How to Plant Caladiums

Plant caladium tubers knobby side up, 2 inches deep and 8–12 inches apart, once nights stay above 60°F. Caladiums are grown for their colorful leaves, not their flowers.

How to Plant Caladiums
When to plant
Outdoors once nights stay above 60°F, usually a few weeks after your last frost. Or start indoors 4–6 weeks before your last frost
Depth
2 inches deep, knobby "eye" side up
Spacing
8–12 inches apart
Sun
Partial shade, 2–4 hours of direct sun; sun-tolerant varieties handle more
Water
Evenly moist, never dry and never saturated
Soil
Moist, well-drained, rich in organic matter

Step by step

  1. Wait for warm weather. Planting into cold soil rots caladium tubers and slows growth.
  2. For a head start, pot tubers indoors 4–6 weeks before your last frost, barely covered, somewhere warm at 75–80°F.
  3. Choose a spot with part shade and 2–4 hours of direct sun, unless your variety is sold as sun-tolerant.
  4. Work leaf mold, compost or peat into the bed so it holds moisture but still drains.
  5. Set each tuber knobby side up (the side with the bumps and eyes), 2 inches deep and 8–12 inches apart.
  6. Water in and keep the soil moist to the touch, never soggy.
  7. In containers, set three tubers in a 6 inch pot, 2 inches deep.

After bloom

The leaves decline as fall cools. Where the ground gets cold, dig the tubers once nights start dropping below 55°F. Dry them in a warm spot for about a week and cut back the foliage once it yellows. Store at 60°F or warmer in something ventilated, like a mesh onion sack, until next season. Or bring a pot indoors and leave it undisturbed over winter.
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