Caladium tuber Florida Sweetheart

The Caladium species 'Florida Sweetheart' has pink leaves with contrasting dark pink veins and delicate thin green edges. We sell a Caladium tuber, not a plant!

Caladiums are tropical perennials that originally come from the Amazon jungle in South America. Caladiums are cultivated for their eye-catching, colorful and long-lasting leaves and are also ideal for indoor and outdoor pots. Very easy to grow in a moist, well-drained soil. These sun-tolerant plants also thrive in heat and humidity. The soil temperature must be at least 70° C when planting. To obtain a bushier plant (shorter and with more leaves), the main bud should be removed. After planting, it may take 3-6 weeks for the leaves to appear.

Light requirement: Bright, without direct midday sun.

Water requirement: The soil should be kept constantly slightly moist, avoid root rot!

Humidity: Average

Toxicity: Caladiums are poisonous!

How is the caladium tuber planted? The 'Jumbo' tuber that we offer for sale is best potted in a 17 to 19 cm pot, using normal green plant soil. Potting the tuber is very easy:

1) Fill the pot about 2/3 full with soil. Place the tuber (with the smooth side down and the "eyes" up) in the soil. If the bulb is planted upside down, this is not a problem, but it will take longer to sprout.

2) Cover the tuber with soil until the pot is full.

3) Water the soil until some water emerges from the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.

4) Place the pot in a place with sufficient warmth and light. Only water again when the soil dries out. Then you should always keep the soil slightly moist. It can take four to ten weeks for the bulb to sprout.

Caladiums grow relatively quickly, but they go dormant in winter, i.e. they should be overwintered. If overwintering is successful, the tubers will grow larger each year and new tubers will be formed.

For wintering there are two methods:

Warm wintering: when the leaves become weaker (smaller and more transparent), you should water minimally only once a month. If all goes well, the caladium will resprout in the spring.

Cold wintering: When the leaves become weaker, you should stop watering and cut off the leaves as soon as they have dried out. Once the soil has dried, the tubers can be removed. We recommend storing them in sawdust, sand or perlite in a cool, dark and dry place. If the tuber is still firm in spring and does not crumble to dust when pressed, it can be replanted.