Colorful caladiums are low maintenance

Florida Friendly Plant of the Week:

Caladiums, Caladium x hortulanum

Yes, caladiums! I can hear you all now. It is like talking about Hershey kisses in Hershey, PA. While it is true we live in an area that produces 98 percent of the Caladium tubers; caladiums are a wonderful colorful addition to your landscape and are low maintenance with little pest problems. I don't think there is anything more beautiful than seeing a field full of caladiums in all the greens, whites, reds, and pink colors and all the interesting patterns.

Originally, caladiums came from the Amazon River Basin in South America and are grown for their colorful foliage. There are three types of caladiums; Fancy leaf, Dwarf Fancy, and Lance or Strap leaf. Commercially, each plant is grown for their tubers, which is a modified stem grown underground with buds or "eyes." The tubers are graded by four different sizes: Mammoth (3.5 inches), Jumbo (2.5 inches), Number One (1.5 inches), and Number Two (1.0 inches).

Obviously, the bigger the tuber the more eyes you have and the more eyes you have the more leaves you have. So spacing is according to the size of the tuber and the esthetics of the garden.

What I mean by that is usually you would plant your tubers 18 inches on center and 2 inches deep, but if the tubers are smaller or dwarfed you can plant them closer together for more color impact.

However, if you are looking for a more informal design you would also consider spacing your tubers sparingly. All caladiums can be planted in April when our soil temperature reach 70 degrees or you could start them inside approximately four to six weeks ahead to have them ready for that glorious day. The most important consideration for growing caladiums is the cultural practice. Since they are from the Amazon River Basin and now in Lake Placid on muck land; it would stand to reason then, before you plant these beauties with eyes facing upward, prepare your sandy soils with one part organic to two parts sandy soil or use planters and raised beds with amended soils or use potting mix. Either way the idea is to create aerated, moist soil which is the best condition for the caladiums. They like it warm and moist, which we have plenty of. After approximately a month, feed your caladiums with 1/100 square feet of slow release fertilizer (two month) until the end of the growing season.

Caladiums do best in partial shade or dappled light though there are new cultivars created to be grown in full sun. It is not that the caladium will die or peter out; it is just that the color will fade in full sun or in some circumstances have leaf scald. It is best to mulch in your caladium beds to retain moisture and prevent soil splash which can create disease problems and beat up your wonderful colorful leaves. So decide on your location and look for the cultivars that will best suit your situation. Oh yeah, and let us not forget the foliage is excellent in flower arrangements. Lance leaf holds up best. Dwarf Fancy works for best in containers, Fancy leaf is used in mass plantings, boarders, and accent planting.

Consider using this colorful foliage as a "Florida Friendly" planting.

I NEED TO KNOW
How do I control nematodes in my vegetable garden?

Your vegetable garden should be finished or at least nearly finished for your warm season vegetables. Ideally you would start your garden in the end of March beginning of April when the danger of frost is over and complete your garden by the beginning of the rainy season. If you still have vegetables left, finish them up and consider solarization to control your nematode populations. It is very effective.

Use the summer heat to bake out the nematode populations in your vegetable garden by heating up your soil to the 140-degree range Soil solarization takes about six weeks to complete so this is an excellent time to do this before your cool weather vegetables go in.

All you need to do is prepare the soil as if you are getting ready to plant. Add needed organic matter and wet the ground. Cover the soil with a sheet of clear plastic and anchor it along the edges.

An optional cover with a second sheet of plastic can also be added. Lay plastic pipe between the two layers to create dead air space. Allow the plastic to cover the soil for six to eight weeks or more; the longer, the better.

You want to bake out all those pests, especially if you have a high population. When you are ready to plant, uncover your garden space and add your crops. Consider rotation of same family crops to different locations.

An example would be your cruciferae, which would include cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi etc. If you don't do this, it would be like planting the same thing in the same spot and you are asking for another nematode outbreak.

General Information
Scientific name: Caladium x hortulanum
Pronunciation: ka-LAID-dee-um hor-to-LAY-num
Common Name(s): Caladium, fancy leaf, strap or lance leaf
Family: Araceae
Plant type: tropical pereennials
USDA Hardiness zones 8b-10
Planting month for zone 9: after frost, when soil temperatures reach 70{#x2da} F
Origin: Native to Amazon Basin of Brazil
Uses: Mass planting, specimen, container or above ground planter, interiors, flower arrangements
Availability: Try: Hickory Hills, Robbins Nursery, Sunshine Nursery, and The Lord's Nursery. If not available go to Lake Placid!
Spread: 18"-24" (dwarf varieties 8"-12")
Plant habit: upright
Plant density: medium
Growth rate: fast
Texture: medium
pH: slightly acidic (5.5-6.2)