Various techniques have been used in the past to finish
caladiums that have a more compact habit with more leaves. Terminal bud
removal or de-eyeing, is the most reliable way. Individual varieties
respond differently to this procedure, with some showing no appreciable
affect from the procedure.
Home-Made De-Eyeing Tool...
We have made de-eyeing tools using a wood
dowel and nail which is ground flat and pointed
To de-eye, cut out the terminal/dominant buds or sprout(s)
(eyes) using a small knife or tool pictured above. Staying within the
diameter of the eye, remove the entire eye by cutting about 1/8” -¼” deep
into the bulb. Remember, it is critical to stay within the diameter of the
eye to eliminate damage to the small eyes (axillary or lateral buds) that
surround the perimeter of the main eye. This is demonstrated first with a
green bulb where the axillary buds are clearly visible.
Visible auxiliary buds
around atypical bud
After de-eying, auxiliary
buds still visible
green bulb after
de-eying and curing 24 hours
Now to demonstrate it on cured bulbs:
Cured bulb with 3
terminal buds
Cured bulb after
de-eyeing
(notice yellow tuber tissue)
Cured bulbs after de-eying
Experiments using a nail to puncture and destroy
the terminal bud have shown good results. Remember in order to be
effective, the de-eyeing method must remove or destroy the terminal buds.
Please note however while proper de-eyeing increases the uniformity of
your crop, increasing the severity of the de-eyeing treatment, by
excessive removal of tuber tissue surrounding the terminal eyes, leads to
a less uniform crop.
Cluster bulbs, those with four or five terminal
eyes, generally do not benefit from de-eying. Contrary to some beliefs, it
is not harmful to de-eye white cultivars as long as it is done properly,
e.g. stay within the diameter of the terminal eye. The caladium bulb,
being a storage organ, is full of carbohydrates. A wet carbohydrate source
invites disease problems, so it is best to let a de-eyed bulb dry and heal
10-12 hours before potting. Use a fungicide or Talc dust to aid in this
process may be helpful. Good air circulation is very important to this
drying (healing) process.
The apical (terminal) shoot (bud) is more mature
than the axillary buds surrounding it. After de-eyeing, shoots/leaves from
axillary buds may have a slightly different (more juvenile) look and
color.
Although de-eyeing will delay the forcing time
briefly (up to two weeks), it will result in a fuller more compact plant.
Therefore, we recommend that all bulbs used for pot plants, except as
noted in the variety descriptions, be de-eyed. We do not recommend the use
of GA on caladiums to stimulate germination as it causes excessive
stretching (petiole elongation).