As many of you know, a few years ago I tried my hand at hybridizing Caladiums. I had such good results that I then moved on to try crossing the newer Thai Caladiums with the more familiar Western Caladiums. This I also succeeded at, on my first try, and this year I have so many different Caladiums growing and so many new crosses that in sheer numbers, I should have more kinds of Caladium hybrids than all the other aroid hybrids I've done put together!

So I got to thinking about whether there existed a Caladium Society, and as far as I have been able to determine, there is no Caladium Society. Other plant societies, such as the Pacific Bulb Society, list Caladiums, but for a plant genus as well known and loved as Caladiums, you'd think someone would have started a Society for them by now.

After pondering this, I'm considering starting a Caladium Society myself. I'd love to see Caladium fanciers showing, trading and developing new Caladium cultivars as well as sharing their interest in other allied plants, such as Alocasias and Colocasias ("Elephant Ears"). Best of all, the Society could have a Spring Show when all the plants are looking their finest!

So, what do y'all think about this idea? BTW, the picture features my Pink Stained Glass Caladium. together with another of my hybrids.

LariAnn, I'm surprised to see that no one responded. I would like to be your first member.

Carol,

Thanks so much for visiting me here! You are right - I'm boggled about the response to my post. Incredible considering how many people grow and love these plants!

LariAnn

LariAnn- I would love to see a Caladium Society too!!!!

Well, at least the new Caladium Society will have three members - is that a quorum?

LariAnn

Someone will have to hold multiple offices.

LariAnn,

I bought some Fannie Munsons today. I am familiar with the store - go in there quite often - and I think these had been sitting there since at least December. But they gave me a good deal on them and I specifically wanted this variety so I bought them. They were in a box and are very, very dry. Would you soak them in warm water before planting? If so, for how long? Overnight or only a couple of hours?

Thanks!
Carol

Carol,

If the tubers are firm and not shriveled, I would just plant them in moist soil and let them take off. If the tubers are shriveled, they may or may not revive - in that case you can't go wrong in giving them a warm water soak for a few hours or even overnight - but not longer. Let me know how it goes.

BTW, just harvested my first set of Caladium berries this morning - first cross of the Spring 2012 season.

LariAnn

Lari, thanks for the response! I watched for a reply last night, but I was antsy, and my gut told me it would be ok, so I did. I soaked the entire batch over night. I would have called almost all of them a Grade #3 (1/2" - 1"). I just finished planting them this morning. I was hoping the soaking would give them a wake-up call and jump start if there was any life in them. I got them for 28 cents each, which was fine since they seem to mostly be going for 50 cents - $1 each this year (depending upon size). Actually, I may have paid retail now that I think about it, for Grade THREE bulbs. Anyway, as you suggested, I planted them in moist soil and with the weather we are having in Jax, I expect to see them within a week or just a little more, if there is life in them. (I was a little concerned because they floated when I put them in water to soak. I think healthier bulbs sink - am I right? Anyway, I kept trying to turn them to get them to float the way I wanted them to, but they wouldn't. The kept flipping to their own preferred side up. So I took them out of that water, got out a flat tray with a high lip around the rim, set each one in it with the root-side down, and put about 1/4-1/2" of water across the bottom. That way they were properly oriented while soaking overnight. That worked well.)

Wow - I'm so excited about your berry harvest! The first of anything in a season is always exciting. Did these look good? Are you ready to rock and roll with your crosses? I'm sure you are....

Thanks again for the help,
Carol

Just found your site. Go for it on a caladium society. I was an addict in the '80s, growing about 115 different cultivars. Got out of it for years, but have slowly got back in over the last 4 years. Very interested in the potential from crossing the Thai cultivars to ours. I've imported the Thai cultivars twice. Phenomenal colors, but most are weak growers. Trick is to get them large enough to bloom so they can can be crossed with our vigorous (and commercially profitable) cultivars.Haven't had the time to do any crosses. Maybe this year.

Tom,
This Spring I've done about 25 Caladium crosses, most of which are Thai-Western crosses. I even did a couple of Thai-Thai crosses just to see if provenance (where the plant's seed genesis took place) makes a difference in ease or difficulty of growing. This is my third year doing Thai-Western crosses and so far the results are pretty exciting. These new hybrids are much easier to grow than the Thais.

LariAnn

Hello LariAnn & group,
I dunno if obsession counts as an enthusiast, but I am doing my best to collect every variety of caladium growing here in Tumaco. So far I have about 10 varieties that I found growing in the "wild" on the side of streets & other such places. I also have Colocasias, Alacasias, & something I assume is a Alocasia, but I need to find a photo of it online to identify it. The leaf is an almost perfect triangle with ruffled or undulated edges. I also have a Xanthasoma Antivirens that is growing quite nicely now. Looks like that plant is a Thai hybrid of caladium. Very pretty.

Anyways I am responding to the post to join the Caladium club you are asking about in this thread. I will be uploading photos of the plants in my collection in a day or two. Here are the photos.
It indeed looks to be a Thai Hybrid. The others are different variations of Caladium Bi-Color I think. I am posting all of the varieties I have here on the Caladium forum. I have about 12 different color variations.

From some of the pages I have read about hybridizing these plants, I have an idea of how to do it, but I have some questions.
If you have a plant blooming, perhaps you could make a photo tutorial?
1-I am wondering how long you can save pollen once you collect it from the donor plant?
2-How can you go about collecting the pollen?
3-How do you know when to pollinate the receiving plant?
4-Do Caladiums' Berries have chemicals to prevent germination as well as the other alocasias & colocasias?
Noel



Noel

Guess I missed this thread. Sign me up!

Here are pics of the other variety which I now think is another color of the Thai Beauty hybrid.
Also I am including other photos of the original plant which I hope are better images.
As I have encountered before, the lady that had the mother plants to this had no idea what it was. She let me take several plants, so I am pretty sure I will have a stock to start trying to hybridize with in the coming year. Caladiums seem to bloom here around Christmas time (the dry season here).

Noel, in the first set of pictures you posted the plant in the top row 2nd from the left, where did you get that? That looks VERY similar to an older variety called Painters Pallet that unfortunently isn't grown by the major growers anymore. There is one grower that I know of that still grows it but they only grow one bed of it about 100' long and they get big bucks for them!! I personally love that variety!!!


Bill

Hello caladiums4less,
Is this the plant you are asking about?
I actually found this growing in the yard of one of the people I met here. I traded another very common variety of caladium for it. I have been using this method to make friends, & increase my collection. This plant is currently blooming , & I plan to try & combine it with the first thai hybrid I posted. I do not know how long it will take, but I assume a year or so in order to have multiple plants to breed for true type seed. In the future, my wife & I are planning to open an export business selling ornamental plants & fish, so I might be able to send live plants later. <shrugs> I dunno.

This plant has red spots, pink spots, & white spots as well. I am really proud of this one.

Noel

That is a beauty that I've never seen before, I like it a lot. It jumped out at me the first time but I didn't get around to commenting. Interesting that it is an older variety, I'd love to find one here.

When I figure out how to send live material (I think it will end up being seed), perhaps we can talk about getting starts. As you know I am not local! HEHE!

Here's my Painter's Pallet