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2/24/03 Contacts: Yard and Garden Column for the Week Beginning February 28, 2003 Caladiums - Colorful Foliage Plants for Shady Locations By Richard Jauron Caladiums are tropical plants grown for their colorful foliage. The multicolored leaves are combinations of green, white, pink or red. There are fancy-leaved varieties with heart-shaped foliage, strap-leaved varieties with narrower, elongated leaves, and dwarf varieties. Plant heights vary from 18 to 24 inches for the fancy-leaf types to 8 to 12 inches for the dwarf varieties. Caladiums can be grown in containers, as specimens, or massed in beds or borders. Plants perform best in moist, well-drained soils in partial shade. Although caladium tubers can be planted directly outdoors in mid to late May in Iowa, home gardeners can establish a colorful outdoor display much more quickly by starting them indoors. Plant caladiums indoors 4 to 6 weeks before the average frost date in your area. Tubers should be planted at a depth of 1 to 2 inches. When planting, place the knobby side up. The knobs are the tuber's eyes or buds. Tubers that are mistakenly planted upside down do grow, but they take longer to emerge. 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 2-inch layer of mulch around the plants. Caladiums in containers should be checked regularly and watered when the potting soil begins to dry out. Caladiums have a moderate fertility requirement. In outdoor beds, apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer and incorporate it into the soil before planting. Fertilize caladiums in pots with a soluble fertilizer every 2 to 4 weeks. Home gardeners can choose from numerous caladium varieties. Tubers can be purchased at garden centers and from mail-order catalogs. Some of the more popular varieties, and a brief description of each, are listed below. 'Aaron' - white leaves with green edges. In Iowa, caladiums cannot survive the winter outdoors. These tender perennials must be dug up in the fall and stored indoors over the winter. Carefully dig up the caladiums when the foliage droops and begins to yellow with the onset of cool fall temperatures or wait until after the first frost. Place the plants in a warm, dry location for 1 or 2 weeks to cure. Afterwards, cut off the dry foliage and bury the tubers in dry peat moss or vermiculite. Store the tubers in a cool (50 to 55 F), dry location. -30- ml: isugarden
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