Colocasia Gigantea: An unscientific study
Tuesday 8 September 2009 - Filed under Plants
When I found Colocasia Gigantea at Garden Fever, I was hoping to end the year more like this.
…almost? No. But biggish leaves for a Colocasia in Portland, I guess.
I got to watch three of these plants, purchased at the same place, same size, planted at about the same time in Portland. This one, in my mom’s garden, performed the best, putting up a new leaf every week, now each over a meter long.
Last week, it rewarded with bonus flowers.
So what does the big Colocasia have that mine doesn’t have? For one, steady plentiful moisture delivered daily from drip irrigation.
The pot itself is medium sized, I would have thought too small, about 2 feet tall and 18″ wide. It’s on a hot cement patio in sun most of the day. I think the heat radiating back up through the pot helped promote steroidal growth.
While I lined a large hole in the ground with plastic to promote constantly moist soil, this pot is free draining. What else might be at play? My garden soil was heavily amended with compost, with repeated applications of alfalfa and kelp meal. Her potting mix came from Miracle-Gro (it’s what Costco had this year), but no other supplements.
I’ve seen it rated as hardy to zone 7b. Last year, my mom had another, which I urged her to dig and overwinter in the unheated garage. It was replanted in the ground this year, where it performed well last year (not as well as the huge one though). This year, it’s shrimpy. Maybe it would have performed better if it were simply heavily mulched? Or kept in a warmer overwintering spot? We’ll watch and compare notes again this winter, and see how they do. I’m still going for that promised 8 – 10 feet tall and wide, I’ll keep looking for the secret.
2009-09-08 » megan
8 September 2009 @ 8:56 am
I hope yours gets real big. These are neat plants and are always in high demand it seems. They are not hardy here. I purchased a substitute called Petasites japonica. I’ve not planted it yet as I’m afraid it will spread too much so it’s not looking good for it but hopefully soon. I’d like those big leaves too!!
8 September 2009 @ 9:35 am
Hi Megan, I have some Colocasia, but not the gigantea. Mine stay in the ground all year (I am zone 7b). They are in three different spots in the garden…different light and water conditions. The least amount of water and full sun– they are small. Part shade, lots of water (planted next to my air conditioner condensation pipe outlet) poor size…could be other issues. The largest have midday sun and are heavily mulched….high mounded bed….only water is when it rains it is next to the downspoutn (next to — not in front). They really make a neat statement in the garden.
8 September 2009 @ 10:57 am
I like those colocasia. I have a no-name regular one in the ground. I bought Colocasia Jack’s Giant this year but left it in the 2 gallon nursery pot. If I had planted it in the garden or a bigger pot, I’m sure it would have performed more impressively. Next year it goes in a big pot near the bamboo!
8 September 2009 @ 11:32 am
Can I out myself as the owner of the third? Or is there someone else? …
Both of yours look better than mine! I think my pot is similar in size to your moms, and I really try to keep it evenly moist but since I don’t have drip irrigation I probably fail miserably. What I find oddest about mine is that the leaves (there have only been two at any given time) kept getting bigger and bigger until the last one, which was noticeably smaller. I planted it in organic potting soil from Garden Fever, usually I find it to be “good stuff.” I think I am going to try to overwinter it in the pot in the garage. I’ll let you know know what happens…
8 September 2009 @ 8:17 pm
tina – I LOVE that Petasites. So beautiful. The big leaves always get me.
Janet – Thanks for the info on additional conditions and the results. Surely I’ll be able to find the secret combination this way!
Jane – Can’t wait to see next year’s performance, I hope it’s a huge success.
Loree – Outed, you are. I have had the same leaf dieback issue, although mine seems to have settled on two at a time. Seems the big leaves come from the stems on mine, but a few smaller leaves have sprung up from the base. I still have hope we’re going to have huge leaves to show for our efforts…some day.
9 September 2009 @ 3:10 pm
Crazy happy, that colocasia in a little pot with bargain potting soil, two new blooms today. As for the rest of the garden, I’m planning on a fantastic crop of weeds next year.
17 March 2010 @ 10:33 am
Cincinnati, OH…… I planted 3 last spring; after wintering in 7 gal pots indoors the previous season. Year two made them HUGE. 9-feet tall with 5-foot leaves. Each produced (perhaps) 10 blooms in a comb-like series. None has produced pups. Everyone asks about them. The only downside is the constant watering. And, the leaves are like giant nets that collect litter from other trees. I found mine at plant delights nursery; I had to “wait in line”. Very popular and difficult to propagate. Worth the wait and trouble. Popular attention-getters in my northern (but tropical) landscape.
11 August 2010 @ 12:03 am
Air Conditioners are really necessary if you have allergic rhinitis and some other respiratory conditions `