Fancy Pinky Caladiums at almost no cost….

Saw this trending on Rednote — people are planting lychee seeds and the seedlings end up looking a lot like some of the expensive pinky Caladium varieties.

It’s wild because lychee seedlings aren’t even related to Caladium, but the leaf shape and veining can look surprisingly similar.

Here’s the method I saw:

1. Crack the seed

Eat your lychee (best part).

Rinse the seed completely clean — no fruit bits left.

Soak it in water for ~3 days, changing the water daily, until the shell cracks.

1. Sprout it

Lay the cracked seeds on a damp paper or cotton towel inside a container.

Cover with another damp layer, keep it sealed and moist, and mist daily until white fuzzy roots appear.

1. Start water culture

Once roots show, place seeds in a small water container (roots down, sprout up).

Keep them upright — flip them if they lean.

1. Go shady

When the first leaves appear, move them to a shaded or dark spot (like a cupboard) to keep stems short and leaves soft pink.

I grabbed my lychee from 99 Ranch, but you can probably find them at most Asian grocery stores. I just started soaking my seeds today — will post an update once I see more progress.

Anyone else tempted to try this? Would love to see your progress if you join in!