How To Grow Colocasia?

Colocasia esculenta (taro or elephant ears) is grown for its huge and velvety heart-shaped leaves in shades of lime green, purple or black.  A tender perennial, it can be grown outside in the UK in summer, in a pot, or on a border, where it looks especially good combined with other jungly, exotic-looking plants such as bananas, begonias, or tree ferns. It loves moist soil, so it can also be grown around the edge of a pond.

Thought to have originated in southeast Asia, taro (also known as cocoyam, dasheen, godere, and eddo) has been cultivated as a food crop in many parts of the world for centuries. It is grown for its edible tubers (which taste similar to sweet potatoes or yams) and leaves. It is grown in wet, swampy areas and paddy fields and is one of the few crops that will grow on flooded land.

You can also grow colocasia indoors all year round, as a house plant. Although evergreen, the foliage is likely to die down if temperatures dip below 21°C. All parts of the plant are poisonous if eaten raw, and may cause skin irritation.

 Colocasia esculenta‘ Punch’

How to plant colocasia？

If you’re planting a colocasia plant in the ground, wait until the last frosts have passed in late spring before planting out. Add lots of organic matter to the planting hole, which should be the same size as the root ball, and water in the well.

If you’re planting a colocasia in a pot, choose a large container (around 25cm across, with drainage holes) and plant it into peat-free multi-purpose compost.

If you’re planting colocasia corms in a pot, plant them with the pointed side (or the end with the most concentric rings) facing up. The tip of the tuber should be a couple of centimeters below the soil surface. Place on a sunny windowsill or in a warm greenhouse.

How to propagate colocasia？

Colocasia is grown from corms (bulbs). For best results plant the corms in a large container (around 25cm across) indoors or in a greenhouse, in spring.

Fill the container to three quarters with a peat-free multipurpose compost

Position the corm with the pointed end (or the most rings) facing upwards. Top up the container with more compost, making sure that the tip is just covered

Water in thoroughly and place in a warm spot indoors

Harvesting and uses

If you’re growing taro to eat, harvest the tubers in autumn, when the foliage starts to die down – they can be boiled or fried like potatoes. The leaves can be harvested all year round but don’t strip the plant of foliage. The tubers don’t store well, so eat them within a few weeks.

Growing colocasia: problem-solving

The young leaves can be attractive to slugs and snails, so be sure to protect them. The tubers may rot if the soil is too cold and wet in spring.

Indoor colocasia plants can be affected by whitefly or spider mites.

If the leaves are turning yellow, there may be a problem with watering or feeding, so check that you’re giving your plant the right care. Alternatively, the plant may be going dormant in autumn, which will happen if the temperature goes below 21°C.