It’s officially spring, and that means it’s time to start planting your garden! If you’re looking for a fun and easy plant to add to your garden, consider caladium bulbs. Caladium bulbs are colorful and easy to care for, and they can add a pop of color to any garden. In this blog post, we’ll teach you how to plant caladium bulbs in your garden. Keep reading for step-by-step instructions!
How to Plant Caladium Bulbs: Step by Step Guide
- Dig a planting hole 2 to 3 times the depth and twice the width of your bulbs. Locate the holes on your site 12 inches apart. Soak the soil beside the hole, not in it so you don’t rot the roots of other plants nearby.
- Place bulbs on their side with tops at ground level, roots facing up and pointed toward the edge of the hole.
- Fill in around your bulbs with an equal amount of soil. The tops of the bulbs should be level with the ground, so mound more soil to cover them if necessary. Gently firm down with your fingers or foot. Water thoroughly. Keep moist through spring so the leaves can emerge, making sure you weed out any weeds coming through.
Planting Caladium Bulbs in Containers
- Locate a container that is at least 8 inches deep, then fill it about halfway full of an organic garden loam that contains no fertilizer or lime.
- Mix some compost into this potting mix before planting caladiums for added nutrition and water retention qualities which will help the plants through the hot summer months.
- Plant your bulbs at a depth of about 4 inches in organic potting soil, spacing them 12 inches apart for optimal results.
- Water the soil frequently to keep it moist, but allow it to dry out somewhat between watering sessions. Water thoroughly when you do water until water runs freely from drain holes in the bottom of the container.
- Avoid wetting the foliage when you water them to prevent diseases that may attack caladium leaves, such as leaf spots and stem rot fungi.
Plant Caladium Bulbs in the Ground with Raised Beds
Make sure you prepare your garden bed before planting caladiums in spring or fall so they can establish roots before the winter months set in. Turn over the soil to a depth of 12 inches or more. Dig out any large rocks or debris from the soil, then mix some organic compost into the soil so caladiums have plenty of nutrition and water-holding capacity to survive hot summer months.
6 Steps to Plant Caladium
- Plant your bulbs 4 inches deep at a spacing of 12 inches apart in spring after all danger of frost has passed. Water plants well right after planting them to help establish roots quickly.
- If you planted them in the fall, water is often enough to keep the top 1 inch of soil moist until they sprout in springtime. Once leaves appear, stop watering; over-watering can lead to fungal problems caused by leaf spot and stem rot fungi that may attack caladium plants when humidity is high.
- You can how to plant caladium bulbs in containers depending on how large your container is. For example, if you have a 20-inch diameter pot, you need to space your bulbs 4 inches apart.
- If you use smaller pots, then it’s best to space them 6 inches apart. Plant your bulb at the same depth it would be planted in an outdoor garden bed (just like how to plant caladium bulbs in the ground).
- Water the soil until water drains out of the bottom of the container, usually about 3 or four times per week for 10 minutes each time.
- Make sure to keep up with watering your how to plant caladium bulbs indoors during hot summer months because they’ll require more watering than how to plant caladium bulbs outdoors.
How to Care Caladium Bulbs
After how to plant caladium bulbs, Caladium plant care is also very important. Caladiums need bright light for how to plant caladium bulbs indoors, but it should be indirect light. Put your plant in a place where they’ll receive morning sun through a window and some afternoon shade or even dappled shade from an overhead tree. Water how to plant caladium plants often enough so the top 1 inch of soil stays moist at all times, but don’t overwater them.
Cut off any yellowed leaves as soon as you see them growing because infected leaves will reduce their attractiveness. You can feed how to plant caladium plants with how to plant caladium fertilizer once or twice a month during spring and summer growing seasons. Caladium plants are native to South America, so they’re hardy in how to plant caladium care zones 9b through 11.
Conclusion:
Now that you know how to plant caladium bulbs, it’s time to get digging! Follow these simple steps and in a few weeks, you’ll have beautiful leaves adding color and life to your garden. If you have any questions or run into any problems while planting, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. With a little bit of effort, soon you’ll be able to enjoy the lush green leaves and cheerful colors of caladium bulbs in your own backyard.