Heart of Jesus
4.4 out of 5 (74 experiences)
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
About Heart of Jesus
Caladiums have been cultivated for hundreds of years and grow from tubers that can be divided to propagate them! Nearly all Caladiums are grown in a single town in Florida, which hosts an annual festival in their honor! 🎉
Taxonomy
Caladium bicolor
Caladium
Araceae
Alismatales
Also known as
Angel Wings, Bicolor Caladium and Caladium Bicolour
How to care for Heart of Jesus
How often to water your Heart of Jesus
every 9
Heart of Jesus needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.
Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
Water 0.5 cups every
9
Finding light for Heart of Jesus in your home
a window
Heart of Jesus may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.
Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.
Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Heart of Jesus in your home 🏡.
How to fertilize Heart of Jesus
Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.
By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.
To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Heart of Jesus after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.
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Today was a rainy day here in my world, so Austem had a healthy dose of Awesome!! He is So Stunning!! 🤩 Drink it all in Friends!!! #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #Caladium #HeartOfJesus #PlantTherapy #Rain #GregGang
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What would cause my leaves to turn pale and droop? #Caladium
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Hi Friends! Remember when Austem had a bloom growing?! I’ve been waiting & waiting & waiting to see the full bloom. Sadly (but not too sadly), the bloom never opened. It started dropping & very quickly lost its green color. I pulled it & opened it to see the inside bc I was so curious! Now you can all enjoy his brown bloom that almost happened! Happy Monday Friends!! #PlantsMakePeopleHappy #GregGang #PlantTherapy #HappyPlants #Death #AlmostButNot #SeeYa
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help!! the leaves are droopy and eventually they shrivel and die but i can’t do figure out why. In a 4 in nursery pot with good drainage #Caladium
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FRIENDS!!!!!!! Here I am bragging about my Best Friend, Austem again!!! He’s FLOWERING!!!!!!! I’m so proud of him!! But I’ve been reading on it…Is it true I have to take that bloom out??? This is his first one! Do I really have to???! #HappyPlants #NewGrowth #GregGang #Caladium #PlantsMakePeopleHappy
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#ProudPlantParent #GregGang #HappyPlants #PlantsMakePeopleHappy I am beyond Proud of this guy!!! My Husband gifted him to me & he has been through some struggles since Spring. He is currently my biggest comeback story & my best plant friend!!! Thumbs Up to Austem!!!
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Drooping stems with some leaves turning yellow/white or getting brown crispy spots #Caladium #sos #help I just purchased this guy from Ingles maybe a couple weeks ago and it's been downhill ever since. I have not found a new pot for it yet. I've been keeping the soil moist but not soaked and there are drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. This window faces NW and never gets direct sunlight.
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my heart of jesus is dying so basically i picked this plant up from walmart but it was already kinda looking dead but i accepted the challenge! i’ve had this plant for about a week now and i’ve not really noticed a difference until today it has some spots that are a darker green i think it’s supposed to be. it’s all been so pale until today i think it could be sunburnt it was left in direct sun at walmart… does anyone have any tips to help her? i did fertilize her today but she’d be so pretty at her full potential lol anything would be appreciated! thank you so much! #helpneeded
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Is it normal for my baby to have brown and black stems. I’m starting to think I’m killing all my plants including her. I replanted her and she is in indirect bright light near a window. HELPPP! #Caladium
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So there’s this weird white stuff, growing on the dirt around one of my Heart of Jesus plants and I don’t know whether to leave it alone or to try and remove it? It looks almost like a spiderweb but on the dirt near the plant… I don’t know what it could be, these are my very few first plants and I’ll feel so bad if I accidentally kill them 😞
Heart of Jesus is generally easy to care for, though some plant parents report facing challenges with growing it. Check out the reviews down below to read more about their experiences!
💦 Water Needs
Heart of Jesus prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.
☀️ Sunlight Needs
Heart of Jesus may have difficulty thriving and will drop leaves 🍃 without ample sunlight. Place it less than 3 feet from a window to maximize the potential for growth. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.
🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity
Heart of Jesus is not safe to consume. If you, a family member, or a pet has ingested any amount of plant material contact Poison Control, US (800) 222-1222, or your veterinarian. If you have children, cats, or dogs in the home, we suggest keeping this plant out of reach.
Heart of Jesus Toxicity to Cats →
💨 Humidity
Heart of Jesus prefers dry environments. Providing extra humidity or misting your plant allows water to linger on leaves, which can create the perfect environment for harmful types of fungi.
🪴 Soil
Heart of Jesus does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!
💩 Fertilizer
Heart of Jesus should be repotted after it doubles in size or once a year, whichever comes first. Fresh potting soil has all the nutrients your plant needs, so as long as it’s refreshed yearly, you shouldn’t need to use fertilizer. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!
🌎 Native Region
Heart of Jesus is native to South and Central America.
🌸 Flowers
Yes, you may see your Heart of Jesus bloom with the right amount of sunlight and water.
⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern
Heart of Jesus grows vertically and new growth will emerge from the top of the plant.
🌦️ Growing Outdoors
USDA Hardiness Zone
Heart of Jesus can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 9a-10b. Find your local hardiness zone here.
🌱 Propagation
Heart of Jesus can be propagated by division into new individual plants.
- Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
- If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
- Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
- Repot the parent plant back into its original pot
🍂 Yellow Leaves
Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.
Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Heart of Jesus, since they are sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.
Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!
🧐 Troubleshooting
When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.
Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.
Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.
Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.
Care Summary for Heart of Jesus
Heart of Jesus
Greg recommends:
Water
0.5 cups every 9 days
Placement
< 3ft from a window
Nutrients
Repot after 2x growth
Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.
What other plant parents say
Large, lush leaves 46
Fast grower 39
Survivor 20
Browns easily 13
Blooms easily 10
Easy to propagate 6
Pest magnet 4
06/05/2023
Likes a lot of humidity and never let the soil dry out.
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
12/28/2021
This plant grows very quickly even with just grow lights and no natural lighting. I keep mine in ~65% humidity and it constantly has new young leaves.
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
12/28/2021
The leaves do die fairly quickly compared to many plants but they come back super fast. Since they grow from a bulb as long as you have lights and proper temperatures you can grow them easily indoors over winter. I add a layer of spagnum moss (about an inch deep) on top of my soil to keep humidity higher and moisture in for longer and she thrives.
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
11/28/2021
Caladiums are beautiful but difficult. They’re supposed to go dormant over the winter so I try not to take it too personally but any kind of chill, like a window open or the air conditioner on near it can kill off a few leaves fairly quickly.
The stunning leaves are worth it though.
Fast grower
11/24/2021
I cannot seem to keep these alive, I don’t under or over water them and make sure they aren’t getting too much or too little sun… but for some reason I have yet to discover, they will not stay alive with me.
09/21/2021
Beautiful!
Large, lush leaves
09/16/2021
The color are beautiful
Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily
Easy to propagate
08/30/2021
Don't ever cut dead stems. The new leaves appear from the stem as they die off.
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
08/23/2021
Not sure if it’s just me, but my leaves lost color And haven’t regained them fully! I repotted it upon taking it home and all the beautiful pink and green disappeared. She droops when she grows too tall as well. Loves humidity
Blooms easily
Fast grower
08/11/2021
I have a really hard time determining whether it needs water or not.
Fast grower
Browns easily
08/08/2021
This plant is beautiful! Grew her form bulbs and gave away a few!! They love the shade and to be kept moist but not soaking wet! She’s been putting out new leaves for me constantly. 💕💕
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
08/01/2021
Love it!! ❤️
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily
07/29/2021
I’m giving it five stars because it’s absolutely gorgeous but pls someone tell me how to make him less angry
07/09/2021
Easy to grow and beautiful!
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
07/06/2021
This place did not like the dry air in my kitchen so I moved it to the porch where it’s a bit more humid and it is thriving I have since gotten 6 new growths since moving it. With the proper care this plant can produce beautiful leaves, and when one dies off another will grow in its place, love it!
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Survivor
Browns easily
07/05/2021
They don’t like too much light so this is a perfect plant to put in your house under a light and look beautiful!
Large, lush leaves
07/01/2021
It needs sun light but shade is need. Also, it doesn’t like cold.
Survivor
Browns easily
06/27/2021
Grows huge incredibly fast in humid environments! so fun to watch
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily
Survivor
06/12/2021
I’ve had this plant for less than an month and shes already grown 4 new beautiful leaves AND is pollinating!!! So beautiful and loves sunlight
Large, lush leaves
Fast grower
06/10/2021
find a humid shady spot that gets a litttttle bit of sun and your caladium will soon grow the size of your head!
Fast grower
Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily
Survivor
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