Almost any tuber that grows from "eyes" can be cut up as long as each piece contains an "eye," sort of like you do potatoes to plant them. I just cut up a banana corm that had mostly rotted into several pieces with an eye and now three of them have come up, and since the fourth eye hadn't really broken out yet, I think it will come up sometime.

Cannas are the same way, as are Jerusalem artichokes and gingers. I have dug up whole beds of ginger and canna, but still had to remove new shoots that came up from tiny pieces left behind. But speaking of caladiums, I had a mice "Miss Muffett" last year that I rescued from an empty apartment's yard, where it was being constantly mowed down. It didn't come up this spring, so I dug down and found the corm had rotted all but one tiny little piece. I didn't think it would work, but I tossed that tiny piece into a little pot with something else and forgot about it until it came up this year. No doubt, it will take a few years to get large enough to be pretty again, but this is the third one I've had die and come back from a tiny piece left behind.

ETA: After you cut them, be sure to let them cure for a couple of days before you plant, or you can plant them in dry sand and not water for a week or so.

DG, after I let them dry and cure, do you think they could be planted out directly to their final spots? I realize that the plants will be very small. I know that caladium leaf size is in direct proportion to the bulb (tuber) size. But do you think all that humidity-chamber and little-pot stuff is really necessary? If it isn't, I have time to run some trials on a couple of bulbs this year. I think I might. :)

Carol

Carol, After I remember about the film that I saw and what the caladium farmers said, to be successful is not an easy task.

After harvesting the bulbs they get cut and like you said the size of the plant is the size of the bulb. They go by grades, only the medium or number 2 were sold at the festival. They get a process of hot water to kill off the nematodes. After get some kind of pecan meal and have to be in an air dry environment.

When planting the field has to be fumigated for nematodes and they amend the soil.

And what I said take it with the grain of salt because I was not writing anything down because I thought the best choice was to buy good bulbs from any of the farms that grow them after going through a lot of steps.

But if you want to try, of course you can and you might be very successful, just remember about the nematode issue. Actually one of the farmers kind of made a joke about his family and him being the end of the caladium business for future years. A lot of problems growing them in the same land and getting the chemicals to fumigate the soil....

The window for planting has ended according to them, next best time will be spring. Still a lot of nice varieties are out there. Let's enjoy them while we can!

Silvia

Carol, judging by how many caladiums I have had spontaneously "volunteer" around here when I thought I had lost them, I think you can pretty much toss them into the ground and hope for the best. Just be sure to mark off where you put them so you don't inadvertently dig them up.

Every time I try to plant them where I want them, they seem to die, so I just leave them where they come up, or put them into a pot with something to shade them. They love having a buddy if you put them into a pot. Very sociable plants. :)