Starting caladiums indoors

I potted them up, have them on heat mats, keeping them moist, and it's been over a week with nothing I can see happening. How long will I have to wait to see sprouts or roots or anything?

Caladiums take a long time. Last year when I planted them inside I think it took 3 - 4 weeks before I saw any growth and I had gone out and bought replacements. When I went to plant the replacements I noticed the originals were just starting to grow. Be careful not to overwater them as they will rot.

Sue

Some varieties take longer then others to germinate as well.

Patience is a must waiting for caladiums to start, lol. The good thing is once they do, they really crank! As Sue mentioned, be careful when watering; I keep mine just barely moistened till I see sprouts. Your heating mat will be helpful in speeding them up a bit.

How much quicker will you have them in the garden if you pot them up rather than waiting till the ground is warm enough to plant them? Does it make a huge difference? Also, I was wondering what the growth period for them actually is? Will they be leafed out earlier, and done with their display earlier if you pot them up and start them indoors as opposed to waiting and putting them outside? I hope these questions make sense...LOL I am not sure of the terminology when speaking on caladiums...lol

OOP, one more question....would it make sense to plant them at intervals like glads, to extend the season, or does it matter?

Janet, no need to stagger them like glads; caladiums keep doing their thing till it starts cooling down in fall. You've got a longer growing season, so not as much of a need to get them started early. If we don't start them early here, it would be August before they really start getting pretty. Just make sure your soil is warm; if you have cannas and/or elephant ears growing, then its warm enough.

I potted mine up last week, and it usually takes 3-4 weeks to start seeing sprouts.

So, if you want to keep them in pots, how big should the pots be?

Depending on the size of the tubers, I'd say 1-3 per 6-8" pot, 3-6 per 10-12" pot- if the tubers are 4" or so apart in the pot they should look full. I'm growing most of mine in containers this year and just experimenting with a few in the ground till I get to know the soil and growing conditions at the new place. They'll make some nice splashes of color on the deck along with pots of callas :)

and begonias...

and coleus, and brugs, and elephant ears, and pineapple lilies, and sparixas, and.................

I always thought coleus was a sunshine plant, but have recently discovered it's for shade...some gorgeous ones out there!

There ARE some Coleus that are "Sun coleus" that tolerate Sun.

Tom

HA!

It's allliiiiive!!!! It's alive!!!!

*lightening flashes*
*thunder crashes*

*mad cackles*

Hooray!

Well Gemini, if you started yours last week, I better get going on mine. I guess I will have to use the heating pad, we keep our home at 60 degrees day and night. Gets down to 57 in the basement.
I'll let you know in 3 to 4 weeks if they come up.

I bought a huge bag of caladiums at walmart last year. They didn't do that well for me ... now I think I know why

Glads are quick to grow and bloom, and easier to plant in place. Unless you're just wanting some extra early blooms, your growing season is long enough to plant directly out.

Congrats, Larissa!