Caladium is Caladium bicolor, sometimes listed as Caladium × hortulanum. Labels may say angels wings or elephant ears. Family Araceae. Fancy-leaved and strap or lance-leaved types both grow this way. There is no above-ground stem. Leaves rise on long petioles from an underground tuber or corm.
Wisconsin Horticulture warns not to confuse caladiums with Alocasia, Colocasia, and Xanthosoma, which share the elephant ears common name. Wisconsin Horticulture also notes that the structure is botanically a corm, while garden literature often says tubers.
Wisconsin Horticulture, University of Florida IFAS, and UNL Extension name division. Texas A&M Aggie Horticulture names detaching small tubers when growth starts. University of Florida IFAS says seed is rare. Stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, and water jars are not extension methods for this plant on these sources.
De-eyeing the central bud densifies foliage on the same corm. Wisconsin Horticulture and Clemson HGIC describe it as culture, not a new-plant method.
Drained-mix technique after planting a piece is on soil propagation. The main methods across houseplants are compared on plant propagation.
Best way indoors
| Method | Best when | Source support |
|---|---|---|
| Corm or tuber division | A corm large enough to cut into pieces with at least one eye or knob each | Wisconsin Horticulture spring divide. University of Florida IFAS usually by division of the tubers. UNL table lists Caladium = division |
| Detach small tubers | Small tubers on the parent you can separate when growth starts | Texas A&M lists small tubers detached from the parent and potted when growth starts |
| Seed at home | Not the home default | University of Florida IFAS: rarely by seed. No home sowing recipe on these sources |
| Stem, leaf, or water jar | Not supported | None of these sources list stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, or water propagation for Caladium |
Division is the usual home path. Texas A&M’s detach-small-tubers line is the second path when small tubers are present. Seed stays a short caveat only.
Materials
- Clean sharp knife for cutting a corm into eyed pieces (Wisconsin Horticulture)
- Fresh, moist, well-drained potting mix
- Pots that fit each new piece
- A warm room at least 70 °F for indoor starts (Wisconsin Horticulture)
- Room-temperature water to settle the mix after planting
- A spot with bright light while waking tubers indoors (Wisconsin Horticulture), then bright indirect light as a houseplant (Texas A&M)
- Dry peat, perlite, vermiculite, or sphagnum if you will store dug tubers over winter (Clemson HGIC, University of Florida IFAS, Wisconsin Horticulture)
Tuber and corm division
Wisconsin Horticulture says to propagate by dividing the corms in spring before potting them up. Cut corms into pieces that contain at least one eye or knob. Allow the cut pieces to dry for a few days to callous over before planting. Place the knobby side with the eyes facing up. Both roots and shoots come from the top. Barely cover indoors. Keep the container in a warm room at least 70 °F with bright light. Outdoors after frost when soil is at least 70 °F, plant so the tuber is 1½ to 2 inches deep.
University of Florida IFAS FPS83 notes that propagation is usually by division of the tubers and rarely by seed. On that fact sheet, tubers go 3 to 5 inches deep in loose soil, spaced 8 to 12 inches for a thick ground-cover effect.
UNL NebGuide G1853 Table I lists Caladium (Caladium spp.) as division.
Clemson HGIC says not to plant until soil temperature reaches 70 °F. Cool soil slows growth or promotes tuber rot. Plant 1½ to 2 inches deep and 8 to 14 inches apart with eyes pointing up. Keep soil evenly moist to the touch but not saturated.
Wisconsin Horticulture’s outdoor 1½ to 2 inch depth, Clemson’s 1½ to 2 inch depth, and University of Florida IFAS’s 3 to 5 inch figure are different planting notes.
Detach small tubers
Texas A&M Aggie Horticulture Ornamental Production lists methods of propagation as small tubers detached from the parent and potted when growth starts. That fact sheet does not supply knife-division steps of its own. Ornamental leaves on that page average 12 to 15 inches on a similar-length stalk.
Seed
University of Florida IFAS notes propagation is rarely by seed. That is not a home default. Skip seed temperatures and sowing recipes from other crops.
Light while propagating
Wisconsin Horticulture wants a warm indoor start with bright light on newly potted pieces, then as a houseplant a warm location with bright but indirect light and lots of humidity.
Texas A&M wants bright, indirect light and temperatures of at least 65 to 75 °F.
University of Florida IFAS notes growing best in partial shade, with tolerance for full sun when soil is rich and moisture is enough. Clemson HGIC wants protection from full, hot sun for best growth and color, with some newer cultivars tolerating a couple of hours of full sun.
A dim corner is easier to judge with numbers. The propagation light DLI calculator estimates daily light at the new pot.
Care after potting
Keep moisture consistent once pieces are planted. Clemson HGIC wants soil evenly moist to the touch but not saturated, and warns that container plants rot when kept too wet. Wisconsin Horticulture prefers moist, rich, light, well-drained soil.
Texas A&M wants high humidity. Keep pots on trays of moist pebbles and mist foliage daily on that fact sheet. That is culture humidity, not a week-to-root clock.
Wisconsin Horticulture notes that even indoors, caladiums enter dormancy after a few months in leaf. When leaves die back, stop watering. Resume when new growth starts. Do not treat dormancy as a failed divide.
A simple moist-not-dry reminder after potting is easy to set with the propagation water change calculator if you track checks on a schedule.
Troubleshooting
Pieces rot in cool mix. Wisconsin Horticulture and Clemson HGIC link cool soil to rot or slow growth. Wait for about 70 °F soil outdoors. Keep indoor starts in a warm room at least 70 °F (Wisconsin Horticulture).
A cut piece has no eye or knob. Wisconsin Horticulture wants at least one eye or knob on each piece.
Leaves are few and large instead of many smaller leaves. Wisconsin Horticulture and Clemson HGIC describe de-eyeing the central bud as foliage densifying culture on the same corm, not as making a new plant.
New pots stay soggy and the piece softens. Clemson HGIC warns that container plants rot when kept too wet. Keep soil evenly moist to the touch but not saturated.
Stored tubers spoil in the fridge or touch each other. Clemson HGIC says never to store them in the refrigerator, pack so tubers do not touch, and keep above 50 °F. University of Florida IFAS stores in dry peat or vermiculite at 50 to 60 °F after about 10 days drying in semi-shade. Wisconsin Horticulture stores lifted corms at mild 55 to 60 °F for up to five months and keeps pot-held dormancy from falling below 55 °F.
Leaves die back after a few months indoors. Wisconsin Horticulture notes indoor dormancy after months in leaf. Stop watering until new growth starts. That rest is expected, not a failed divide.
Common mistakes
- Confusing this plant with Alocasia, Colocasia, or Xanthosoma.
- Trying stem cuttings, leaf cuttings, or water propagation for Caladium. Sources describe dividing tubers instead.
- Presenting de-eyeing (about ⅛ to ¼ inch into the corm per Wisconsin Horticulture) as propagation.
- Blending Wisconsin Horticulture’s or Clemson’s 1½ to 2 inch outdoor depth and University of Florida IFAS’s 3 to 5 inch figure into one depth.
- Following a seed-sowing recipe. University of Florida IFAS only says caladium is rarely propagated by seed.
- Treating Texas A&M’s detach-small-tubers line as a full knife-division recipe. That fact sheet lists the method and stops.
- Planting into cold soil when Wisconsin Horticulture and Clemson HGIC want about 70 °F.
- Skipping the few-day callous dry on cut pieces that Wisconsin Horticulture asks for before planting.
- Storing dug tubers in the refrigerator when Clemson HGIC says never to.
People also ask
How do I divide a caladium tuber?
Wisconsin Horticulture says to cut corms in spring into pieces with at least one eye or knob, dry a few days to callous, then plant eyes up. University of Florida IFAS and UNL also name division of tubers.
Can I detach baby tubers?
Texas A&M notes that small tubers can be detached from the parent and potted when growth starts.
Is caladium the same as elephant ear Alocasia or Colocasia?
No. Wisconsin Horticulture says do not confuse caladiums with Alocasia, Colocasia, and Xanthosoma even though the common name elephant ears is shared.
Is de-eyeing the same as propagating?
No. Wisconsin Horticulture and Clemson HGIC remove the central bud so more side buds leaf out on the same corm. That densifies foliage. It does not create a second plant by itself.
Do I need rooting hormone?
None of these sources require hormone for Caladium division or for Texas A&M’s detach-small-tubers step.