If you want to know the secrets of How to Grow a Big Caladium, then we have the best tricks to share to help you have a massive one!
If you are not sure about How to Grow a Big Caladium, then don’t worry! We will guide you through simple tips and tricks to help you have an enormous one!
Check out the best Indoor Caladium Ideas from Instagram here
Types of Caladium that Grow Big
If you want to grow a big caladium, remember that variety plays the most important role. For the biggest leaves, go for cultivars like Burning Heart, Lemon Bush, White Christmas, Carolyn Whorton, Red Fash, and Fannie Munson.
Check out the Most Beautiful Types of Caladiums here
How to Grow a Big Caladium?
1. Choose a Right Container
Go for a container about 4-5 times the diameter of the tuber. This will give it all the space it needs to grow bigger while getting proper nutrients and moisture.
Do not opt for too big or small pots as it may create root rot problems.
2. Provide Sufficient Light
The secret behind How to Grow a Big Caladium lies in the amount of sunlight. Too much can scorch the leaves, and too little may result in smaller and faded foliage.
For the best size, expose the plant to more morning sunlight; exposure for 3-4 hours daily would be fine. After that, ensure it gets dappled or indirect light throughout the day. Never expose it to the harsh afternoon sun, especially in the summer.
3. Protect the Plant from Pests
Check the plants carefully every week to see they are not attacked by any pests. Be careful of aphids, mealybugs, ants, and spider mites, that hide behind the leaves and stems.
These can hamper the development of the plant by sucking the sap, which is essential for bigger leaves.
Use mild insecticidal soap regularly to get rid of pest problems.
4. Provide the Right Nutrients
The best way to ensure these plants grow enormous leaves is to add a handful of vermicast into the growing medium every 6-8 weeks. This will not only make them grow bushier, but the size of the leaves will be giant too.
You can also feed them with 5-10-10 liquid fertlizer, after diluting that to half of its recommended strength on the fertilizer packet, once in 4 weeks.
Note: The main minerals caladiums need to grow better are potash and phosphorous.
5. Maintain the Right Humidity
Caladiums love to stay in an atmosphere where they can get a constant humidity between 50-60%. The best way to achieve it is either keeping its pot on a pebble tray filled with water or grouping the plants together and misting the foliage 2-3 times daily. You can also use a humidifier.
If you are growing caladiums in the garden, keep them together or with other plants to create a microenvironment. This will elevate the humidity levels, helping the plant achieve enormous leaves.
6. Avoid Unnecessary Pruning
Do not prune the plant and let it grow as it develops at its own pace. If you spot a new, small leaf below an old large one, then avoid snipping it off the plant, as there are high chances that it will grow on to become the biggest one!
7. Have Patience and Let them Grow!
Last but not least, have patience. Caladiums, sometimes, take their own sweet time to achieve the growth and size you are looking for.
Do not disturb the plant by touching it daily or changing its position every now and then. Let it be, and let it grow!
Learn How to Grow the Heart of Jesus Plant here
Important Points to Consider
- Before you ask How to Grow a Big Caladium, do not keep your expectations sky-high. It is a hit or miss with plants as they have a mind of their own.
- Water the plants only when the topsoil goes a little dry to the touch. Do not moisten the growing medium daily, and also ensure the soil is not going dry completely.
If you want big, showy leaves, pick varieties that grow big leaves :
Red Flash, White Majesty, Carolyn Whorton, etc.
Many varieties have small leaves even in best conditions. They were selected for that trait. ( Cute look for mixing with other plants, better wind resistance. ) Pick the right variety that fits what you want.
And if grown outside, big leaves need to be protected from strong winds that can damage or snap them.
Follow temperatures instructions because cold = rot. ( Night temps should not go below 10°C, ideally 12°C+, in many climates this means june / late Spring. Some climates or micro-climates can’t have Caladiums outside at all. They are great indoor plants anyway. ).
If you can’t find them in Spring 2023, it’s because of a shortage due to bad weather in Florida ( a drought then a hurricane ) last Summer.
Try your luck this Fall, maby new crops will be ready for ”holydays Caladiums”. There should be better avaliability in Spring 2024.
Don’t wait too long to order the varieties you want. Since so many people missed-out this year, Caladiums will probably go out of stock next year too, but much later.
Store them at room temperature if you’re not ready to plant. They don’t want a ”cold rest” as they are warm tropical plants.
And finally, some varieties can take 4 or more weeks to sprout. Red Flash, for example, is very slow to sprout. Just keep the soil slightly moist, warm ( 20°C – 25°C ). As long as the tuber didn’t turn mushy, it’s not dead. Be patient.
Again, some varieties sprout much faster than others. Catalogs for commercial greenhouse production usually have this information, but not retail websites, which is a shame.