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.
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Home-Made
De-Eyeing Tool...
We have made de-eyeing tools using a
wood dowel and nail which is ground flat and pointed
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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.
Now to demonstrate it on cured bulbs:
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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).
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