Caladium bicolor 'Summer Breeze'
Elephant Ear, Heart of Jesus, Angel Wings
South America | Tropical & Subtropical
Delicate heart-shaped leaves with an ephemeral quality. This variety sports pale green, almost white leaves with an intricate pattern of veins in a vibrant green. But perhaps most striking—the midline and primary veins are stained pink, seemingly "bleeding" out into each leaf.
aroid, color, variegation, heart-shape, moderate, bright indirect, goldilocks, mid-size, upright, clusters, shelf, tabletop
Always water thoroughly, but allow the top inch or two to dry out completely before watering again. Be particularly vigilant in winter to avoid overwatering.
Primarily plenty of bright, indirect light with a few hours of direct light is ideal for a happy, thriving Caladium.
Thrives in higher humidity—try to provide additional moisture by grouping your Caladium with other humidity lovers or placing in a humid spot, like the kitchen or bathroom. Of course, a humidifier will be your best bet for guaranteed humidity.
Caladium enjoy the balmy warmth of the tropics, preferably between 65-85°F. Definitely avoid cold drafts and sudden temperature changes. If the temps dip too low, Caladium are known to fall into dormancy (but this normal).
Caladium leaves are mildly toxic to pets and humans. Ingestion will cause mouth and stomach irritation and possible vomiting.
Indoors, this plant can grow up to around 3 ft tall with a 1-2 ft spread (when mature and with enough light)!
Generally in an upright formation with clusters of long stems spreading slightly outward and topped with huge leaves that tend to point down and will favor the side where they can capture more sun. Works best as a tabletop plant or on a shelf to showcase the unique leaves.
Dainty heart-shaped leaves in unique shades of white and pale green with highly contrasted veins in both dark green and a shocking pink that seems to "bleed" out from the midline and primary veins of each leaf.
In winter or during a particularly chilly spell, your Caladium may enter a period of dormancy—losing a good portion or even all of their foliage. Don't despair! Keep your Caladium in a warm spot, reduce the watering, and wait for spring!
Caladium have tubers—these specialized underground stems are adapted to swell to tuberous proportions in order to store nutrients and water. Don't be alarmed if you spot these strange growths when repotting your Caladium. In fact, if you're feeling adventurous, you can attempt to harvest these tubers to grow a brand new Caladium!
Water
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Allow top inches of soil to dry between waterings.
Always water thoroughly, but allow the top inch or two to dry out completely before watering again. Be particularly vigilant in winter to avoid overwatering.
Light
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Bright, indirect to direct light.
Primarily plenty of bright, indirect light with a few hours of direct light is ideal for a happy, thriving Caladium.
Humidity
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Sensitive to low humidity—keep in a humid spot.
Thrives in higher humidity—try to provide additional moisture by grouping your Caladium with other humidity lovers or placing in a humid spot, like the kitchen or bathroom. Of course, a humidifier will be your best bet for guaranteed humidity.
Temperature
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Enjoys warmer temps.
Caladium enjoy the balmy warmth of the tropics, preferably between 65-85°F. Definitely avoid cold drafts and sudden temperature changes. If the temps dip too low, Caladium are known to fall into dormancy (but this normal).
Toxicity
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Mildly toxic to humans and pets if ingested.
Caladium leaves are mildly toxic to pets and humans. Ingestion will cause mouth and stomach irritation and possible vomiting.
Size
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An in-betweener. Not too big, not too small.
Indoors, this plant can grow up to around 3 ft tall with a 1-2 ft spread (when mature and with enough light)!
Format
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Upright clusters of long stems.
Generally in an upright formation with clusters of long stems spreading slightly outward and topped with huge leaves that tend to point down and will favor the side where they can capture more sun. Works best as a tabletop plant or on a shelf to showcase the unique leaves.
Leaf Shape
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Delicate heart-shaped leaves with highly contrasted venation.
Dainty heart-shaped leaves in unique shades of white and pale green with highly contrasted veins in both dark green and a shocking pink that seems to "bleed" out from the midline and primary veins of each leaf.
Pro Tip
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Don't worry, known to go dormant.
In winter or during a particularly chilly spell, your Caladium may enter a period of dormancy—losing a good portion or even all of their foliage. Don't despair! Keep your Caladium in a warm spot, reduce the watering, and wait for spring!
Fun Fact
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Don't worry if you see some tuberous growths...
Caladium have tubers—these specialized underground stems are adapted to swell to tuberous proportions in order to store nutrients and water. Don't be alarmed if you spot these strange growths when repotting your Caladium. In fact, if you're feeling adventurous, you can attempt to harvest these tubers to grow a brand new Caladium!
Thrives in a rich, very well-draining potting mix—you can use a good quality potting mix labeled for indoor plants or make your own mix. You can try a 1:1:1:0.5 mix of potting mix, orchid bark, perlite, and activated charcoal. Ensure the pot has the appropriate drainage and don't forget to pour out any excess water collected in the drainage tray or cachepot.
Try to repot every 2-3 years in the spring, especially when tending to a younger plant. Increase the pot size by about 2 inches each time. Once mature and becoming unwieldily to maneuver—you can reduce your repotting frequency and switch to a routine of refreshing just the top few inches of soil. More on repotting here.
If you're not already planning to repot, you can fertilize during the spring and summer months. Once to every two months should be plenty. No fertilizer is necessary during the winter when plant growth naturally slows down. You can try a balanced liquid or water-soluble fertilizer—always diluted more than the recommended strength. More on using fertilizer here.
While no specific pruning is required for this plant, it's always good practice to regularly remove yellowed or dying leaves and any fallen plant debris. Ensure your scissors or pruners are sanitized to avoid spreading disease or pests. More on grooming techniques here.
Propagation by division is super simple with this plant. The plant's underground rhizomes will push out their own offsets. These developing plants, or pups, can be separated into independent plants by simply making a clean cut through the rhizome (the much thicker, horizontal "root"). You can pot up this baby plant directly in soil. The best time to propagate is always in spring or summer when the plant is most resilient. This is also an excellent opportunity to repot the parent plant. More on propagation techniques here.
Multiple leaves are wilting and turning yellow—particularly the older, lower leaves. You may also notice stunted growth and mushy stems.
The most likely culprit is overwatering and initial signs of root rot. When a plant's roots sit in waterlogged soil for too long, a fungal infection can quickly take over, causing the roots to rot (turning brown and mushy).
First, ensure that your plant has appropriate drainage (both in terms of well-draining soil and plenty of drainage holes in the plant's container).
If you think you've caught the overwatering early on, you can simply let the plant dry out more than you have been. Allow the top few inches of soil to dry out before watering again. Continue monitoring and only water when needed. You may also try using chopsticks (or something similar) to poke holes in the soil to help the roots get more oxygen. And finally, you can try to "wick" the excess moisture out of the soil by placing the whole pot (with drainage holes) in a tray or container with dry soil. This new layer of dry soil should soak up some of the excess moisture from the waterlogged areas around your plant's roots.
However, if you suspect a serious case of root rot, you'll definitely need to take a peak at the roots by removing the plant entirely from their container. If there are any black and mushy roots, trim them back completely before repotting with fresh soil in a new or sterilized container.
Leaves dropping in droves! Most or all leaves have suddenly died off.
Caladium are known to go into dormancy when they're receiving insufficient light and temperatures drop suddenly or significantly (like winter). Dormancy means the plant wants to conserve energy while it awaits better conditions, so they may drop most or all their leaves. But dormant doesn't mean dead!
While it can be shocking to see a plant drop all their leaves, don't despair. Continue caring for your plant by keeping it in a brighter, warmer spot, reduce your watering, and wait for spring! You should see new leaves sprouting and a speedy return to their former glory. Sadly, you can't prevent winter, but as the season approaches you may be able to avoid dormancy by moving your plant to a slightly warmer and brighter spot to counteract the sudden change.
Whole plant looking less and less variegated. New leaves are mostly solid green.
This is most likely due to insufficient light. While Caladium can be quite tolerant of low light conditions, they may begin to loose their variegation to compensate. Greener leaves means more efficient photosynthesis.
Improve the lighting conditions for your Caladium. These plants prefer medium to bright, indirect light. Make sure to adjust your watering to accommodate the increased light.
Larger grey or pale patches on a few leaves. The spot may look dried out and somewhat bleached.
When your plant is exposed to the hot sun, it begins to evaporate more moisture from the leaf surface than the plant can replace. Leading to bleached areas or large grey patches on leaves.
You may be pushing the limits on how much direct sun your plant can handle. Try moving it out of reach of those direct rays of sun or moving to a spot that receives only minimal direct sun in the mornings or evenings. While this should prevent further burning, the spots will not "heal", so it's up to you if you'd like to prune off the affected leaves.
