The White Wing Caladium is also known as lance leaf Caladium because its leaves are ruffly and have an elongated heart shape.
Unlike many other Caladium plants, the White Wing Caladium has mostly white-colored leaves, with reddish-pink veins and green borders.
This plant was developed from a cross between the “Florida Moonlight” and “Florida Sweetheart” plants. It belongs to the hardiness zone 9 to 13.
Table of Contents
White Wing Caladium Care
The soil pH for White Wing Caladium just needs to be acidic to neutral (5-7), and sunlight should be provided under partial or full shade. In terms of watering, White Wing Caladium only needs to be watered when the soil is dry two inches (5 cm) deep. The optimal temperature range is 70°F to 85°F (21°C to 29°C).
Soil
White Wing Caladium requires a soil mix that is well-draining. You can also add damp peat and compost to a readymade, well-draining soil mix.
You must also make sure that soil pH remains between acidic to neutral (5-7) to ensure that the plant grows well.
Water
White Wing Caladium needs to be kept in moist soil. To achieve this, mulch the soil’s top. However, mulch can also attract slugs or snails that can harm your plant.
Observing your plant and checking how dry the soil has become is another method.
All you have to do is stick your finger into the soil and see whether at least 2 inches of the soil has dried up. If the soil has dried up that deep, then water your plant again.
White Wing Caladium needs moist soil as dry soil can cause leaf yellowing.
Light
White Wing Caladium needs to be kept under partial sunlight, so shady areas are best for the plant.
You can also keep your White Wing Caladium close to the west, east, or south-facing window.
Placing it outdoor under bright sunlight can be extremely damaging for White Wing Caladium; thus, never do that.
An excessive amount of sunlight can burn the leaves of your plants, and there is no way to cure burnt leaves.
Temperature
White Wing Caladium likes warm areas, but surprisingly also has a slight tolerance against frost.
This plant can survive in 32°F (0°C) temperature, but nothing lower than this.
Generally, White Wing Caladium likes to stay in temperatures between 70°F to 85°F (21°C to 29°C).
Humidity
White Wing Caladium is a tropical plant and likes high humidity levels.
Keep your White Wing Caladium in humidity levels ranging from fifty to seventy percent.
Fertilizer
White Wing Caladium does not need a lot of fertilizer. Fertilize it during spring and summer as it’s the plant’s growing seasons.
Do not use fertilizers during the winter season the extra nutrients aren’t needed by then. An excess amount of fertilizer can cause the leaves to burn.
Use low-nitrogen fertilizers for this plant. Generally, any flowering plant fertilizer is good enough for White Wing Caladium. Just dilute the strength of the fertilizer by ¼.
Repotting
White Wing Caladiums don’t like frequent repotting.
Repotting it, though, is beneficial if it suffers from parasite attacks. When you repot your plant, follow these steps:
- Use sterilized tools. You can sterilize them with alcohol.
- Repot in the spring as it’s the White Wing Caladium’s season of growth.
- Spray chemical insecticides to prevent any infections from occurring when repotting.
- Place your plant in a similar soil mix to the previous pot if the plant was growing well in that mix. Generally, for White Wing Caladium, damp peat, organic matter, and a well-draining mix is the best choice.
Pruning
Pruning is a great way to promote growth in your plant. Usually, it is recommended that you prune your White Wing Caladium after two or three weeks.
But pruning your plants is always a choice, and this choice depends on what you want your plant to look like.
Generally, it is recommended that you prune your plant when:
- The plant has grown too large.
- There are dead leaves.
- There are infected leaves
- You want to cut larger or older leaves.
Propagation
White Wing Caladium can easily be propagated through the separation method.
In the separation method, you make a new plant by separating one stem group from the “mother” plant. To do this type of propagation, follow these steps:
- You will first have to remove the plant from its pot.
- To do this, flip the pot upside down and start tapping the sides of the pot to loosen the soil.
- The plant will then start to slide out of the pot, and once it is fully out, place it somewhere clean.
- You will notice that the plant has many stems, but these stems are in groups.
- Just gently remove from the mother plant one of the groups before placing it in a new pot.
- Put the old plant back in its pot along with the soil, and start adding a similar soil mixture in the new plant’s pot.
- Make sure the soil mixture is well-draining, has organic compost and damp peat.
- Then water the soil and let your stem group settle into its new pot so that it can become its own plant.
The second way through which you can propagate your White Wing Caladium is by using the bulbs found in the soil.
Follow these steps to propagate White Wing Caladium using bulbs:
- You will first have to remove the main plant from its pot. To remove the plant from the soil, follow the same steps as the stem group separation method.
- Once the plant is out of the pot, look through the soil, and you will find some balls of soil.
- These soil balls are actually bulbs, and you can use them to propagate your plant.
- Take a bulb and place it aside.
- Then take a new pot and fill it with the same soil mixture as the original plant.
- Place the bulb on the soil. Make sure you place the flat side of the bulb on the soil, and the pointed end should face upwards.
- Then gently press half of the bulb into the soil, leaving the other half on top of the soil.
- Then water and take care of the new plant like the parent plant.
When you propagate your White Wing Caladium, make sure all the equipment you use was cleaned with rubbing alcohol.
Another way to sanitize your tools is by placing your tools in diluted bleach for thirty minutes. Then take them out and wash them.
Blooms
The White Wing Caladium plant does not have any blooms and is only grown for its stunning white leaves with green borders.
Growth
White Wing Caladium plants only grow during the spring and fall seasons. After this time span, the plant goes into a rest period for five months and then starts growing again in spring.
Overall, the White Wing Caladium leaves only grow 10 cm wide and 4.5-5 cm tall.
This plant can remain a dwarf plant with a height of 12 inches or can grow as tall as 13 to 18 inches.
View this post on Instagram
Common Problems for White Wing Caladium
Snail and Slug
White Wing Caladium is susceptible to damage from snails and slugs because of their large foliage.
Snails and slugs are capable of damaging seedlings, leaves, fruits, underground tubers, and seeds. Damaging White Wing Caladium tubers can reduce the chances of further plant growth.
Protecting your White Wing Caladium leaves from snails and slugs is important as the leaves are tender, and tender leaves are their favorite food.
You can protect your White Wing Caladium leaves by using crushed eggshells and copper wire as they act as barriers for the snails and slugs.
You can also try to put a bait out for these animals. Baits such as melon rind or even a can of beer will be helpful. The snails and slugs will instantly be attracted to the sweet liquid treat.
When you place a beer close by, the two animals will drown in it. While with the melon ring, the over-stuffed slugs won’t be able to move and can be tossed out the next day.
You should also remove any moist thing surrounding your plant. Slugs often look for moist places to be in; thus, removing anything moist can make them run away.
Mulch is useful for White Wing Caladium, but sometimes they too can attract slugs.
Remove any mulch that’s near your plant and place your plant in a higher area, not anywhere close to the ground.
If you have weedy areas clean those up, and any rocks placed for decorative purposes should also be turned over so they can dry up.
Another way to prevent slugs and snails is by putting animals that like to eat them close to your plant.
Toads or non-poisonous snakes are the best choices of animals to control the spread of slugs and snails. These two animals only eat small animals and have no interest in plants.
Caterpillars
Caterpillars are known to cause immense damage to plants as they like to eat away the leaves and flowers.
While White Wing Caladium does not have any flowers, it does have plenty of leaves, and thus, it attracts a large number of caterpillars.
You will know when caterpillars have infested your plant as they often drop noticeable feces on the leaves.
Once you find out that your plant has been infested with caterpillars, it becomes important for you to get things under control early on.
Caterpillars multiply easily, so you need to follow a plan to keep adult caterpillars to a minimum as possible.
Keep the lights around your plant low at night as the caterpillars will then go after the light since they like bright light.
Bright lights also attract moths, so this way, you make a natural predator take care of everything for you.
Remove any weeds close to your White Wing Caladium as caterpillars are attracted to more green areas.
Tips for Growing White Wing Caladium
White Wing Caladium has a few demands as any plant would, but its demands are not difficult to meet. In order to grow your White Wing Caladium well, you can follow these tips:
- Keep it under partial shade, so it receives indirect sunlight.
- Placing White Wing Caladium near the south, west, or east window is ideal.
- Provide water once the soil has dried up at least two inches deep.
- Remove any weed or grass surrounding the plant to keep pests away.
- Place it under high humidity levels ranging from fifty to seventy percent.
Frequently Asked Questions about White Wing Caladium Care
Why are there brown spots on my White Wing Caladium?
The brown spots present on your White Wing Caladiums are sunburn spots. This is a common occurrence in this plant as many people overestimate the amount of sunlight it can handle.
Why is the leave of my White Wing Caladium dying?
Soil moisture is an essential requirement for White Wing Caladium. While it is not highly demanding, the soil must always remain moist.
Do I need to cut off droopy leaves on my White Wing Caladium?
Cutting the droopy leaves off of your White Wing Caladium is best for the plant. Not only you will be saving your plant from getting infected by other diseases, but you will also be promoting further growth by pruning.
What’s the best way to make my White Wing Caladium bushy?
The White Wing Caladium plant does not grow much in terms of height. However, the plant can become bushier by simply pruning old and dead parts of the plant.
Conclusion
The White Wing Caladium is a unique plant because of the stunning colors on its foliage.
At first sight, you can tell that this plant is much more unique compared to every other plant within the same family.
This plant is easy to care for and can enhance your home’s aesthetic appeal with its stunning good looks.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.