Colourful Caladium

Very good morning Friends!

Here in Paudhayan, today we will greet a very very beautiful plant whose big colorful leaves fascinate everyone even from a distance. The plant we are talking about is easy to plant and grow but it requires a little love and care too.

Name

The name of this lovely plant is Caladium. Its leaves are wide and quite large in size. That explains its common names like Elephant's Ear, Angel's Wings and Heart of Jesus.

Identification

The leaves of caladium look like aloe vera leaves. But while the leaves of taro are green, the leaves of caladium are decorated with bright red, pink, white and green colors. In some species, the edges of the leaves are of a contrasting color and in some the veins are also of a contrasting color. In some leaves, splashes or spots of contrasting colors is also visible. It seems as if someone played with different colors with a thick brush on the canvas of these leaves. These plants do not have a stem. The leaves grow directly from the root with the help of a stalk. These plants grow from 1 to 2-2.5 feet tall.

Native Place

Caladiums plants are native to the Amazon River basin. Naturally they are seen in moist places along the river banks. But nowadays, because of their flawless beauty, they are planted with great love in homes and gardens all over the world. Thousands of their varieties with different colors and shades have been developed. Some varieties have beautiful spots and some have red and white spots. You can choose any according to your choice and color scheme of your Paudhayan.

Light or Shade

These plants live in equatorial rainforests. This place is very hot and humid and receives sufficient insolation too but the forests here are so dense and the trees are so tall that only little sunlight reaches the ground after being filtered through the leaves. The place always remains in shade.

Therefore, caladium likes little sunlight. Plant Caladiums underneath the trees in your Paudhayan. Growing Caladiums in the far dark and dull corners will enliven it with bright colours. Their huge colourful leaves are always noticeable from the distance too. They happily live near fountains or water bodies where soil always remains moist. Don't worry if there is no big tree or fountain, they stay happy and healthy in planters too.

Always keep the caladium in a place where sunlight comes for some time in the morning. In strong sunlight their colors fade away and in deep dense black shade the leaves turn yellow and start falling. Places with good light and mild sunlightare best for them.

Season

In equatorial regions the weather remains the same throughout the year, hence these plants are perennial there. If your garden is in the equatorial or tropical region, then these plants will remain full of leaves throughout the year.

They cannot tolerate prolonged drought or bone-chilling cold. In extreme heat, if they do not get regular water, the caladium plants go into dormancy. At such a time, the leaves of the plant gradually dry up one by one and the plant stores all its energy in a knot and goes into deep sleep underground. The plant does the same thing even when it is very cold. Therefore, they are planted as seasonal plants in temperate, temperate and desert areas.

When the plant sheds its leaves and goes into dormancy, its node can be left lying in the ground and it can also be taken out and kept in a dry place. When the weather becomes favorable and water is available, new leaves will sprout from it and the plant will once again spread its glory. If it is planted in a pot, then take out this knot and keep it in the right place. Do not keep it in a very moist place to prevent it from rotting.

Water Needs

The place where these plants live receives a lot of rainfall, hence they like water very much. Always keep their soil moist but do not allow waterlogging. When water accumulates, their knotted roots may become moldy and the knot may rot.

They remain green even in extreme heat provided they get the right amount of water from time to time. In summer, they have to be watered every day or at an interval of one day. In winter, watering can be done every three to four days. They become dormant in extreme cold.

New Babies

The tuber of caladium gradually grows bigger in the soil and new plants keep germinating out of it. The tuber has many eye-like shapes, just as in potatoes. New leaves and roots emerge from these eyes. Cut the tuber in such a way that each piece has at least one eye. Now leave these pieces for a few days so that the cut area becomes dry and does not rot when buried in the moist soil. Now bury these pieces in moist soil at a distance of about 8 to 10 inches to a depth of about 2-2.5 inches in such a way that the eyeside is facing upward. Keep the soil moist but not overwater. Within a few days you will see new leaves sprouting from all the nodes. Now you have many plants from a single tuber.

A Word of Caution

Although Caladium plants may resemble some vegetables but do not consume them. These plants contain calcium oxalate crystals, a toxic compound, hence no part of these plants is edible. Grow them in the house or gardens only for their beautiful leaves and keep them out of the reach of children or pets. Therefore, if you want to eat delicious vegetables, bhajis, bhajiyas and pakodas, then plant taro plants instead of caladiums.

This way, with a little care, the beauty of any garden can be enhanced with these extremely attractive plants. These are easily available in any nursery. You can also buy their tubers and bulk produce them them. If you have any more questions about Caladium, please ask in the comments. We are always waiting for your suggestions and questions.

Will meet another lovely plant soon. till then...

Bye!