Caladium problems & how to fix them
Caladium bicolor
Drooping, yellowing, brown tips, or a plant that just won’t thrive? Here are the most common Caladium problems, what usually causes them, and how to turn things around.
Common problems
Root rot
The tuber rots quickly in cold, wet soil — the most common way caladiums die. A fungal or bacterial infection of the roots, almost always triggered by soil staying wet too long. Caught early, most plants recover within a few weeks after repotting; if most roots are already mushy, recovery is uncertain.
Phytophthora root rot on a dug-up root ball
Photo: Jerzy Opioła · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Cold damage
Below about 18 C growth stalls and leaves collapse; it is the most cold-sensitive plant on many shelves. Tissue injury from a cold draft, a chilly windowsill, or a night outdoors below the plant's tolerance. Damaged leaves will not heal, but if the stems and roots survived, new growth typically appears within three to four weeks in a warm, stable spot.
fig leaves killed by a frost
Photo: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sunburn
The tissue-paper leaves scorch in any hot direct sun. Leaf tissue scorched by more direct sun than the plant was acclimated to, often after moving it to a brighter spot or outdoors. Burned patches are permanent, but the plant itself usually recovers fully once moved - new growth comes in healthy.
a sunburnt rubber plant leaf, bleached and browned where the sun hit
Photo: Secretlondon · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Underwatering
In full leaf it drinks fast, and drought crisps whole leaves. The plant is not getting enough water, either from infrequent watering or soil so dry it repels water. Prognosis is excellent - most underwatered plants perk up within days of proper rehydration.
The mistakes that most often kill it
- Watering a dormant tuber like a leafy plant — it rots in the pot.
- Cold exposure, which this species tolerates worse than almost any houseplant.
- Panic-discarding it in autumn when natural dieback begins.
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