Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Kristen

Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Kristen »

Well .. yesterday "just spikes" ... today fully blown leaf with all the colour markings :)
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Yorkshire Kris
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Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

They grow quick!
Kristen

Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Kristen »

Are they going to be happy with some water in the tray they are sitting in? (I mean sitting in a few mm rather than and inch or two ...) ?

The Calla and Arum's I have grown [first time this year] threw out roots from the corms everywhere - even upwards and arching back into the compost! and racing out of the bottom of the pot in no time flat ... and the Caladiums look similar. I kept the Callas and Arums on the wet side which they seem to have liked (although I think Arums are water lovers but not sure that Callas are too? they both got the same treatment here so far!)
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Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Dave Brown »

The Caladiums like to be well drained I am told, and mine are much more drought tolerant than Colocasia.

I must repot them as still in the polystyrene cups :lol:
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Kristen

Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Kristen »

Thanks Dave, I'll move them to the bench so the pots free-drain
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Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

Mine are growing really well in my heated propogater in very wet compost along with some colocasias.
GREVILLE

Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by GREVILLE »

All mine now in leaf except one which still hasn't shown.
Kristen

Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Kristen »

Definitely under way now :)
IMG_2317_ColocasciaCaladiums.jpg
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Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

Kristen wrote:Definitely under way now :)
IMG_2317_ColocasciaCaladiums.jpg
icon_cheers
GREVILLE

Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by GREVILLE »

Nice one, Kristen icon_cheers

It seems the sun has brought everything out. My last one has suddenly shown itself :D
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Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

Mine are now flowering! Probably not a good thing.
Kristen

Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Kristen »

Yorkshire Kris wrote:Mine are now flowering! Probably not a good thing.
Dunno if a related thought, but my Arums are flowering already (from fresh corms this season), and are spindly and not very exciting. I put that down to them having been "forced" in my conservatory (and not entirely bothered as I want a big-show in the years to come, not this year especially).

I wonder if Caladiums could also suffer from being hurried when young ?

Second thought is that stress causes plants to flower ("I'm dying, must reproduce ...") - although I think you said you had kept yours moist, so perhaps no chance that a dry spell prompted flowering?
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Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Dave Brown »

Yorkshire Kris wrote:Mine are now flowering! Probably not a good thing.
It does seem to slow them down for a while, but I think it is more related to buying flowering size corms than anything else. :wink:
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Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Yorkshire Kris »

Kristen wrote:
Yorkshire Kris wrote:Mine are now flowering! Probably not a good thing.
Dunno if a related thought, but my Arums are flowering already (from fresh corms this season), and are spindly and not very exciting. I put that down to them having been "forced" in my conservatory (and not entirely bothered as I want a big-show in the years to come, not this year especially).

I wonder if Caladiums could also suffer from being hurried when young ?

Second thought is that stress causes plants to flower ("I'm dying, must reproduce ...") - although I think you said you had kept yours moist, so perhaps no chance that a dry spell prompted flowering?

The plants seem to be in tip top condition with no Red Spider Mite, dry leaves or rot. They have not been stressed by drought but they have experienced plus 40 degrees temps.
Dave Brown wrote:
Yorkshire Kris wrote:Mine are now flowering! Probably not a good thing.
It does seem to slow them down for a while, but I think it is more related to buying flowering size corms than anything else. :wink:
The corms didn't seem that big (I don't know how big they get TBH) Two of the 4 are about to flower. Will post pics later.
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Re: Caladiums - My new obsession if I can get them to grow.

Post by Mick C »

Kristen wrote:Definitely under way now :)
IMG_2317_ColocasciaCaladiums.jpg

This is where it gets interesting for me. I could get them to this point, but no further; growth just stalled. Left in the greenhouse they got no bigger, planted out they just got smaller.

I'm hoping that you guys can work out how to get them to a decent size, they are beautiful plants and I'd like to give them another try if someone can tel me how to grow them.
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