New and Unread Tree-Mails
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Name: Mindi Hammerstone Tracy, CA (Zone 9b)    MindiHammerstone May 7, 2018 7:50 PM CST |
| Any helpful hints of how not to kill this beautiful plant??? I loved it, had to have it. I know the finger test as to not overwater and not to let it dry out. Anything else??? It's gorgeous. Only problem with the finger test is that it is filled to the brim with new life but I can still do it. I had always loved my plants to death inside. Outside is a whole different thing. Pics of yours welcome and encouraged and age. Do they live a long time? 😀 Mindi  |
Name: Christine NY zone 5a             Christine May 7, 2018 8:22 PM CST |
| She's gorgeous Mindi 🌞 I use chop sticks to check my plant's water needs when my fingers can't reach the soil 🌞 |
Name: Mindi Hammerstone Tracy, CA (Zone 9b) MindiHammerstone May 7, 2018 8:48 PM CST |
| Christine, Awesome tip!! And we have a lot of chop sticks too. I never would have thought of that!! Thank you!!! 😀 Mindi |
Name: Mindi Hammerstone Tracy, CA (Zone 9b) MindiHammerstone May 8, 2018 7:45 AM CST |
| It sounds like they die back in the fall even in the house. Then you store the tubers until spring. That's kind of a bummer but nature is as nature does. You still have to keep the tubers at 60 degrees to keep them alive. Iam a public service announcement hahaha. 😀 Mindi |
Oklahoma (Zone 7b)  armyvet2013 May 8, 2018 7:59 AM CST |
MindiHammerstone said:It sounds like they die back in the fall even in the house. Then you store the tubers until spring. That's kind of a bummer but nature is as nature does. You still have to keep the tubers at 60 degrees to keep them alive. Iam a public service announcement hahaha. Does that mean that the tuber will die during winter I I were to plant them outside in my zone 7 climate? I've wanted to grow these for a while as I see all the different varieties when I go to lowes anytime during the spring, but we've been waiting for the kids to get a little older so they don't try to eat them, as they are poisonous. |
Name: tarev San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b) Stay Home-Save Lives-Wear a Mask!          tarev May 8, 2018 8:58 AM CST |
| Hello there MindiHammerstone! We are in same location and I also tried Caladiums before. Caladiums enjoy the warm to hot temps but not our scorching Central Valley heat. If you intend to bring it outdoors, position it in a bright light but shady area. The leaves will easily burn when it gets our very dry summer heat. I used to water daily my Caladiums when our weather shifts to the dry and warm to hot mode. As it stands right now, it is okay to put it out, overnight temps are in the 50F's and the daytime highs are slowly going up. So far our daytime highs is still gentle though this weekend it is still dicey as they are predicting the 90F's. All the more when our daytime highs starts hitting super dry 100F and higher, you got to step up watering. During late Fall to winter, when our overnight temps starts to go cooler than 50F, pull that plant indoors. Typically it will just go dormant during the cold season, and will wake up again in mid to late Spring. But I do not have them anymore, I find it too hard to sustain its humidity needs. I guess it lasted for about 2 years before I totally gave up. I also find it is so slow to wake up from its winter slumber, really waits to feel the high 80F's to low 90F's before it will show signs of emerging leaf growth. I do not use anymore skewers when our weather goes dry here in mid Spring. Our humidity is just so dismally low, you will need to water everyday, it is such a thirsty plant due to our lackluster humidity that often settles just in the 40% and lower range. And with about 6 months of zero rainfall, it will really need stepped up daily watering. You can certainly try to grow them indoors with good access to bright light by an east facing window or a curtain protected south/west facing window or maybe closer to your house under an awning, but avoid getting the scorching sun. Here are some old file photos taken late Sept 2016:   The plant will naturally lose its leaves towards the end of Fall, so I just pull back the container indoors so it can rest during winter. I find they are less vibrant the following year, so eventually I just let the plant go. But it sure was a nice experience growing them, love its colorful and fancy leaves! Here, I found my old thread when I was documenting the growth of first Caladiums before : The thread "My very first Caladiums" in Pacific Coast Gardening forum |
Name: Mindi Hammerstone Tracy, CA (Zone 9b) MindiHammerstone May 8, 2018 9:00 AM CST |
| Armyvet2013, Yes they would die outside in the cold. You are supposed to bring them, the tubers, inside where it's 60 degrees or higher. Otherwise after summer when the temp drops they perish. They mentioned putting them into like pantyhose or something like that to save space. Then plant them outside in the spring. Mindi |
Name: Mindi Hammerstone Tracy, CA (Zone 9b) MindiHammerstone May 8, 2018 10:35 AM CST |
| Tarev, Mine are inside. Yeah our temps are extreme. I'm using mine as houseplants. I got one more. Plenty of humidity behind the sink.  That is my new one. Lol. Like potato chips you can't have just one lol. Yeah I am interested to see how my gardens are affected by the heat and the wind. I already water my garden twice daily. Today it is supposed to reach 90. Will be watering throughout the day. Nice to meet a neighbor!!! 😀 Mindi |
Name: Mindi Hammerstone Tracy, CA (Zone 9b) MindiHammerstone May 8, 2018 10:42 AM CST |
| Oh and Tarev, Your Caladiums were pretty. I have some Coleus outside around a tree. From what I have read on those, they are less temperamental lol. Cheers, Mindi |
Name: tarev San Joaquin County, CA (Zone 9b) Stay Home-Save Lives-Wear a Mask! tarev May 8, 2018 12:39 PM CST |
Oh yes, I loved Coleus too! They do manifest similar attribute with the Caladiums, once it gets cooler, zapped it goes  But really fun to grow in shade during our warm season.Yup, the strong winds around our area at times is also a challenge before with my Caladiums, breaking the stems..but it sure is fun to watch blooms come about. Shows so well its similarity to the Peace Lilies. I wish I have enough space by my sink, my carnivores are already hugging that space  So for the Aroid family, I have ditched the Caladiums, but I still have some Elephant ears, they seem to come back from their winter slumber faster. Indoors, the one I have are Peace lilies, and they can only grow well by our bathroom area, can't handle being outdoors even in shade when the oven dry heat comes around. |
Name: Yardenman Maryland (Zone 7a)  Yardenman May 9, 2018 1:35 AM CST |
| I used to grow Caladiums, but digging them up outside was do much. I'll try growing them inside in pots this year! |
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