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Care of Outdoor Caladium
Care of Outdoor Caladium. Caladium, which is also known as elephant ear, is part of the family of plants known as Araceae. It was cultivated in the 1700 in Europe and was considered a prized ornamental plant. Some varieties of caladium are indigenous to Central and South America as well as Brazil. With special care, caladium can grow outdoors,...
Caladium, which is also known as elephant ear, is part of the family of plants known as Araceae. It was cultivated in the 1700 in Europe and was considered a prized ornamental plant. Some varieties of caladium are indigenous to Central and South America as well as Brazil. With special care, caladium can grow outdoors, which allows you to enjoy this beautiful plant in its natural environment.
Soil Drainage
Finding the right location for your outdoor caladium is imperative and well-draining soil is a must. What you can do to test whether the location will work is to either observe how it drains after a rain or to run a hose on the area in which you wish to plant the caladium and observe how the water drains. If the water is still present after five hours, that is not a good site to plant your outdoor caladium. You should either add organic material until it will drain properly or look for another site.
Sunlight and Wind
Partial sunlight is best for the outdoor caladium. An area where your plants can receive plenty of semi-filtered sunlight is best. Plant the caldium where it will not be affected by strong wind. Too much wind can damage the plant's large leaves.
Planting
Plant the caladiums in holes that are 2 inches deep. When you hold the tuber up, look for the part of the tuber which has something similar to the eyes on a potato. Gently put the tuber in the ground, with the part with the eyes pointing up. Add a little bone meal to the soil and plant other tubers about 12 inches apart. Water them generously to encourage the caladium to take root.
Supplementing the Soil
You may find it necessary to supplement the soil for the caladiums. The plants prefer a consistent pH of 6.0 to 6.2. To maintain this level, add fertilizer such as pine bark and compost as well as potash. Adding 1 to 2 pounds of 8-8-8 fertilizer for every 100-foot bed will also help maintain the pH. You may have to switch to 5-10-10 fertilizer at 1 tsp. per every foot of bed.
Winter Storage
Trim the yellow growth from the foliage when the growing season has passed. Where winter is a concern, dig up the caladium before the frost to put it back in the ground in the spring.
Dig up the caladium tubers before the frost sets in. Lay them out in a cool, dry area and, when the caladium tubers are dry, remove the dead leaves and store them in net bags until spring. Make sure that the temperatures in the area where the tubers are stored do not drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
