We have now experienced out first frost (three nights of frost actually), and the caladiums and glads are starting to wilt. One glad is being pretty persistant and is still blooming. Is now the time to dig them for storage? And, should I lay them out on the garage floor or something to dry them first? This is my first year with them and want to do it right.
Tropicals: Caladiums and glads after frost
Joan, I would wait until a hard frost kills off the foliage. Definitely dry them off; glads store well in brown paper bags, caladiums... well, let's hope someone answers with more success than I have had. John
Joan,
Wait until the foliage is died down (as John said) and then dig them up. If you're like me and have trouble remembering exactly where they are, mark them with a flag or something so that when the foliage is dying or in my case last year, GONE, you'll have an idea of where to dig.
I kept mine in a mesh bag (open air) last year on my screened in porch and they did ok this year.
~Carla
Thank you John and Carla. I have left them in the ground, and they are starting to die down. Tonight we are supposed to get a hard frost tonight. I was worried about whether they could go through these repeated frosts without dying.
Joan, I usually allow them only one hard frost. Carla gives great advice, but you are in a much colder zone, so I'd probably put those mesh bags in a cool room, not a screen porch. John
What I am thinking of doing is packing them in the stuff like Bert sent our bulbs in,(the name escapes me, but it's dry and stringy), and into mesh bags like we buy onions and oranges in. Then I will hang them in the cool, dark crawl space for the winter. Will that work?
Sounds good to me!
Just wanted to let you all know what I do. I start my caladium bulbs in 6 inch pots. When I have leaves and past the last frost I plant pot an all so when it comes time to dig up in the fall all I have to do is pull out the pots and remove the bulbs. I put pine straw around the pots while in the ground, so the top of the pot does not show. I would add, before storing, I would let then dry completely. One year I didn't and lost a good number.