How to care for Colocasia & Alocasia in winter - winterization

Colocasia and Alocasia plants are extremely tropical looking exotics that can easily survive cold winters with the right care. Winterisation of Colocasia and winterization of Alocasia plants is easy if you follow a few simple winter care tips. There are 3 ways to overwinter your Colocasia and Alocasia plants:
1 - Keep your plants on a pot during winter. Ensure the pot is as small as possible to prevent too much water retention. Keep the potting medium as dry as possible and only water when your Colocasia or Alocasia plant is wilting. Ensure your winter temperature does not drop below 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees farenheit).
2 - Keep your plants in a pot but cut of the leaves. This will force your Colocasia/Alocasia plants into dormancy. Keep the pots 100% dry and stack them for ease of storage. Ensure your winter temperature does not drop below 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees farenheit). Begin watering gradually as warmer Spring weather arrives.
3 - Lift the Colocasia/Alocasia corms and store them dry. This is a very space efficient way of storing Colocasia/Alocasia plants in winter. Ensure your winter temperature does not drop below 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees farenheit).
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⏩ IN THIS VIDEO ⏩
00:00 Introduction to overwintering Colocasia and Alocasia plants.
00:30 Colocasia/Alocasia natural winter survival mechanisms.
01:05 Ideal winter conditions for Colocasia and Alocasia corms.
01:20 What happens to plant cells in the cold.
02:05 Two hardy cultivars of Colocasia to try.
03:10 Three techniques to overwinter your Colocasia/Alocasia plants.
05:45 Using yellow sulphur to prevent winter rot.
07:00 Ending of winter care video

[@harrydonald]

Awesome and dam good lookn

[@annasutton8078]

I have dug mine up and put in pots. These are amazing plants, I just love them.

[@francesjones9644]

Hello Craig, my grateful thanks for your invaluable tips. Living in Wiltshire, I trust advice from somebody who also lives in the UK over somebody who refers to various zones as guidance. I have no hesitation in subscribing and will now make my way through all your videos. I keep my colocasia in my greenhouse over winter and my alocasia (which are houseplants) in the house. This is very unsatisfactory really because they just don’t get enough light; I will now transfer all of them to the greenhouse (when they’re completely dry) and keep my fingers crossed! Once again, thank you so very much. Frances.

[@GrowParadise]

Thanks so much for your kind words, and for taking the time to watch my videos and leave a comment. I do appropriate appreciate it 😀

[@frogsparadise4247]

Again, all I need to know, short and sweet, thank you

[@GrowParadise]

thank you for watching and taking the time to comment 👍🪴😃

[@TropicalGardening]

Great video, I must try the gaoligonensis next year. thanks! 👍

[@GrowParadise]

Thanks! I really like the markings on Gaoligonensis 😀

[@vincenzecalzone8666]

Hi Craig. Method 3 for me. The least space required. Esculenta survived outdoors last winter in sheltered pots at lows of -3°C here so surprising. This year I'll go back to basics and dry store. Colocasia mojito for me almost impossible to keep alive without external light. Great video as always

[@GrowParadise]

I hear a lot of people say that they struggle to keep Mohito alive, it's good to know that Esculanta survived for you! 😀🪴

[@TheLivingBackyard]

I'm so glad I found this video before digging out mine, I was thinking if I should leave them in a pot, and I see you do that, so I will test it and hope for the best. 😅

[@junglehavenidanmark9403]

Great help, thanks 😃 I struggle to get them through winter so now I will try one of your methods 😃

[@GrowParadise]

No problem, I am happy it helped. Thanks for watching 😊

[@Garnetspagrud]

Thanks! Great video

[@GrowParadise]

Thank you for watching 👍🌱

[@adamfry8171]

Great video, I got a couple of Pink China’s for first time this year and they have gone bonkers with runners so planted them out and got some pups coming up. Definitely don’t want to lose them over winter.

[@GrowParadise]

Nice! Thanks for watching Adam 👍😀🌱

[@berrysuttlemyre]

Great video man!! Love all the techniques

[@GrowParadise]

Thanks so much for watching

[@wiwinarman3830]

Best information for this subject, Thankyou for sharing. Keep up the great work ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@GrowParadise]

Thanks a lot, I'm glad it helped 😁👍

[@szilviaremetei1487]

Thank you for this explanation! I was almost crying seeing them die off and I wasn't sure whether it's winter or a disease..! I cut all my 4 ones and they go to sleep in the basement!

[@kryspinkiedrowski3330]

DUDE, HUUUGE THANK YOU

[@GrowParadise]

Thank you 😀🌱🌴🪴

[@lionsorchardnice123]

Yes i work in a nursery and all what you say is true

[@GrowParadise]

Thanks 👍

[@MichaelFalveyTywardreath]

Hi Craig, I live in a similar microclimatein Cornwall as the gardens at Heligan. I see your Brugs in this video: do you over winter them the same way? Cheers and thanks for the work on the videos.

[@dianeconway293]

Hi thanks for your wonderful video,please could you tell me if I can keep alocasia stingray in an unheated green house cut down or not for winter

[@dilligafmick]

hello craig im just starting with pink china but im in newcastle upon tyne do you think they can handle our winters

[@bogdodder5497]

I got my new colocasia mojito and reverse mojito

[@annasutton8078]

Thanks for all the advise, all very helpful when you are new to these plants.

[@GrowParadise]

No problem Anna, thanks for watching and all the rest of your support. I'm happy to help 😃🪴🪴🪴

[@OssyDL]

Great video already dreading winter as i never have luck with my colocasia. Can leucocasia laosy giant be kept the same way in a pot over winter?

[@GrowParadise]

Yes it should be exactly the same principles mate 👍🌱😀

[@EddyFeyen]

Thanks mate and i can add even -14°C isn't a problem for pink china as i have seen in my own garden. I see you also have Echiums and Brassaiopsis mitis . The latter you do the same as colocasia?

[@GrowParadise]

Hi, the Brassaiopsis should be completely hardy. I will bring mine into the greenhouse as a safety measure though 🤣

[@maudjenin6611]

great video thank you ! I've got some alocasia indoor. I will use the method 2. During the 3 months of winter I would never water a little bit, is that correct ? Thanks !

[@GrowParadise]

Hi, that sounds like a good plan to me. Thanks for watching.

[@MrBaconwhopper]

My Pink China comes back every year like you said and spreads fast. I'm trying Alocasia Wentii, Alocasia Odora and Colocasia Jack's Giant now. I'm not bringing them in, just want to see if they survive in the garden (I'm in the Netherlands so same kind of climate). I also have a Alocasia Regal Shield which I will plant out in the summer of the others survived because that also seems to be quite hardy.

[@GrowParadise]

wow, I would be so interested to see how your experiments work out. Please keep us updated 👍🪴

[@essexman66]

hi Craig, have you done a walk around video of your garden

[@GrowParadise]

Yes there are a few walk arounds up on my channel, feel free to have a browse 🙂👍

[@MikeDiamondTube]

Do all Colocasias form tubers? I've read that some of the newer types (especially black leaf varieties) don't produce corms and can only be overwintered as houseplants. Thanks!

[@GrowParadise]

I'm unsure about that, some may be less likely to overwinter as a corm depending on their wild origins.

[@elizabeth683]

OK so I have an Alocasia in a pot and I live up North where it's cold. I bought the plant inside for the winter. Do I water the plant?

[@GrowParadise]

Only when it gets VERY dry 👍

[@garyclapham5482]

How do i care for them if i bring them in the house and store in a spare bedroom? lowest temp 15 and highest 25 (it gets a lot of sun so it gets warm on sunny days)

[@GrowParadise]

Hi, they will keep growing in those conditions but I would probably suggest to be aware of overwatering still 👍 Thanks for watching 👍

[@Stevenm0422]

are there any elephant ear plants that you don't need to store away and will come up annually if you put mulch down. as I have no space at home and don't have a green house

[@GrowParadise]

Yes! Colocasia ‘Pink China’ is proving very hardy and can stay outdoors 👍

[@sergiomarquina4553]

Can you make more brugmansia videos?

[@GrowParadise]

I have soooo many videos I want to make and Brugmansia vids are on that list 😀 Just trying to find the time to make them 👍

[@geesgardeningclubuk5247]

Im unsure whether to lift mine or cover them they quite young

[@GrowParadise]

If they are young I would recommend lifting them 👍🙂

[@leadbelly1495]

I’m in U.K. and my indoor alocasia is still growing although the growth is stunted,it is under light 12 hours,I’m not sure what to do for best please advise?

[@GrowParadise]

Leave it as it is, it won't mind being pot bound until spring. Then when the weather warms pot it up and it will fly! 😄👍💚

[@EmmaMorgan09]

My alocasias were in my conservatory over the cold snap we had in December, and they have died back. How can I recover them? Will they regrow?

[@GrowParadise]

Keep the soils drier and gradually water in spring to try and coax out new leaves 👍

[@frances2240]

No humidifier near them?

[@GrowParadise]

I haven't needed it, but I mostly store mine dormant 😄👍

[@craigwagstaff4625]

Hi Craig,is it possible to lift colocasia from the border and still do method 2?

[@GrowParadise]

Hello, absolutely it will be fine 👍😀🌱

[@craigwagstaff4625]

@@GrowParadise thanks Craig ,bit of a taro virgin so followed kris's advice for starting them off which worked a treat and the hard bit l guess is getting them through a winter unscathed 😊

[@diptimehta4160]

Hi Craig, what are the red spikes behind you in this video. Is there a video link where you have covered them, please let me know. Thanks.

[@GrowParadise]

Hello, its Salvia confertiflora. Its a borderline hardy Salvia from Brazil 👍

[@diptimehta4160]

@@GrowParadise Thank you. Off I go on search. Or may wait till you have it in shops 😀

[@diptimehta4160]

I mean in your shop.