Native to South America, the caladium is a beautiful foliage plant with arrowhead shaped leaves.
Caladiums are also commonly referred to as angel wings, elephant ear and even heart of Jesus. These names come from the shape of their leaves, which appear like arrowheads.
The leaves are what make the caladium so beautiful, coming in different shades of green, red, pink and white.
While caladiums are stunning to look at, the caladium can be a little difficult to care for due to its tropical nature. The earliest sign of stress on a caladium is curling leaves.
So why do caladium leaves curl?
Caladiums are naturally found in tropic to sub-tropic regions so they prefer warm, humid environments with lots of bright indirect sunlight. Common reasons for curling leaves on a caladium are lack of water, low humidity, drafts or air vents, and direct sunlight. These common issues can be resolved by watering the plant more, using a pebble tray to increase humidity, and placing the plant in an area with bright indirect sunlight.
Let’s cover the common reasons and solutions for curling leaves on a caladium.
Caladiums Prefer Tropical Temperatures
Caladiums can be planted indoors or outdoors, depending on your particular weather conditions. Being tropical plants, they can’t tolerate the cold weather.
If you wish to plant caladium outside, make sure that the daytime temperature remains above 70°F, and that at night it is at least 60°F. Be sure to take into consideration the soil temperature as well, as the earth is generally colder than the air and you don’t want to shock your plant!
Indoors the caladium should be kept away from air conditioning or any drafty area such as doorways and open windows.
Caladiums, and most indoor plants, will be healthier when the temperature remains constant. So drafty areas will create too many temperature fluctuations throughout the way.
Caladiums Prefer Bright Indirect Sunlight
Outdoors, caladiums do best when they are either in the shade or receiving filtered sunlight.
Indoors, caladiums should receive an ample amount of bright indirect sunlight.
Caladiums will grow towards the direction of the sunlight. So if a potted caladium is starting to lean towards one direction then a quarter turn each week will encourage the plant to straighten.
Although caladiums prefer warmer conditions, it is important to ensure they aren’t placed in direct sunlight. If the sun is too strong then the leaves will burn, which are visible as brown blotches on the leaves.
If you see leaf burn on the caladium then move the plant to a shadier area.
Caladiums Grow In Spring To Autumn
Caladiums are tuberous plants with their growing season only running from spring to autumn.
After the growing season, caladiums will go dormant. When dormant the leaves will begin to die and fall off. At this point, you can save the tubers and use them to replant the following year.
Caladiums Prefer High Humidity
Due to their tropical nature, caladiums thrive off high levels of humidity and heat.
As most homes with heating tend to be quite dry, this can be an issue if you wish to have a caladium as a houseplant.
There are a few options to providing the high humidity environment that the caladiums need to thrive.
Bathrooms With Natural Light
If you have a good amount of natural light in your bathroom then this will be the best place for your caladium. The steam from your shower will be like a rejuvenating trip to the spa.
Thankfully there are other ways to provide high humidity to a caladium without using a bathroom with natural light.
Place Caladiums With Other Houseplants
Grouping houseplants together helps create a more humid environment. Plants give off moisture from their leaves which means the area around the plant will be more humid.
Not to mention areas with grouping of houseplants tend to look much nicer so there’s many benefits to taking this approach.
Misting The Caladiums Leaves
Frequently misting your plants will also help increase the humidity near the plant. Simply mist the plants as frequently as needed while still allowing the plant’s leaves to dry out in between mistings.
Misting also helps deter some pests such as spider mites so misting is a great option.
Using Pebble Trays For More Humidity
A pebble tray is a great way to increase the humidity surrounding a plant. This is option can be used along with the other ones on this list.
First place the plant’s pot on a tray that has pebbles in it. Now when the caladium is watered the excess water will drain onto the pebble tray.
The pebble tray will keep the plant from being in contact with the water which protects it from root rot. Moreover, the water in the tray will evaporate and create a more humid environment. This is a great, cost efficient way to create a DIY humidifier.
Using A Humidifier
The last option for increasing the humidity near your houseplants is to use a humidifier.
Humidifiers are a great option since larger humidifiers will run for a few days without needing a refill. This will ensure that the room or area is high in humidity which most tropical plants prefer.
Personally I recommend using a humidifier if you have a few tropical plants in the same room that are all displaying curling leaves. Typically this means the air is too dry for these tropical plants.
Watering Schedule For Caladiums
During the growing period of spring to fall, aim to keep the soil moist at all times. The plant will need moisture to grow as rapidly as it would like.
If you have your caladium indoors, ensure you are using indoor potting soil that drains well. The plant’s pot also needs to have a drainage hole to allow the excess water to drain out.
If your caladium isn’t receiving enough water it will tell you through its leaves—they may begin to turn yellow, or even curl up and fall off.
When To Water Caladiums
Follow these steps in order to determine when to water a caladium:
- Insert your index finger into the soil 1 to 2 inches deep
- Feel for moisture
- Water if the soil is dry
- Do not water if the soil is wet or moist
This watering schedule and moisture detection method also works for most other tropical plants.
The best part of this watering method is that the soil will dry out faster in hotter months which will lead you to water the plant more often. Whereas the plant may not need as many waterings during the winter months since the soil will remain moist longer.
Remember tropical plants are naturally found in humid environments where there’s lots of rainfall. So try to recreate this environment as much as possible in your home.
Outdoors you can surround the base of the caladium with mulch, which will help retain additional moisture.
If your caladium shows signs of drooping leaves—particularly ones that curl downwards from stem to tip—then you may be overwatering it. Let the soil dry out a bit, and ensure there is proper drainage.
Pests Can Cause Caladium Leaves To Curl
Caladiums that are outdoors will face pest problems more often than caladiums that are indoors.
The most common pests for outdoor caladiums are caterpillars, grasshoppers, and inquisitive rodents. These outdoor pests can be discouraged by inviting more birds itno your yard. Put birdhouses and baths near your garden, and let the birds take care of the larger pests for you.
Both indoor and outdoor caladiums can suffer from smaller pests.
Use Homemade Insecticide Spray For Smaller Pests
Dust, poor air circulation, and dehydration make an ideal breeding ground for pests. Common smaller pests that infest caladium plants are:
- Mealybugs: These pests attach their egg sacs to the leaves and stems. Once hatched and grown into adult bugs, they spread to other leaves, stems, and in the soil.
- Whitefly: This white-colored insect is found on the base of the leaf. It sucks nutrients from the leaves and excretes a sugary substance that becomes moldy. As the mold grows, it covers the leaves and blocks light absorption.
- Aphids: The palm aphid sucks the sap from the leaves and stem of the caladium. Like the whitefly, aphids excrete a sugary substance on the leaves that becomes moldy and blocks sunlight.
- Red spider mites: These insects form webbings and make the leaves look dusty and discolored. A light infestation can be treated. However, heavy infestation may mean getting rid of the plant to prevent any spread to other plants.
Common treatment for most indoor pests is to create a warm soapy water spray that can be applied directly onto the bugs and plants. This homemade insecticidal spray is safe to use on plants and safe to spray around kids and plants.
View this guide on how to make your own homemade insecticidal soapy spray.
Just make sure to use castile soap instead of any scented soaps or dish soaps. Most scented or dish soaps are actually a detergent which will damage the plant’s leaves.
Final Thoughts
The caladium can be a beautiful addition to your home or garden. It’s vibrant colored leaves give it an almost flower-like appearance, adding aesthetic appeal to your greenery.
Keep in mind that caladiums are tropical plants so they prefer warm and humid environments. So try to recreate a tropical environment and watch your caladium thrive.
One thing to note is that the caladium is poisonous, so all parts of the plant are toxic to both humans and pets. Keep your caladium in a safe space, away from curious four-legged friends.
