Bulbs: Just bought caladiums & colocasia, 0 by cathy166

cathy166 wrote:
I see you mentioned caladiums and calocasias, neither of which are considered summer flowering, but both are tropical plants. What you have are bulbs, correct? You can plant them in a container indoors now. They need to be above 60 degrees but the potted bulbs do not need light. Quite frankly, make sure you label them or you will think you have a pot of dirt.

Depending on which caladium you have, the bulbs can take any amount of time from one to two months or more till you see it sprouting. It also depends on the quality and size of the bulb. To put them outside, the ground soil needs to be at least 60 degrees, so even if the air warms to that temperature, putting caladiums in cold soil will most likely cause them to rot. You can leave them in the package (indoors) until you are ready to plant outdoors, or your can start indoors. Since I don't have the best luck starting outdoors, I start them indoors and make sure they are watered. If you mix different types, they grow at different rates. I like containerizing because I can move them around.

The first is Gingerland. The second is Miss Muffett with a Hilo Beauty Alocasia that I would not get again. Third is White Queen and something else. The more sunlight White Queen gets, the darker pink the veins become. These were taken July 7, 2012. I think the fourth is Brandywine, taken in August. The fifth is more of a closeup of White Queen, also taken in August.

Caladiums do bloom, but are not considered flowering plants because their foliage is so showy and their blooms are insignificant. You will learn a lot from LariAnn on the Aroids Forum. In short, they send up a stalk (spathe) and it opens with tiny, tiny blooms.

For a good show, make sure you plant enough bulbs per container. Your planting zone is probably warmer than mine, so you will most likely have a longer growing season. Other bulbs that would probably do well for you (in ground) are calla lilies (zantedeschia) and they have a very showy. They are also called Arum lilies and are aroids. Some are tender, but many are winter hardy in your area. The "bloom" lasts about 3 weeks, and if you alternate the planting, you can have a longer season.

Don't forget to check the Aroids Forum. Lots of interesting and educational info. You get a lot of bank for your buck when it comes to caladiums.