Caladium green and red leaves Caladium Red Flash
Caladium green fleshy leaves speckled with pink
Caladium thick leaves Red Flash
Caladium Red Flash in clumps
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Caladium Red Flash, a whole palette of colors
Contents
Find all our tips in the Monstera application
Want to add some color to your plant collection? Adopt Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash'. Green, white, pink, red... This Brazilian root combines almost every shade of the species on its leaves.
How to recognize Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash'?
Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash' is a tuberous plant with a bushy habit. It reaches a maximum height of 60 centimetres in all directions.
Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash' is acaule. Its deciduous foliage is supported by long petioles that grow over the tubers. The leaves are elongated heart-shaped, with a pointed apex. They measure up to 35 centimetres long and 20 centimetres wide. While the leaf blades of Caladium candidum and Caladium bicolor 'White Queen' are thin and translucent, those of Red Flash are thick and fleshy.
When you look at the colors of the foliage, it's like looking at a painter's palette. The green leaf is splashed with pink and white. But what's most striking is the bright red spot in the center, which extends to the main veins.
Flowering is insignificant. It consists of a cream spathe and a pale yellow spadix. Very rare indoors, it lasts only a few days.
Like most masterpieces, Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash' can only be appreciated with the eyes. The plant is toxic if touched or ingested. Be careful if you live with young children, and remember to wear gloves when pruning and repotting.
Our maintenance tips
Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash are demanding plants. They like humidity, but cannot tolerate excess water. They like light, but not direct sunlight. And above all, they fear cold and draughts.
Grown as indoor plants, caladium bicolor 'Red Flash can also be planted outdoors, as annuals.
Watering
Water your Caladium Red Flash when the soil is dry on the surface, using non-calcareous water. The soil should remain slightly moist and fresh, especially in summer. But it must not be waterlogged, otherwise the roots may rot.
Spray
Spray foliage with water at room temperature. Use rainwater or non-calcareous water to avoid the appearance of white spots.
Repotting
Every spring, repot your Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash' to give it more space.
Examine the condition of your bulbs. They should be healthy, with no signs of mold or disease. A healthy tuber can be recognized by its firm appearance and buds. If you detect any soft spots, cut them out with a clean, sharp knife.
You should also be able to see the direction of the bulb. When planting, the roots should point towards the bottom of the pot, with the eye towards the surface.
Soak the tubers in water for a few hours.
Prepare a perforated pot at least 15 cm in diameter. Line the bottom with a bed of gravel or clay balls for drainage. Then pour in potting soil for green plants. Add a handful of heather or peat moss to enrich the soil.
Don't bury the bulbs completely. They should be flush with the surface. For a fuller plant, you can arrange several tubers in the same pot.
Set up your Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash' in a room with a temperature of between 20 and 25°. Choose a bright location, away from direct sunlight and draughts.
To increase humidity, place your bulbs in a greenhouse or under a transparent cloche.
Fertilization
To promote the growth of your Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash', apply fertilizer in spring and summer.
During the growing season, feed your Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash' with a green plant fertilizer.
Prune
If you grow your caladium bicolor 'Red Flash for its foliage, remove the flowers when they appear. Flowering requires a lot of energy and is detrimental to the development of new leaves. Prune the inflorescence at the base with clean pruning shears.
Remove dry leaves to prevent the spread of disease.
Caution! The plant is toxic. Wear gloves when pruning to protect yourself.
Plantation
When the risk of frost has passed, it's time to plant.
Choose a spot in partial shade, sheltered from the wind. Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash likes slightly acid soil. To please them, add a little heather to your garden soil.
Look at your tuber. Locate the rounded part, the eye. It should point upwards. The flatter surface, which gives rise to the roots, should point downwards.
Dig a hole five centimetres deep and plant your bulb. Cover with a layer of soil. If you're planting several caladium bicolor 'Red Flash, space them out by fifteen centimetres.
Cutting
Cutting is carried out during the strong growth phase, generally in spring and early summer.
Locate young tubers with at least one bud and roots on the main bulb. Separate them from the mother plant using your hands or a clean, sharp tool such as a disinfected knife.
In a pierced pot, pour a layer of clay balls or gravel for drainage.
Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash plants like light, acid soil. Mix potting soil for green plants with a third of heather soil and add perlite.
Plant your cuttings in the center and fill in with substrate. Pack lightly and water for the first time to encourage rooting.
Store your cuttings in a room with a temperature of at least 20°C.
Store your cuttings in a room with a temperature of at least 20°C.
Wintering
Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash are naturally at rest. When you notice that your plant is wilting and no longer producing new leaves, you can help it to go into dormancy.
Caladium bicolor 'Red Flash need a period of rest. When all the leaves have faded, cut the stems short and dig up the bulbs.
Place the tubers in sand or newspaper. Store them in a dry, dark place, such as your garage or cellar.
Diseases / Threats
Information
| Family | Araceae - Araceae |
| Type | Caladium - Caladium |
| Species | Caladium bicolor - Caladium bicolor |
| Lifecycle | Perennial |
| Foliage | Deciduous |
| Exposures | |
| Substrat | |
| Planting methods |
Open ground In pots In tubs Planter |
| Categories | |
| Tags |
Fritillary Soiffarde Toxic |
| Origins |
Central America South America |
| Hardiness (USDA) | 11a |
| Leaf color |
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| Flower colors |
|
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