Caladiums. To “dig” or “not to dig”? that is the question. Many of us use caladiums extensively in our home landscapes in south Louisiana. They are a wonderful, low-care bedding plant for shade and partial-shade gardens.
Caladiums begin to look tired in late September or early October, so it’s time to decide what you want to do with them. You may leave the tubers in the ground to resprout there next year, or dig them up, store the tubers and plant them again next year.
If the bed where the caladiums are planted will stay relatively undisturbed, you may simply leave the caladium tubers in the ground. This is okay if you have a raised bed that is well drained. A bed that is not well-drained, however, may cause the tubers to rot. If the bed tends to stay wet over the winter, it would be best to dig up the caladiums and store them. At the LSU AgCenter’s Hammond Research Station, we have caladiums in the ground over the winter months and they return with growth commencing in mid-spring.
If you decide to dig your caladiums, do so when most of the foliage looks “tired” and begins to fall over. Do not wait for all of the foliage to disappear, or you won’t know where to dig. Use a shovel or a garden fork to lift the tubers, being careful not to damage them. Leave the foliage attached to the tubers, shake and brush off most of the soil and lay them out in a dry location sheltered from rain (garage, carport, storage room).
Allow the foliage to dry until it is tan and papery in appearance. At that time, the foliage will easily separate from the tubers, leaving a cleanly healed scar. Now they are ready for storing over the winter.
Throw out any tubers that appear to be rotted or have soft spots. Tubers that you may have accidentally damaged when digging them can be saved if they have healed well and feel solid.
Gardeners sometimes have a hard time deciding which end is up when planting caladium tubers. If you like, use a felt-tipped pen to mark the top while it is easy to see where the leaves were removed, saving yourself confusion next spring.
Place the healthy tubers in an old nylon stocking, a mesh bag, a paper bag or a cardboard box. The idea is that the container should be able to “breathe.” Do not store the tubers in a plastic bag or airtight container because doing so may lead to rotting. Make sure you keep the tubers indoors where temperatures will stay at about 70 degrees F or above. Plant outside next spring in early through late April (depending on our spring temperatures).