the fancy-leaf cultivars are more common.

 Caladiums can be used for bedding purposes similar to the way petunias and marigolds are used. When mass planted in outside beds, they provide an extremely colorful effect.

 Because they provide striking contrast with evergreen plants, caladiums are ideally suited for foregrounds of border and foundation plantings. White or pastel varieties show up best if the plants are seen from a distance. Dark, rich colors tend to blend with background plantings and are more effective along walks or other areas seen at close range.

 Identical varieties are often grouped in a confined location to create a focal point. Several plants of the same variety can also be used to highlight a garden statue, small fountain or other landscape feature.

 Caladiums are effectively used in various containers that flank shaded entrance ways or garden pools. Certain compact varieties are even suited for hanging baskets.

 Potted caladiums are also being used in interior landscapes. They find wide acceptance in mall plantings or planters in commercial and professional buildings. In such locations they require strong, indirect light, warm temperatures and proper watering if they are to remain attractive for considerable periods of time.

CALADIUM PLANT - ELEPHANT EAR CARE AND CULTURE

 Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.

Light:

 Elephant ear grow well and has best leaf color with between 2500 to 5000 foot-candles. For best results, plant them in a semi-shaded location. From 40 to 60 percent shade is considered ideal. Lower light intensities cause stretched petioles, large leaves, and weak plants. Light intensities that are too high cause bleached leaf color or necrotic leaf margins. One mistake that growers make is to grow all their caladiums under the same light level. Cultivars vary in their optimum light requirement. Therefore, growers should experiment with different light levels to find which produces the best leaf color pattern for a specific cultivar.

  In tropical and subtropical areas they can be grown in a sheltered spot in the garden. In cooler areas they are suitable for indoors or a glasshouse.

Temperature:

 Daytime temperatures should be kept in a range of 70 to 90 degrees F (75 to 78 degrees F is best) and a nighttime temperature of at least 65 degrees F. The average daily temperature should be in the mid-70 degrees F. Never expose caladiums to lower temperatures. Temperatures below 60 degrees F can cause damage to plants and temperatures below 35 degrees F can kill the plants. Symptoms of low-temperature injury include slow emergence, stunted growth, small leaves, rot, and greening of the leaves on white cultivars. Many growers in northern climates use steam pipes or heated benches to give caladiums bottom heat.

© druss2007/dwr

Substrate and growing media:

 Caladiums should be planted in a potting media that is high in peat or organic matter with a high waterholding capacity. Many growers use pure peat moss amended to correct pH and fertility. However, many commercial peat-lite media also work well. Other growers plant the tubers in Jiffy pots to be transplanted later.

 Tubers should be planted 2 to 3 inches deep because roots will emerge from the upper side of the tuber. The media used should have a pH of 5.5 to 6.5 and an electrical conductivity level of 1.2 to 1.5 (2:1 extraction method). Water the tubers well soon after potting.

Watering:

 Although caladiums enjoy warm weather, they don’t tolerate dry conditions. In beds and borders, water plants weekly during dry weather. To help conserve soil moisture, apply a 5cm layer of mulch around the plants. Caladiums in containers should be checked regularly and watered when the potting soil begins to dry out.

Winter period:

 In the autumn when nights are cool, caladiums will fade. Withhold water until foliage dies. After foliage is dead, the tuber may be dug and stored to be replanted in the spring.

 In the Tropical South, you can leave tubers in the ground year-round. In the rest of the South, you will need to dig them up in early fall if you want to replant next year. Remove any remaining leaves and roots. Let tubers dry in shaded area for a few days. Place them in dry peat moss to store. Keep them in warm spot (50 to 60 degrees) until it's time to replant.

© Victor Walters

Fertilizer:

 Fertilize caladiums regularly with a soluble fertilizer to promote strong foliage growth. They prefer a 2-2-3 or 1-1-1 ratio of N-P-K. One of the biggest problems in caladium production is overfertilization. Caladiums should not be put on a constant liquid fertilizer program. They are nitrogen sensitive and a high nitrogen fertilizer is discouraged. Symptoms of overfertilization include stretching of petiols, poor leaf color, and greening and brown spots on white-leaf cultivars.

Pests and diseases:

 Caladiums are generally pest and disease free, but problems can occur. Aphids, thrips, mealy bugs, two-spotted spider mites, and white flies can be problems. Emulsifiable concentrates should be avoided on caladiums.

Propagation:

 Caladiums can be propagated by seed, tissue culture, or tubers. Seed production requires a long production time and results in seedling variability, therefore it is only used in breeding. Tissue culture is not often used because it is costly. Nearly all caladium production is done from tubers. Tuber propagation is usually conducted in the spring.

BUY CALADIUM PLANT - ELEPHANT EAR AND RELATED PRODUCTS

BUY ANOTHERS SPECIES AND VARIETIES OF CALADIUM GENUS HERE!

SOME SPECIES AND CULTIVARS OF CALADIUM WITH CARE TIPS:

1. Caladium Aaron
2. Caladium Allure
3. Caladium Berries N' Burgundy
4. Caladium bicolor - Heart of Jesus
5. Caladium Blaze
6. Caladium Blushing Bride
7. Caladium Bold 'N Beautiful
8. Caladium Bombshell
9. Caladium Bottle Rocket
10. Caladium Burning Heart
11. Caladium Candidum
12. Caladium Candyland
13. Caladium Caribbean Coral
14. Caladium Carolyn Whorton
15. Caladium Carousel
16. Caladium Celebration
17. Caladium Chinook
18. Caladium Classic Pink
19. Caladium clavatum - Club-shape synandrodes Caladium
20. Caladium Clowning Around
21. Caladium Cosmic Delight
22. Caladium Cranberry Star
23. Caladium Creamsickle
24. Caladium Day Dreamer
25. Caladium Debutante
26. Caladium Desert Sunset
27. Caladium Fannie Munson
28. Caladium Fiesta
29. Caladium Fireworks
30. Caladium Flare
31. Caladium Flatter Me
32. Caladium Florida Blizzard
33. Caladium Florida Cardinal
34. Caladium Florida Moonlight
35. CaladiumFlorida Red Ruffles
36. Caladium Florida Sweetheart
37. Caladium Freckles
38. Caladium Freida Hemple
39. Caladium Garden White
40. Caladium Heart and Soul
41. Caladium Heart's Delight
42. Caladium Hearts Desire
43. Caladium humboldtii - Dwarf Caladium
44. Caladium Icicle
45. Caladium John Peed
46. Caladium Just Saucy
47. Caladium Lemon Blush
48. Caladium lindenii - Caladium lindenii 'Magnificum'
49. Caladium Marie Moir
50. Caladium Mesmerized
51. Caladium Miss Muffet
52. Caladium Modern Art
53. Caladium Monument
54. Caladium Mt. Everest
55. Caladium Party Punch
56. Caladium Passionista
57. Caladium Peppermint
58. Caladium picturatum
59. Caladium Pink Cloud
60. Caladium Pink Panther
61. Caladium Pink Splash
62. Caladium Pink Symphony
63. Caladium Poison Dart Frog
64. Caladium Postman Joyner
65. Caladium Posy Pink
66. Caladium praetermissum - Alocasia Hilo Beauty
67. Caladium Puppy Love
68. Caladium Radiance
69. Caladium Raspberry Moon
70. Caladium Red Alert
71. Caladium Red flash
72. Caladium Red Glamour
73. Caladium Restless Heart
74. Caladium Rio Red
75. Caladium Rose Glow
76. Caladium Rosemary
77. Caladium Royal Flush
78. Caladium Sangria
79. Caladium Scarlet Flame
80. Caladium Sizzle
81. Caladium Snow Drift
82. Caladium Southern Charm
83. Caladium Splash Of Wine
84. Caladium Spring Fling
85. Caladium Starburst
86. Caladium Summer Breeze
87. Caladium Sweet Carolina
88. Caladium Tapestry
89. Caladium Thai Beauty
90. Caladium Tickle Me Pink
91. Caladium Tiki Torch
92. Caladium Victoria
93. Caladium Water's Edge
94. Caladium White Cap
95. Caladium White Christmas
96. Caladium White Delight
97. Caladium White Diamond
98. Caladium White Dynasty
99. Caladium White Majesty
100. Caladium White Marble
101. Caladium White Queen
102. Caladium White Star
103. Caladium White Wonder
104. Caladium Xplosion