New caladium drying up

[bicyclemaster]

Hello, about a week ago I bought my first caladium and right of the bat the leaves started drying up. During the first 3 days it was in a bright spot that received a bit of direct light to my surprise so I understand why it might have burned, but after that I placed it in a shaded area. I have a humidifier next to it that keeps the humidity at 60-70%. When I got it, it was the biggest in the store and as root bound as a plant can be so I put it in a bigger pot with suitable substrate. The new leaves don't seem to be getting burned but I want to know what might have caused this. Could it be going dormant? I know that around November they start going dormat. Or maybe temperature, because at night there are 18 degrees (65F) in that room.

 

[cpp gardener]

How often do you water it?
How do you decide when to water it?
Does the pot have a drain hole?
What direction does the window face?

Caladiums prefer bright light, high humidity and evenly moist soil. They dislike dry air and dry soil. Being monocots that form rhizomes, they do not get rootbound and can stand extremely tight roots.

 

[bicyclemaster]

I just got the plant so I watered it 2 times until now. When I got it about a week ago and today. It started drying up right after I got it, after I had moved it to a bigger pot. Of course the pot has a drainage hole, there is no plant in my house without one. My window faces south and I tried to put it in a spot with good lighting but no direct sunlight. It has a humidifier next to it 24/7 so humidity can't be a problem. Most liky it was the drop in temperature because I had to take it through cd temperature from the shop to my house. And also at night it get quite cold in here. As for watering, I will try to keep the soil moist without overwateri g the plant too much

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I don't know about the particular plant, but a good general rule is not to get larger plants. The small ones are not only cheaper, but usually happier and establish better root systems if they do their growing in the place they are going to live.

 

[cpp gardener]

It may be that you got it just before it started to go dormant. Bad timing.