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Caladiums are a type of flowering plant that belongs to the Araceae family. They live in South America, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and other tropical and subtropical areas. The leaf of caladiums is grown for its aesthetic value. There are more than 100 species in the genus and only a few are commonly grown.
Caladiums usually grown from tubers. Planting usually happens in spring or summer, when there is no longer any chance of frost. Caladiums grow best when it is warm, and they can’t handle frost. They like shady places with moist soil that drains well.
The White Christmas Caladium is a member of the same family as the Caladium Angel Wings. It is grown in a lot of places, like Peru and Mexico, as well as parts of the United States.
Overview
- Botanical Name : Caladium Bicolor “White Christmas”
- Common name : “Heart of Jesus”, “Elephant Ear” and “Angel Wings”.
- Family : Araceae (aroid)
- Origin : South America
- Leaf Characteristic : Bright white with green streaks.
- Height : between 16 and 24 inches
- Sun tolerance : Partially shaded to completely shaded
- Temperature : Minimum 15ºc. Most content is between 18°c and 27°c.
- Feeding: During the growth season, use your preferred houseplant fertilizer only once 2 weeks to a month.
- Soil mix: a potting mix that drains well is important. Normal flowering plant-soil combined with perlite should work well.
How To Care For Caladium White Christmas
Caladiums are in the family Araceae. They are tropical plants that do well when it rains and there is a lot of moisture in the soil. Then, is there anything special you need to do to help this caladium grow well? Here are some things you can do:
This plant is easy to grow, but there are a few things to think about before you start. If you plant caladiums the right way, they will grow quickly. The full guide is as follows:
- Get the bulbs ready
Caladium ‘White Christmas’ can make more plants in two ways: the vegetative process and the generative process. Take the tubers out of the soil. Clean the tubers, then split the tubers apart where leaves have grown on top.
- Growing Media
Caladiums are usually planted in pots, but they can also be cultivated straight in the soil in the front yard of such a house. Most of the time, a mixture of three parts compost and one-part sand is used. Here, the sand makes it easier for the root system in the soil to grow just so the plants can grow better.
- Planting
This is the easiest way to do it because all you have to do is make a hole in the soil. The depth of the pot itself can be anywhere from 3 to 4 cm, while the depth for planting directly into the ground should be 5 cm. Cover the rhizomes with soil until they are all covered evenly, and then press it down so the plants don’t fall over easily.
- Care
The first thing to think about when taking care of a Caladium “White Christmas” plant is where to put it. This plant requires to be in the shade, where the sun’s light isn’t too strong. Can also be put in a shady spot, but don’t water them too much.
If it is the middle of the summer months, moisture the crops once a day. If it is raining, water them once every three days. Before you water, check the soil to make sure it isn’t too wet, which can affect the plant tubers to rot. Make sure it isn’t too dry either.
Only N fertilizer needs to be used to feed a Caladium “White Christmas” once a month. This plant can be kept inside or outside; the only difference is how to water it. Since the plant isn’t evaporating as much when it’s inside, you can water it less.
With its bright, large, white leaves and dark green veins, the White Christmas Caladium is a sight you’ll never forget. The plant does very well both inside and outside. The White Christmas Caladium is a good choice if you want to improve your living area or show off other plants.
The Caladium family is made up of hybrid plants with different roots. The plant grows quickly and gets to about 22 inches tall (56 centimetres). Many indoor gardeners choose to grow the beautiful White Christmas Caladium because its leaves look like they belong to a Christmas tree.
Water Requirements
Most people who have grown Caladiums in their homes know that these lovely plants need a lot of water. The White Christmas Caladium plant grows naturally in tropical and subtropical areas, so it likes to be watered often.
If your White Christmas Caladium plant is in a sunny spot, you should water it every two days. Watering every day in places where it’s very hot. But rehydrating after 3 days also works in cities that get more than an inch of rain every one to two weeks.
The main thing that determines how often to water any plant, including White Christmas Caladium, is where it lives. When it’s hotter, a plant usually loses more water, so its watering schedule needs to be more often.
You can also look at the soil around the White Christmas Caladium plant. When the top inch or two of the plant’s soil is dry, add up to 1 to two inches of water. Alternatively, if that seems wet enough, don’t add any more water until it starts to get dry again. The goal is to keep the White Christmas Caladium plant from getting too much or too little water, as both can lead to bad things like root rot and yellow leaves.
Caladium White Christmas Light Requirements
Most Caladiums do better in deep shade than in bright, dappled sunlight. The White Christmas Caladium plant grows at the same fast rate whether it is in full shade or filtered sunlight.
The best light conditions for a plant are also dependent on the characteristics of the plant. Some plants can only grow well in deep shade, while others do well with indirect sun. The White Christmas Caladium plant must be put in front of a window that faces east or north. Both of these windows get a lot of sun in most homes.
You can also rise the White Christmas plant with the help of artificial lights. If you plant it outside, put it under the shade of a big tree or, if you have one, in a greenhouse. You can also put the White Christmas Caladium plant on a balcony or a terrace or garden that is partially covered.
The most noticeable thing about the White Christmas Caladium plant is its leaves, which have made it very popular and well-liked. The leaves are most affected by how much or how little light the plant gets.
Humidity
The Caladium White Christmas plant adores water in all of its forms, including gaseous vapor and liquid. The White Christmas plant will not grow unless the humidity is kept at a constant level of at least 50%. Please make sure the White Christmas Caladium has more than 50 percent moisture. You may need to keep levels over 60% if your location is notably dry.
The White Christmas Caladium grows well in warm, humid places like Florida. But if you can’t make these levels naturally, don’t worry. There are a number of ways to make the plants natural environment. Home gardeners can put humidifiers in the room where their White Christmas Caladium lives, or they can mist it every other day. Both of these options work very well.
Read also : Philodendron Prince Of Orange – Guide For A Thriving Plant
Caladium White Christmas Temperature Requirements
The best place for the Caladium White Christmas to grow is in warm, tropical climates. Caladiums do best when the daytime temperature is somewhere between 70°F or 75°F (21°C and 23°C) and the nighttime temperature is between 60°F and 65°F (15°C and 18°C). Caladium plants can’t handle cold temperatures.
Fertilization
During the growing season, fertilizer is good for angel wings plants. During the summer, use a half-strength liquid houseplant fertilizer every one to two weeks. Stop fertilizing the caladium when its leaves turns yellow.
Grooming/Pruning
Keep your Caladium White Christmas beautiful by regularly prune it. By cutting off a few diseased or abnormal-looking leaves you can make your plant look fresh and healthy, it also makes it much less likely that infectious diseases will spread.
White Christmas Caladium doesn’t get very big. If any leaves have outgrown their pots and are detracting from the overall appearance of the plant, you can carefully clip them off without harming the remaining healthy leaves.
Before you use pruning shears on any plant, you should really make sure they are clean. You can clean with alcohol that is not too strong.
Repotting
The White Christmas Caladium doesn’t have to be repotted very often. Its moderate size and rapid growth rate provide you with plenty of time before it has to be repotted. White Christmas is back every 2 to 3 years, you should plant a caladium in a slightly bigger pot.
Even though repotting is important, it is more important to refresh the soil’s ingredients. You can add a few of the old soil, but most of the plant’s soil should be a new potting in combination with organic matter.
Roots that circled down the pot can cause pot cracks and slow growth, it is also signs that the plant needs to be repotted. Please wear a glove and protective clothing, though, because Caladiums tend to make people and animals sick (occasionally).
Propagation
To grow a good White Christmas Caladium, you need a mature plant, the right potting mix, a knife, water, a planting pot, and a plastic bag that can be used more than once.
- Take the parent White Christmas Caladium out of its pot carefully. Please don’t pull the plant too hard, or you could hurt its roots.
- Once the plant is out of the pot, give it a slow shake to get the mud off its roots so you can view them clearly. At this point, you can use a fungicide.
- Take your knife and cut off the plant’s bulbs that looks the healthiest. It should have a few plants growing, if possible.
- Put organic compost, like worm poop or peat moss, in the soil mix and put it in the reusable plastic bag.
- Next, make holes in the soil mixture and put the bulbs in it. Put the roots inside the bag, make sure they are all in the same place.
- Put this bag inside the planter.
- Add more soil mix so when stem seems to be standing up straight. Put some water and sawdust in it (for extra moisture).
- Put the pot in the shade until roots start to grow. Don’t add fertilizer for the very first 2 weeks, either.
Once the plant grows some roots, makes little new foliage, and stands up straight, you can treat it like a full-grown White Christmas Caladium plant.
Toxicity
People, cats, and dogs can all get sick from caladium plants. Doctors say that if you swallow or chew any part of a Caladium plant, like Caladium bicolor, it will hurt you. The plant could indeed cause rashes and a lot of itching if you touch it. The ASPCA also has said that elephant ears and other plants in the Araceae family, such as Caladium species, are dangerous for dogs and cats.
Pests and Diseases
- Pests
If the growing conditions of your caladium white christmas aren’t perfect, thrips, spider mites, or mealybugs, could be a problem. Beetles, snails and also grasshoppers might also be captivated to the bright and colorful caladium leaves.
Use an essential oils solution to get rid of pests. In a small bottle (1 l) of water, combine 2 teaspoons of essential oils and 1 teaspoon of liquid dish soap. Put the mixture in a spray bottle, and use it once a week to spray the caladium leaves. This will get rid of bugs and their larvae.
- Diseases
By giving the plant the right amount of water, you can stop pathogens from killing a delicate perennial caladium. Caladium bulbs can start to die if they get too much water or don’t drain well. Infections from fungi will soon decimate at the root, having caused the beautiful leaves to turn yellow.
If you think the plant has a disease caused by fungi, the best thing to do is dig it up or take it out of the pot. Cut off any soft parts of the roots and reseed the tuber in soil that is moist. Don’t water caladiums too much—just enough to maintain the soil moist, not wet.
Varieties
Caladium bicolor is the species from which most cultivars of caladium come. South America is where this tropical plant comes from. Most of the common names for Caladium bicolor cultivars come from the heart-shaped, brightly colored leaves. “Florida Red Ruffles,” “Red Flash,” “Strawberry Star,” and “White Dynasty” are all examples of names like this.
Caladium White Christmas Growth Rate
The White Christmas Caladium plant grows at a rate that is between moderately fast and fast, mostly depending on where it lives. The plant grows well in the spring and summer if it is planted in soil that is warm (above 60 degrees Fahrenheit) (15.5 degrees Celsius).
When growing the White Christmas Caladium in groups, please leave 10 to 16 inches (25 to 40.6 cm) between each plant. The plant can also grow to be 22 inches (56 cm) tall and 22 inches (56 cm) wide.
But please keep in mind that not all plants grow to the same height or width. The growth rates of plants depend mostly on their environment, care, and type.
Read also : Caladium Miss Muffet : How to Grow and Take Care of It
Plant Characteristics
- Leaf
Most of the time, fancy leaf caladiums do better in shade. When the sun hits their big, broad leaves, they can get hurt easily. Choose one Velcro leaf caladium cultivar if you want to sprout the Caladium plants in a sunny area. Plants that have leaves that are narrower can handle more sunlight.
The two kinds of caladium leaves are as follows:
- Caladiums with fancy leaves. “Fancy leaf caladiums” are caladium plants with wide, long leaves that look like hearts. The leaf stem, called the petiole, is attached to the leaf near the middle. Plants with fancy leaves usually do best in the shade.
- Strap leaf caladiums. “Strap leaf caladiums” have leaves that are narrower and pointier at the ends. People call these caladium leaves arrowhead leaves or lance-shaped leaves. The petioles of strap-leaf caladium leaves connect to the base of the leaves. Caladiums with strap-shaped leaves can grow better in brighter conditions.
- Flowers
In the summer, the White Christmas has flowers that look like calla lilies and are not very noticeable.
They usually avoid the sun but also hide in the deep shade of the leaves. Unlike the leaves, the flowers die when conditions aren’t good.
- Caladium Bulbs
The tubular roots of caladiums are called corms. The leaves of caladiums emerge straight from bulbs put in the soil a few inches deep. Caladium bulbs can’t handle frost or temperatures that are too cold. If caladiums are grown as annuals, the bulbs must be dug out and stored indoors for the winter.
To prepare caladium bulbs for the winter, carefully burrow them up when the leaves begin to turn yellow in the fall. It is very important to leave the leaves on the caladium bulbs. For three weeks, the root vegetables a cool, and dark. The caladium goes to sleep during this time.
The bulbous roots can be stored in a dry spot at 50°F (10°C) during the winter once they have dried up and the leaf stems have been removed.
Caladium White Christmas Soil Requirements
You need to give the soil the water it needs. Caladiums are beautiful plants that do well in almost any soil. White Christmas Caladium grows well because it can quickly adjust to different soils, whether they are alkaline, neutral, or alkaline. But to be fully utilized, it should be grown in soil with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5.
To help it grow, even more, use organic soils that are sandy and drain well. Worm poop, peat, or wheat bran can be added. Some gardeners combine standard garden soil with things like mulch and sawdust that keep water in the soil.
Reproduction
There are two ways for caladiums to make more plants, called vegetative and generative. The flowers of a Caladium plant will produce seeds. Caladium flowers look like flowers from other groups in the Araceae family. So, if we know how to cross Aglaonema, it shouldn’t be hard to cross Caladium either.
One way that is easier is to use the caladium bulbs. You just need to see the bulbs then separate it so it can produce new plants.
FAQ about Caladium White Christmas
- Why are the leaves on my caladium plant turns yellow?
When caladium leaves turns yellow, it’s often because there isn’t enough moisture in the air. But if the root systems are dying, too much watering could also cause the leaves to turn yellow. So, it’s important to make sure you’re giving your tropical houseplant the care it needs.
It’s important to keep in mind that caladiums lose their leaves and die back before winter. When the leaves of an outdoor caladium turn yellow, it’s usually time to unearth the bulbs and store them for the winter so they’ll be ready to plant the next spring.
- What is the best way to regrow a caladium?
During the winter, caladium bulbs sleep. You can replant the bulbs in the spring. About 8 weeks before you put the bulbs in your garden. You can put the bulbs in a bright, moist potting mix and make sure they are about 2 inches below the surface of the soil. The bulb should begin to grow again in about three weeks.
