Common Issues with Caladiums

A reduction of leaves over the autumn and winter is entirely normal when the plant is serving its dormancy. Many of the older leaves will begin to yellow and wilt, thus leaving you with a few juvenile green leaves. Reduce the frequency of waters and fertilisation to counteract the heightened chance of root rot (slowed growth & darker days will result in less water-uptake in the plant), until the following spring. If, however, all of the leaves die back, exposing just its tuber, maintain a bright and cool environment around 15ºC (59ºF), along with infrequent waters. Allow almost all of the soil to dry out in between hydration and increase irrigations once the new juvenile growth appears in the spring. If you're still unsure of what to do, don't hesitate to book a 1-to-1 call with Joe Bagley to get his expert advice on this issue!

Excessive yellowing older leaves are a clear sign of over-watering, usually caused by too little light. Although Caladiums can do well in darker locations, the frequency of irrigations must be reduced to counteract the chance of root rot. Most don't realise that a plant's root system needs access to oxygen too; when soil is watered, the air will travel upwards and out of the potting mix. A lack of accessible oxygen for the roots will cause them to subsequently breakdown over the oncoming days. Click on this link to learn more about root rot and how to address it.

A wilting Caladium could be the product of a few different issues. Firstly, irregular watering habits may cause the specimen to partially enter a dormancy period, whereby energy will be limited to the leaves and stems. If you've exposed it to droughts or have forgotten it recently, try increasing the physical volume of water so that all of its soil becomes moist from the watering can. Only rehydrate the soil once the top third dries out in between waters. On the other hand, some Caladiums may begin to wilt if their soil has been kept considerably moist for long periods of time. If this has occurred with yours, be sure to repot the specimen in some fresh potting mix to wrap its roots around a more air circulating environment, as well as for better retention of moisture/nutrients. Stake the stems against a stick or trellis to improve the overall appearance.

Brown crispy new-growth that's become deformed is the product of over-exposure to the sun and dehydration. As mentioned previously, Caladiums will grow best in bright, indirect light with regular waters. Remove the affected areas and improve the growing conditions to counteract this issue occurring again. In some cases, Spider Mites could be the culprit for the abnormality, with small, near-transparent critters slowly extracting the chlorophyll out of the leaves. Have a check under the rest of the foliage, most notably along the midrib, for small webs and gritty yellow bumps. Click here to read our article about the eradicating Spider Mites, along with some extra tips that you may not find elsewhere!

A loss of variegations is caused by too little light. Although Caladiums is an excellent choice for shady locations, it'll come at the cost of its variegations. Move the plant into a brighter area with minimal direct sunlight to allow the variegations to appear on the new growth. If you aren't entirely displeased about the loss, simply skip this step. Alternatively, extreme variegations that hinder the plant from developing chlorophyll (green pigmentation) is typically caused by too much sunlight.

Mould developing on the soil means two things - too little light and over-watering. Despite the harmlessness of the mould, it'll prove unsightly to most gardeners and is therefore removed once known. To remove, replace the top two inches of the soil for a fresh batch of 'Houseplant' compost. Either increase the amount of light received (no direct sunlight for the first few weeks to prevent environmental shock) or decrease the frequency of waters slightly. If the mould is accompanied by yellowing lower leaves, you may also have a case of root rot.

Too much sunlight will lead to sun scorch, with typical signs including browning or crispy leaves, dry leaf-edges, sunken leaves or stunted growth. Although too little light will cause over-watering issues, excess sunlight will be a detriment to the plant as well. If yours has fallen short of this, reduce the amount of the sun considerably and always be mindful of environmental shock (when two locations offer too different growing conditions). Remove some of the affected leaves and increase waters slightly.