Q: I have about seventy caladium plants that I want to dig up now and store for spring. Will it hurt the bulbs if I cut off the foliage, dig them up and store them?

A: The best time to dig caladiums is before the leaves disappear. You can use the stem as a handle to gently tug the corms free as you dig.

Caladiums can be stored in a plastic tub and covered with dry perlite or peat moss. Separate the corms by leaf color and label the tubs carefully. You won’t be able to tell which is which next spring without a label.

Keep the caladiums in a warm, rather than cool, spot for the winter. A little-used hall closet is a good place.

If kept in a cool basement or unheated garage the roots deteriorate and do not sprout easily. Keep the lid on the container until you retrieve it in late April.

Plant caladium corms when you can sit on the ground in your shorts comfortably.