Caladium varieties. Caladium is a bright decoration for your collection. Possible problems when growing Caladium

1. Growing temperature: Can be grown throughout the year at room temperature between 18 and 24 degrees Celsius. During the winter months, it is best to lower the air temperature to 16 degrees Celsius.

2. Lighting: Caladium needs 2-3 hours of direct sun in the morning and evening to maintain the bright color of the leaves, green-leaved plants are successfully grown in partial shade. The flower loves long light days.

3. Watering and humidity: in spring and summer, water so that the topsoil dries slightly between waterings, in autumn and winter, reduce the frequency of watering. It is better to increase the air humidity.

4. Pruning: in the spring, formative pruning is carried out and the tips of young shoots are pinched to form a dense curve of the crown. With sanitary pruning, all old and diseased stems are removed.

5. Priming: Caladium easily tolerates a very wide range of soil conditions and can adapt to almost any substrate that is well drained. However, nutrient-rich soils are preferred.

6. Top dressing: in spring and summer, 2 times a month with mineral and organic fertilizers. During the dormant period, the flower is not fed.

7. Reproduction: separation of tubers during spring transplanting, air layering and stem cuttings, very rarely - sowing seeds in spring.

Botanical name: Caladium.

Caladium flower - family ... Aroid.

Origin... South America.

Description... The genus "Caladium" is very extensive, this plant has tubers, from which heart-shaped, very thin leaves on long petioles appear. In length, the leaf plate can reach 30 - 40 cm. The shades of the leaves are very diverse - in all shades of green, white, red, crimson, pink and purple, with spots and stripes of all kinds of shapes and sizes. Veins can be highlighted in brighter colors. The flowering of this plant is short-lived and is of no particular value, therefore it is recommended to remove the peduncles so that the plant does not waste its strength on flowering.

Height... Caladium can reach a height of 60 cm.

2 caring for caladium at home

2.1 Reproduction, growing from seeds

Daughter tubers when transplanting. Dividing large tubers into pieces with a sharp, sterile instrument.

2.2 When Caladium Blooms

Flowers are inconspicuous, appear at the end of summer.

2.3 Planting and care

These beautiful plants love warmth and long daylight hours. In autumn, the leaves of the plant die off, and it enters a dormant state in winter, which can last up to 5 months. However, you can keep Caladium until next season. Reduce watering in fall to dry out the soil, remove dried leaves, and place the tubers in a cool, dark place with a temperature of about 16 ° C.

2.13 Note

Unfortunately, the quality of the plants sometimes decreases with age. All parts of Caladium are toxic if ingested - keep it away from children and pets.

Hydroponics.

3. Varieties:

bicolor - Caladiumbicolor

Spectacular, evergreen, herbaceous plant from 30 to 80 cm high. Leaves are spear-shaped, on long, thin, glossy petioles. The shades of the leaf plates are very diverse and consist of all sorts of combinations of white, green, red and pink shades. During the flowering period, the plants form a small inflorescence - a cylindrical ear, surrounded by a waxy, thick, white or cream blanket.

3.2.merciful - Caladium zamiaefolium

Surprisingly, the first name for zamiokulkas is zamielistny caladium. Zamioculcas or dollar tree is a slowly growing herbaceous perennial evergreen plant. The full name of the plant - Zamioculcas zamielistny came from the similarity with zamia. Stems are tall, powerful, dark green with many glossy, fleshy, elliptical leaves, opposite or alternately arranged in 2 rows. In fact, the division into leaves and stems is conditional - in fact, both stems and leaves are very large modified complex leaves. Leaflets up to 10 cm long and about 3 cm wide, arranged in opposite pairs. Often, young leaves with their powerful growth literally repel old ones. The flowers are small, inconspicuous, collected in an inflorescence - a cob surrounded by a veil, flowering often goes unnoticed. Only old plants bloom, after flowering they can shed their leaves. As a storage organ, the plant has small tubers in the root system that resemble potatoes.

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Caladium attracts attention with its beauty and pronounced decorativeness. Despite all the troubles associated with its cultivation, it is popular with decorators, florists, landscape designers and ordinary amateur florists. This plant is native to the tropics and subtropics, therefore for the successful growth of Caladium, it is necessary to create the conditions familiar to it.

Description

Caladium is a garden or indoor plant loved by many connoisseurs of exoticism with large, elegant leaves that have a variety of colors. Their shape is often compared to that of a spearhead or heart. The veined leaves are often endowed by nature or breeders with a contrasting color, consisting of two shades. The most common colors of caladium leaves are: purple, yellow, white, red, green. This vine does not have a stem, has a root growth of leaves, which grow over time and create dense rosettes up to half a meter in diameter.

At the base of the root system of the caladium there is a roundish-flattened tuber measuring 7-10 cm in diameter, at the top of which the rudiments of the future plant are clearly visible and a little to the side - lonely sleepy buds.

It should be noted that its inflorescence is often mistaken for a caladium flower.It appears after the opening of the third or fourth leaf and looks like a solid ear, made up of female and male flowers, wrapped in a pointed blanket. Very often the “blanket” takes on the same color as the deciduous part. The whole process of enjoying flowers usually lasts no more than a day, and after 4-5 weeks roundish orange-red berries ripen on the spot of the inflorescence.

Caladium is a poisonous plant.It is dangerous both when it enters the esophagus and simply when working with it.

During planting, it is necessary to protect hands with gloves, and contact of the child with this plant is strictly prohibited.

Types and varieties

Consider popular plant varieties.

Humboldt's Caladium

This species lies at the very foundation of breeding work on many potted hybrids. Its difference is the dark green color of the leaf plates, on the outer side of which silver stripes diverge from the center, having a narrowing towards the edge. In length, leaf plates reach 10 cm and 5 cm in width. The flowers, which resemble candles in their appearance, open up in the spring, but do not have much decorative benefit.

Caladium Schomburg

This variety of caladium stands out with oval leaves up to 15 cm long and 12 cm wide. The upper side of the leaf plate is painted in silver-reddish tones with green veins.

Decorative varieties:

• Venosum- on its oval green leaf plate, a red border and a vein in the center stand out, and the side veins are drawn with yellow stains;
• Erythraeum- the dark red leaf has silver patterns along the veins.

Caladium bicolor

The leaves of this species are much narrower than those of the rest, and their shape is often characterized as arrow-shaped. A bright red blot diverges from the very center along the edges with sharp tips against a green background. The length of the plate reaches 30 cm.

There are quite a few hybrid varieties.

• Rosalie- green edging is clearly visible on red leaves.

• Pink beauty - in the very center, the leaf is pink, along the edge there is a green edging, veins are summed up with a bright pink stripe.

• Florida Cardinal - the leaf plates are shiny and painted in a crimson hue, along the edge there is a bright green wide border.

• White christmas - the surface of the leaf is silvery, on which there are dark green stripes along the veins and small dark green specks.

• Red Flash - the literal translation of this variety sounds like: "red flash". And this is no coincidence - the appearance of the sheet plate of the Caladium "Red Flash" resembles a photo of a bright explosion, painted in red tones. A bright crimson stripe runs along the leaf and diverges in sharp wide veins to its edges, and a scattering of light specks is located on a green background. The length of the leaf plate reaches 30 cm.

Home care

Subject to certain requirements, it is not so difficult to care for and grow Caladium on your own.

Here is a general scheme of care for plants grown in houses and apartments.

1. The end of March and the beginning of April are the time when the caladium pot is brought out into the light after hibernation and ample watering is provided.
2. At the same time, the comfort temperature for the natural development of Caladium is in the range from +22 to +27 degrees Celsius.
3. In the spring, watering should be abundant, but not excessive. The frequency of watering is approximately 1 time per week. Water that accumulates in the pan must be poured out.
4. In summer, the frequency of watering is increased to twice a day, approximately 0.5 liters of water per plant.
5. Watering Caladium is carried out with water at room temperature not lower than +22 degrees Celsius.
6. When water drops hit the leaves, they respond with dark spots. Therefore, it is important to be careful when watering.
7. It is advisable to install a container with water not far from the pot so that the water evaporates and provides the moisture necessary for the flower.
8. Fertilizers are applied from the end of May. In total, 2-3 feeding will be needed per season.
9. With the onset of autumn, the Caladium falls asleep. Its leaves dry, and the plant itself is removed to a dark place before the onset of spring.
10. Caladium is also cared for during hibernation. Its soil needs periodic wetting, and in order to avoid drying out, a few tablespoons of water will be enough.

When cultivating caladium in the garden, it is planted to a moderately lit, slightly shaded place without direct exposure to ultraviolet radiation, because in his usual natural conditions, this plant is in the shadow of other plants. It is carried out abundant watering in the summer, and spraying is also encouraged.

Outdoor cultivation is done in a mixture from the compost component, sheet soil, sand, turf soil with charcoal.

In late autumn, after the leaves dry up, the tubers are dug out of the ground, cleaned of residues, sprinkled with a mixture of sand and earth, then placed in a cool place, where they are immersed in hibernation.

Reproduction methods

Caladium propagates in three possible ways: by daughter tubers, by dividing tubers, and by seed.

1. To propagate caladium daughter tubers, during transplantation in the spring, children are separated from the mother's tuber, placing them in a separate flowerpot or pot. This method is considered one of the most common and simplest.
2. Use method of dividing tubers is also pretty simple. To do this, an adult specimen must be divided into 2 or 3 parts and seated in different containers. At least one kidney must be left on each part. The division of the tuber is carried out with a disinfected knife, and the live sections are sprinkled with coal powder and planted in a sand-peat mixture. Germination is carried out in a bright and warm room with a temperature of +22.24 degrees Celsius.
3. Caladium is grown seeds in order to obtain a new variety. Seeds must be purchased from specialized stores. Since this is a hybrid, it does not make sense to collect your own seeds at home, since some traits of the mother plants may be lost in subsequent generations. Seeds are sown in a mixture of sand with deciduous soil with regular moistening and maintaining the temperature at +30 degrees Celsius. The sprouting can be observed after 2-3 weeks, and after a month they can be planted in independent containers. In the summer season, the caladium dives again, and by the fall, small tubers are already forming.

Flowering features

At the end of May, after the first 4 leaves have appeared, the development of the inflorescence begins at full speed - an elongated ear of a light shade in yellowish tones, which turns into a white-green or leaf-colored blanket. Flowering does not occur in tandem with pronounced odors and lasts only one to several days. After pollination, dense spherical berries ripen.

It is worth noting that in indoor conditions, flowering and ripening of fruits is very rare.

Diseases and pests

Caladiums, like many plants, are susceptible to various diseases and pests.

Bacterial rot

The tubers of the plant are exposed to Fusarium and wet rot. If damaged areas are found, the tubers are cut to healthy tissue using a sterile knife, and the cut sites are sprinkled with powder fungicides.

Caladium(Caladium)- deciduous indoor culture from the Aroid family. In nature, it is common in the tropics of South America and India. Caladium gained popularity as an indoor flower for its incredibly beautiful light green leaves with various streaks, spots and a contrasting pattern. For the unusual color and shape of the leaves, the culture in nature is called "Angel Wings", "Heart of Christ" and Elephant Ears.

Caladium shoots are very thin, most often basal, arrow-shaped or cordate. The plant requires careful attention and some care. Indoor caladium does not grow too quickly - during the growing season, 10 to 12 leaves appear, and the flower itself reaches a height of 30 to 60 cm, and in nature the culture grows up to 5 meters.

The peculiarity of cultivation is a seasonal dormant period, during which caladium completely loses its leaves and "freezes", therefore, it is most often grown as an annual.

	In one year, the plant adds 10-15 leaves.
	At home, it almost does not bloom.
	The plant is easy to grow.
	Up to 3 years old.

Caring for Caladium at home. Briefly

Caladium at home requires attention and care. Otherwise, if the temperature regime, timely moisture and other rules are not observed, the plant quickly loses its decorative qualities, ceases to grow actively and may completely die. Like many tropical crops, Caladium places great demands on temperature, indoor humidity and light levels.

Basic rules for caring for a indoor flower:

Temperature	During the active growing season, the plant requires a temperature not lower than +20 degrees, during the dormant period - not higher than +5 +8 degrees.
Air humidity	Requires regular and frequent spraying and high indoor humidity.
Lighting	Easily tolerates partial shade, the most preferred location is north and west windows.
Watering	A sign that the plant needs watering is a dried top layer of the substrate. In winter, the earthen lump is only slightly moistened, preventing complete drying out.
Priming	The best option is a mixture of slightly acidic garden soil, peat and sand in proportions of 3: 1: 1.
Top dressing and fertilization	Complex mineral fertilizer is required every 10 days. In winter, the plant does not require feeding.
Transfer	A transplant is required when an earthen coma is filled with roots.
Reproduction	By dividing the rhizome and cuttings, less often and more difficult - by seeds.
Growing features	Large mogul species grow well in the garden, but choose a shady spot under trees or shrubs.

Caring for Caladium at home. In detail

Caladium home care requires careful and regular, but with due observance of all the rules, the plant will delight with its splendor and brightness of the leaves. The plant reacts especially sharply to bright light; it is unacceptable for direct sunlight to hit the leaf plates. Caladium also needs to ensure the correct watering regime in order to prevent waterlogging of the soil and rotting of the roots, but also not to make the plant feel a lack of moisture.

Flowering caladium

If the home caladium is blooming, then ideal conditions have been created for it. But most flower growers rarely achieve the appearance of flowers in this plant.

Collected in small cobs of pink, white, and less often yellow, they do not have a high decorative value in comparison with the lush color of the leaves.

Temperature regime

For active growth and a beautiful appearance, Caladium definitely needs warmth. Like many plants from the tropics, it does not tolerate drafts and a drop in air temperature during the active growing season. It is optimal if the room is + 20- + 25 degrees. When the caladium is at rest, a cool place is found for it, where the temperature is maintained at + 8- + 10 degrees.

The heat level should not be drastically reduced; it is better to do it gradually.

Spraying

Under natural conditions, Caladium is constantly in a humid environment, therefore it responds perfectly to high humidity. A flower pot should not be installed next to heating appliances. It is desirable to regulate the humidity level in the room using special devices - humidifiers. Caladium should be regularly sprayed with a spray bottle and wiped off the leaves with a damp cloth.

Lighting

Good lighting in the room is a guarantee that the leaves of the caladium will have a luxurious color and please with the brightness of contrasting stripes and spots. But this exotic plant also easily tolerates shade. Therefore, it can grow well on windowsills from the north and west. And here direct sunlight can harm it, spots will appear on the shoots.

Watering

In order for the caladium flower to grow safely at home and look luxurious, it needs to provide the correct watering regime. In the hot season, when the culture is actively growing, it needs frequent and abundant moisture. This happens at least 1-2 times every 7-10 days.

But the water should not stagnate in an earthen coma. This will lead to loss of both leaves and roots. It is correct to water the caladium as soon as the top layer of the substrate dries to a depth of 1-2 cm. In cold weather, the plant is not watered, but it is imperative that while it is in dormancy mode, the earthy ball does not completely dry out.

Caladium pot

A pot for a tropical plant is chosen not too large, but deep enough. The diameter of the vessel for planting caladium should be about a third less than the volume of the bush itself. It is important that drainage holes are made in the bottom.

A clay pot is perfect, which has the ability to improve the ventilation of the soil and prevent it from souring.

Caladium primer

The soil for the flower should be light, loose, not too acidic. To compose the correct substrate, they independently take three parts of garden deciduous humus, one part of peat and one part of sand. You can buy ready-made potting soil mixture at the store.

Top dressing and fertilization

A liquid mineral fertilizer containing calcium is used. Top dressing should be applied 2-3 times a month along with watering. In the fall, the frequency of feeding is reduced, and in the winter, they stop fertilizing the soil.

Caladium transplant

When the dormant period comes to an end (late February - early March), the plant needs to be transplanted so that it awakens from hibernation. To do this, take it out of the pot, examine all the roots of the tuber and, if there are any, remove them with sharp scissors or pruning shears.

The tuber is planted in a pot with prepared drainage and soil to a depth of at least 5 cm. Several tubers can be placed in one container at once.

Dormant period

With the onset of autumn, new shoots cease to appear in the plant and caladium at home stops growing. At this time, you need to gradually reduce the amount of watering and move the flower pot to a cooler place. At the beginning of winter, all the leaves are removed from the Caladium and sent to "wintering" in a room with a low air temperature.

Reproduction of Caladium

Caladium multiplies easily and every year you can get a new plant with beautiful leaves.

Reproduction of caladium tubers

The most common method of reproduction for caladium is tuberous. The bulbs can be purchased from specialized stores or obtained from maternal asthenia by dividing. Before planting, the tuber is inspected for the presence of diseases and pests, decay and the appearance of mold. An adult plant produces "babies" - small bulbs that are easily detached and used as seed.

If there are no "children", you can divide the maternal tuber, but each part must have 2-3 buds. Bulb cuts are treated with charcoal to prevent decay. In the prepared substrate of sand and peat, lay the tubers cut down and sprinkle with the remaining soil so that they go deeper by 4-5 cm.

Growing caladium from seeds

Seeds of the tropical "handsome" are purchased in flower shops. For planting, a light, loose moistened substrate is used, which is poured into a shallow dish and the seeds are buried so that the height of the soil above them is equal to the size of the tuber itself. For better germination, use a "greenhouse" - just cover the planting with film or glass.

Install the container with seeds in a warm place where the air temperature does not drop below +23 degrees. As soon as fresh shoots appear, they are regularly sprayed with water at room temperature from a spray bottle. It takes 3-4 weeks to germinate seeds.

The best time to breed is late February or early March.

Caladium is a whimsical plant that instantly reacts to improper care, violation of the watering regime and changes in room temperature. The following problems may arise in growing this variegated flower:

With improper watering, the tubers can quickly rot at Caladium. After removing them from the soil, you need to inspect for rot. If the tubers are soft and yellow, the flower is dead.

Caladium is often attacked by harmful insects. Most often, he becomes a "victim" of the attack of a spider mite, aphids, mealybugs. You can fight harmful insects by spraying the leaves with insecticides.

Types of homemade caladium with photos and names

There are more than 15,000 species and varieties of this magnificent plant in the world. But in indoor floriculture, only a few are easily adaptable.

Caladium bicolor

The most common type among florists. The leaves of Caladium Bicolor have a rich green color with a pattern of white veins, stripes and specks. The edge of each leaf of the plant is framed with a dark green border.

Caladium Humboldtii

This species is easy to reproduce, forgive others tolerates changes in climate and irrigation regime. Leaves are thin, may vary in color intensity. Most often they have white and even silvery spots and stripes on a dark green background. The plant is compact, easy to multiply. With the right lighting, you can achieve the splendor of the leaves even in winter and avoid a dormant period.

Caladium schomburgkii Schott

Attractive in appearance with red leaf blades and silvery patterns on them. The underside of the leaves is paler in color. The conquers are elongated, oval, slightly resembling a heart, large ones - up to 15 cm long, up to 12 cm wide.

The flower is popularly known under various names. For the unusual shape of the leaves he was nicknamed "Christ's heart", "elephant ears". The flower growers themselves call the leaves paper. They are thin and colorful. One gets the impression that they are made of colored paper. With all the advantages, caring for caladium at home does not cause problems even for beginners. This article describes in detail all the subtleties of care.

Herbaceous plant of the aroid family. Natural area of \u200b\u200bgrowth - the shores of the Amazon and tropical rainforests of Latin America. In nature, these are large plants. There are specimens up to 5 meters high. One sheet is able to reliably protect a person from heavy rain. The leaves are thin, fancifully colored. The shape is arrow-shaped.

As a houseplant, Caladium does not grow above 90 cm.More compact specimens are more common. As with wild relatives, the leaf blade is arrow-shaped or heart-shaped. Contrasting color, combines 2 or more colors. Crimson, pink, silver shades prevail.

In the spring, the rosette of leaves produces an inflorescence in the form of a light yellow elongated ear. The inflorescence is surrounded by a white veil with a greenish tinge. The flowers are odorless and of no particular decorative value. The main decoration is not a flower - Caladium is grown because of its beautiful, unusual leaves. In the case of pollination, fruits are tied - dense round berries. The apartment blooms and rarely bears fruit.

Breeders based on natural varieties have bred many hybrids of various colors. Only blue shades are missing in the color scheme. The pattern of each sheet is unique. Hybrid varieties are grown in the apartments. They are obtained by crossing several wild-growing caladiums. Few decorative deciduous plants can compete with the beauty of the leaves with caladium.

Important! There are periods of active growth and rest in the life cycle of a caladium. By the end of summer, the aboveground part of the plant begins to gradually die. Tubers remain in the ground. They are stored until spring, transplanted and wait for the appearance of young leaves.

Wild and cultivated species

Many hybrids have been bred based on different types of caladiums. Each has its own characteristics, is distinguished by its original colors.

• Caladium is two-tone. The plant is native to the Antilles. The foliage is arrow-shaped, about 30 cm. The color is variegated with a predominance of light green crimson and red. Blooms in late winter. Mainly hybrid varieties are grown in the apartments.
  
  
• Caladium of Schomburg. Brought from the humid and warm Brazilian forests. Leaves are oval, medium-sized. The front side of the leaf is silvery red. Veins - green, clearly stand out against a red background.
• Caladium Humboldt. The most common species in indoor culture. The plant is stemless. The rosette is formed from small arrow-shaped leaves. The color of the foliage is dominated by a dark green color. Large silvery spots are scattered in the center of the leaf. Blooms in April. The flowering period is short, the flower is nondescript.
  
  

Important! The sap of the plant is toxic, like that of other aroids. It contains oxalate crystals. In contact with mucous membranes, it causes irritation, chemical burns, painful sensations. A large amount of the substance leads to throat swelling and breathing problems. After contact with the flower, be sure to wash your hands! Place the plant out of the reach of children and pets!

It is considered a relatively easy plant to grow. Beginners may have a little difficulty. The basis of cultivation is the creation of a warm, humid microclimate, protection from sunlight and drafts.

• Lighting. The optimal location is west and east. The light is bright, diffused. Low illumination leads to a loss of variegated color, fading, inexpressive leaves.
• Temperature. The favorable temperature for growth is 20-25 ° C. Wintering in a warm place - not lower than 20 ° C. At any time of the day, sharp fluctuations in temperature and drafts are excluded.
• Watering. In nature, it is a bog plant. Watering is uniform, regular, frequent. The amount of watering depends on the characteristics of the soil. They give preference to air-permeable, loose soils; drainage is required. Stagnation of water leads to acidification of the soil, death of the flower. In the fall, as the leaves wilt, the frequency of watering is reduced.
• Top dressing. Any liquid complex fertilizers are suitable. Dilute in accordance with the instructions, make no more than 3 times a month. Overfeeding the flower is not recommended!
• Transfer. Every spring during the growth buds swelling. The lower part of the tuber is smooth, devoid of sprouts. They try to plant the tuber sprouts up. Improper planting will slow down germination, but will not damage the plant. Planting depth affects the appearance of the plant. If it is necessary to get additional shoots, the tubers are planted finely. The leaves will be smaller than usual. Deepening will increase the tuber and leaf size.
• The soil. Higher requirements are imposed on the soil. It is highly undesirable to use ready-made store mixes. The substrate is made up of high-moor peat and deciduous soil. Recommended additives are sand, perlite, coconut fiber.

Important! Improper awakening after a dormant period can destroy the plant. Watering is very moderate until the leaves appear. By this time, the tuber had not yet managed to grow small roots to absorb moisture, there is no evaporation through the leaves - the soil will dry for a long time. Constant dampness will lead to rotting of the tuber even before foliage appears.

Reproduction and cultivation

At home, caladium from seeds is grown only from seed purchased in specialized stores. On domestic plants, seeds rarely ripen, seedlings from them are obtained completely different - maternal features are lost. Daughter tubers are used for flower propagation.

• Planting with seeds. Seeds are sown in light soil, moistened with a spray bottle. The container is covered with glass and kept at a high temperature of 25-30 ° C. Regularly moisten the soil surface, arrange short-term ventilation. Entrances are expected in 15-20 days.
• Daughter tubers. In early spring, before planting, the tubers are cut into several parts. Each part should have one shoot (bud). The process is similar to cutting a potato with eyes. The sections are immediately covered with charcoal powder. The tubers are harvested in a shaded, well-ventilated, dry place for 2-3 days. Planting without drying threatens with rotting tubers. Tubers are planted in separate pots, watering is stopped for a while. Before sprouts appear, the soil is not waterlogged.

Common problems

Caladium easily infects from other plants, suffers from improper care. The greatest danger is wet and fusarium bacterial rot. If a disease is suspected, the roots are removed from the pot and treated with fungicide powder.

Among insects there are common pests of indoor plants - aphids, spider mites, mealybugs. Insecticides will help to cope with them. Yellowing of the leaves may indicate improper care or late blight. It is recommended to treat the flower with fungicides just in case. In the first place in terms of frequency are problems associated with a violation of the care regimen.

Caladium will become a worthy decoration of any, the richest and most exquisite floral collection. Its variegated, unusually beautiful leaves attract the eyes, leaving no one indifferent.

The unique plant with large leaves prompted people to come up with unusual names. The people call the Caladium "Elephant ears" or "Christ's heart", which characterizes the elongated shape of the leaves.

In the wild, Caladium grows freely in the tropical jungles of South America. In our conditions, it is used as a house plant that needs warmth and moisture.

In floriculture, it is valued for its decorative leaves, with an average length of 30 cm. The flowers typical of the Aroid family, in the form of an ear without stipules, do not represent showiness.

Caladium is a thermophilic plant and is used for seasonal cultivation from April to September. With a decrease in daylight hours, its leaves turn yellow and serve. Therefore, the stem is cut off, and the rhizome is placed in a dark, cool place.

Caution! In a family where there are babies, it is better to refuse caladium, since the plant is poisonous!

Although caring for it is simple, you should not start a Caladium where there are drafts and sudden changes in lighting and humidity.

How to choose a houseplant Caladium?

Domestic growers prefer several species that have been successfully used in breeding to obtain a variety of hybrids.

The choice is determined by the taste preferences of the owner, since the care of all varieties of Caladium is the same.

Popular varieties and species with photos

Humbold's Caladium

Underlies the selection of indoor varieties. The species is distinguished by dark green leaves, cuttings of which grow from the soil without stems, forming round rosettes. On the upper side of the plate, silver stripes diverge from the center, narrowed towards the edge.

Candle flowers open in spring, but are of no decorative value.

Caladium Schomburg

Heart-shaped leaves 15 - 20 cm long and 10 cm wide. The color is dominated by white with green veins, and the same border around the edge.

In indoor floriculture, two varieties of this type are distinguished:

• Venosum with a red halo along the periphery of the leaf blade and bright cherry veins.
• Erythraeum - the color is characterized by a mixture of dark green and whitish colors.

Caladium bicolor

The leaves are narrower than those of other species, their shape is called arrow-shaped. A bright red spot from the central petiole diverges with sharp edges against the background of a wide green stripe along the edge of the leaf. The length of the plate is 30 cm.

Various decorative shades are found on hybrids:

• White christmas - on a silvery leaf, dark green streaks.
• Rosalie - with a crimson center and a green edge.
• - red streaks are clearly visible against the background of the pink center, which is bordered by a green stripe.

Caladium Linden

White paired stripes diverge strictly horizontally from the central vein.

The shade of the transverse trim takes on a creamy yellowish tint. The plates are thin, but leathery.

Location selection

Bearing in mind that its historical homeland is warm and humid tropics, it is important to create similar conditions at home. All species and varieties need good lighting, but do not tolerate the scorching sun.

Most hybrids lose their bright color from lack of light. and turn into a plant of an expressionless look, if you place the pot on the north side.

The caladium flower suffers from the heat and dries quickly on the southern windowsill. Here he needs to arrange diffused light using a special screen.

The optimal place is the northeast, where natural shading occurs in the afternoon.

Advice! Protect the plant from drafts! It is preferable to choose a cozy place with one-way ventilation. Often the containers with the plant are placed on the floor rather than on the windowsill.

Care

The care scheme is as follows:

• At the end of March, the beginning of April, after winter rest, the Caladium is brought out into the light and actively watered.
• Provide optimal temperature - +22 - + 27 ° and humidity, to which it is undemanding, but gratefully responds to a container of water. Constant evaporation provides a favorable atmosphere around the leaves.
• In September, when the leaves dry out, the plant is taken to rest in a dark place until spring. From time to time, the soil is moistened so that the rhizome does not dry out. You literally need a few tablespoons.
• At the end of winter, the roots are propagated if necessary.
• With the emergence of sprouts, the pot is exposed to light.

For planting rhizomes, ready-made substrates for caladium are used, sold in specialized stores. If you failed to buy it, it doesn't matter. The mixture can be prepared independently by combining the following components in equal parts:

• Low peat,
• Greenhouse land
• Small pine bark mulch.

For planting, a layer of expanded clay is poured on the bottom of the pot - 3 - 5 cm, 2 cm of coarse sand is placed on it to drain excess water. Then, a nutritious substrate is poured into which the rhizome is placed, as deep as possible.

Attention! A shallow planting provokes the growth of many children with small, expressionless leaves. This is why large pots are chosen.

Watering and feeding

Irrigation is necessary abundantly, but not excessive. In the spring they water it every 5 - 7 days, but allow the soil to dry out. Water should appear in the pan, but the excess must be drained. Roots rot from stagnation. At the same time, even a short-term drought is undesirable, the leaves turn yellow from it.

note! You can not use tap water, it must settle and heat up to + 22 0.

It is important to ensure that moisture does not get on the leaves, which causes ugly brown spots.

Fertilizers begin to be applied in late May, early June. In total, during the growing season, you will need 2 - 3 feeding. Use a nutrient for decorative deciduous indoor plants.

Reproduction

At the end of winter, the plant is taken out of the darkness and separated from the rhizome of the children that have grown over the past summer. For each nodule, you need a small pot, the size of a disposable glass. Small children 2 - 3 cm are placed in it. For large roots, 4 - 6 cm in size, choose a container of 18 cm.

Here are some tips for an amateur florist:

The nodule is planted bud upwards to a depth of two of its values. For example, if the diameter is 5 cm, then the root is deepened by 10 cm.

The substrate is the same composition as for adult plants. It is kept damp but not wet. Real watering begins with the germination of the leaves.

Sometimes seeds are used for propagation. This method is painstaking and troublesome, therefore it is suitable only for breeders.

Possible problems

By purchasing caladium with it, you can get pests that hide in the soil for the time being.

Dangerous for the plant:

• Spider mite,
• Mealybug.

Attention! When choosing protective drugs, it is worth remembering that different drugs are needed for each creature.

Aphids are destroyed by insecticides. The spider mite belongs to the arachnids, therefore acaricides are used against it. Nematicides will help with worms.

At home, it is better not to use chemical preparations at all, but resort to folk methods:

• Soap solution for external insects.
• Washing the rhizomes and calcining the soil from nematodes.

Growing caladium is an easy task if you follow the care recommendations during the period of active growth, and move the plant to dormant conditions in time.