Caladium Bulbs – Life Expectancy

Q: For the past three years I have stored my caladium bulbs per your instructions. What is their life expectancy?

A: As you already know, caladium foliage emerges from a hairy underground tuber. Tubers have eyes and it is the eyes on the caladium tuber that give rise to the leaves. Caladium tubers will enlarge each year if they are cared for correctly. Big ones range up to 4 inches across and produce lots of leaves. If yours aren’t much bigger than when you started, you’re not feeding them often enough or giving them enough sunlight. So to answer to your question, their life expectancy and size is limited only by the conditions in which they grow.