How to grow Colocasia + which one is best?

Colocasia plants are a 'must have' foliage plant for tropical and exotic style gardens. Colocasia have big tropical leaves and have been bred to produce a beautiful selection of ornamental Colocasia varieties. In this video I talk you through how to grow Colocasia plants from seed, from Colocasia tubers and from young Colocasia plug plants. I'll also show you all of my own Colocasia's and talk a bit about the features of each of my Colocasia plants. Colocasia plants are easy to grow and can add a tropical style to any garden.
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⏩ IN THIS VIDEO ⏩

[@836dmar]

So many varieties. first year and I have 4-5 varieties. Nothing this exotic but give it time!

[@ShyDog827]

This is my new favorite plant; so hardy for our Texas heat and so rewarding with beautiful leaves. My first was regal shield, and now I have purchased two more: Alocasia Metalhead and Colocasia Illustris. It’s the best feeling when you find a plant that can thrive in both summer sun , heat , and shade 🌤️

[@Dhruv_Dogra]

Alocasia and Colocasia are two very different genuses, so you have two favorites not one.

[@tedscott1478]

Great information again as usual! Thanks so much😊👍

[@JermaineGertse]

Love your content. Came about it a few years ago and I am planning on doing my own tropical style garden.

[@yolyrom7233]

I learned quite a bit from your vid about these beauties. Thank you!

[@danielacoleman6176]

Great information Craig. I bought mine as a big tuber. Was the size of a ostrich egg about 3 or 4 yrs ago. I keep it in the large pot at home and the leaves are huge. I love it. Thank you

[@Mrjboomseedco]

These and gunnera manicata are my favs

[@marymary5494]

Thank you 👌💕

[@allielee8509]

Very interesting, thanks Craig!

[@GrowParadise]

Thank you for your continued support Allie 👍😀🪴

[@daviddavid5880]

I love these things. Here in nearly tropical North Carolina mine grow to colossal size at a shocking rate. Man are they thirsty though. When it gets really hot I'm watering daily. (True story- When I grew my first one I got a notice from the water department)

[@GrowParadise]

Blimey! Lots of people grow them in ponds

[@geesgardeningclubuk5247]

Great selection 👍🏼

[@GrowParadise]

Thank you 😊

[@macopa12]

This is a very informative video... thank you for sharing your complete experience with this plant- and the tips too. I just got my baby plant. I might get tubers next time. a fan here.

[@GrowParadise]

Thanks, I hope yours grow well 👍

[@davidbanner9001]

I have bought several plants from "Turn it Tropical" this year for the first time. Including Pink China. Great company, great plants. But as you said, great community. It's all an experiment in our varied UK climate and soils types etc.

[@GrowParadise]

Very true David, I always like to try and buy from as many independent sellers as I can 👍

[@jesusvr4354]

Today I have bought one, I live in the coast of Andalusia Spain with a warm weather and good level of humidity so to take care of my indoors plants is more easy. Nice video and very useful information, you have a new follower. Best regards

[@GrowParadise]

Thank you so much for taking the time to watch my video and leave such a kind comment. I bet you can grow so many exotics with your Spanish climate!

[@mayarada2059]

Very interesting watching you video bcoz I just started growing my own elephant plants for the first time this year , once again thank you and it helps by sharing a good tips .

[@GrowParadise]

Thanks Maya, I'm happy the videos are helping you 😀👍

[@tristinalbright8370]

I just recently got two elephant ear mojito bulbs and I have small pots about the size you show,the soil I have is cactus and succulents mix and orchid bark mix

[@Dhruv_Dogra]

There isn't such a big difference between varieties that a non-plant lover could even notice.

[@dianeconway293]

Great video Craig please can you tell me if a plug plant has corms or if they don’t will they eventually make corms also does black magic have corms

[@tedscott1478]

Hi again Craig🙂.I've still got a pink China partly in leaf even now, it's still hanging on down here in Cornwall! It's about 8m from the house but in a sheltered area.

[@GrowParadise]

They are pretty tough aren't they!

[@beanerschnitzel794]

10:53 i’m so amazed at this black one.

[@GrowParadise]

It is one of my favourites 😁

[@jobymoby]

Thanks Craig, my black magic has just performed as you described. So, small pot, bit more heat & 2x weekly feed. And a big fingers crossed! How do you deal with the fruit flys problem?? Many thanks.

[@jerrychetty2524]

Fantastic video thank you sir, I am interested in putting these in my bog filter for my koi pond to clear up the algae. Someone told me that they are great for this purpose?

[@GrowParadise]

Yes, they are hungry plants that love having their roots in water.

[@vincenzecalzone8666]

Great video Craig. I've never grown them indoors long term but I get them going after winter there. Esculenta surprisingly survived outdoors in protected pots last winter (just as a tuber). They've come back well this year after a sluggish start. I'll be overwintering the usual way this time by drying them indoors in the garage. I struggle with colocasia mojito. Looks great but too much hassle to keep alive over winter. Got some pink China that I'll be trying next year. Cheers

[@GrowParadise]

Hello Vincenze! Thanks for sharing your experience growing these plants 👍 Good luck next year with your Pink China 😃

[@JB-lr1tf]

Hi have you kept your in pots when they dye down in winter I wanted to keep mine in pots and not plant them in the ground worried about spreading.

[@vincenzecalzone8666]

@@JB-lr1tf I kept them in pots over the winter and they've come back fine. I've planted the two pots out now into 2 defined areas with raised bed and fence borders to keep them contained. They're both in difficult areas which are shady where nothing has grown well. I figured even if they spread They're easy to remove unlike bamboo👍

[@JB-lr1tf]

@@vincenzecalzone8666 thank you I will give it a go and see how it goes .😊

[@ephateriagay2179]

I have one that have not grew . Got from the flower show in Philly . It look more like a cocoon then a bulb . He said don’t cover it in dirt but I potted it in March and nothin . ( up right elephant ear ) another kind I brought it start growing leaves but idk what’s going on with this one looking like it’s wrapped in dry brown leaves . Can you help? Thanks

[@waikatoplants3059]

I'm in nz.i have mine in a bedroom with a heater. When Temps get low.cannot use our tap water

[@GrumpyFogiesTourinOz24]

Great video. Do you have any videos on pegging and growing from stolons please? There is no decent videos on how to propagate C. Fontanesii (for instance) this way.

[@GrowParadise]

Hi, unfortunately I don't have any videos. The trick is to put a pot nearby with multipurpose compost in it. When the stolons are long enough sit the offset plant on top of the new pot and weight it down to ensure good contact with the soil. Over a period of about 4-6 weeks it will be rooting into the new pot 👍😁

[@colincruickshanks7578]

Out of the 7 tubers of C. esculenta I have bought I only have 1 that's done well and the leaves are huge and I love it! Of the others, despite given starting warmth of 25°C to 27°C and humidity, all either didn't grow or started off well and began to get lots of new increasingly larger leaves then suddenly rotted at the tuber. I think that if a dry tuber has the slightest of damage being perhaps squeezed or knocked when stored or transported then eventually it's certain to fail. I kept back a tuber that was a bit squidgy at one end then decided to give it a chance. It's now rooting and shooting in 2cm of dilute hydrogen peroxide solution that's changed every other day. I'll have to pot it soon in the open well drained moisture retentive Aroid type compost I make. I'm going to cut back on the slow release fertiliser because when the young plants are sitting for a half hour in their drip saucers 1 or 2 cm water to soak (water then tipped out) maybe the slow release pellets are leaching too much feed resulting in salty dehydrating compost? Colocasia aren't for beginners especially if they haven't had much or no experience dealing with the almost invisible Spider Mites that surely will appear on Colocasia and always Alocasia. They attract these unpleasant arachnids more so than the houseplant marketed English Ivy (Hedera helix cultivars) Humidity is thought to help but, indoors if there are water droplets sitting on foliage it's not ideal and could make for brown spots. I wouldn't be pouring water over leaves every day, for fun especially cold chlorinated tap water with an addition of a toxic metal compound of Fluorine to go. The energy required for extra heating needed by these exotic tropical plants isn't free. And with postage+ packaging on top the plants aren't sold at throw-away prices.

[@GrowParadise]

Thanks for sharing so much knowledge and experience Colin 👍 I've definitely found that some Colocasia are far easier than others 🌱😀

[@eslermitchell6092]

At last, someone correctly called the Colacasia root , a TUBER !

[@OssyDL]

Great vid. love colocasias but can never get them to a decent size i bought 4 blue hawaii and they are still tiny probably smaller than when i bought it lol dunno how. Got Thailand giant seeds but not sure best way to germinate so if youve any advice that would be great obviously its too late to sow now.

[@GrowParadise]

Hi Danny, Colocasias love heat. To germinate seeds you will need a sunny warm spot and good drainage so as to stop young seedlings rotting off 👍

[@charlieking9214]

Blue Hawaii, very nice. Hope it will do good in SoCal. One question, I purchased two Pharoah's Mask last year. I've been struggling to keep them going not unlike the nurseries that have culled their crops. I did cut the foliage off and replanted them in water tight containers and filled them to the soil line. This bog environment seem to have a positive effect. Would you have any suggestions? As the plant is unstable. Also, thank you for the ongoing inspiration. Charlie

[@GrowParadise]

Hi Charlie, I've not got experience with Pharoahs Mask but most Colocasia like wet and high nitrogen. Big leaves = big eaters. Liquid seaweed is a good feed for them. 👍

[@stanleygladstone1210]

Hi Craig, great vid. For newbies like myself, I grew and left in the garden over winter, Pink China and Gaoligongensis. They were slow to start growing this year, probably as the ground was so cold, but are doing fine now. The Pink China have increased. They may become too many. The Gaoligongensis did not multiply this year but has come back massive. I also planted Esculenta I bought from an Asian shop. Those I lifted and stored indoors. Planted out again this year and they grew again, bigger and more of them. Love these plants. I must try allocatia. Any suggestion for someone new to gardening. Keep up the good work. Thanks for the vids.

[@GrowParadise]

Hi Stanley, thanks for sharing your knowledge and experiences. I'm looking forward to planting put my Pink China 🌱😃

[@sandrahickey3593]

@@GrowParadise I want a pink China, they're beautiful

[@PippaCDJ]

Extremely helpful. I put mine in pots that are too big I think. Mixed results, but I lost my white lava :-(

[@GrowParadise]

I'm glad the video helped. Thanks for watching 👍

[@laurasol4565]

❤

[@cecailic5066]

❤❤❤

[@markollier4050]

How do you over winter the plug plant if it's not a tuber?

[@GrowParadise]

Keep the pot dry, let the plant go dormant and keep frost free. Alternatively, bring in to a warm greenhouse and try to maintain slow growth. 👍🪴

[@willemh3319]

so ireum feeding and epsomsalt

[@martinpayne3335]

Can you recommend anyone that sells the blue Hawaiian at all. That one looks stunning

[@GrowParadise]

I will be selling it in the spring next year 👍

[@raphlvlogs271]

they are closely related to arums and pease lilies.

[@tedscott1478]

The runners from the pink china will form their own little colony / community / grove in just one year. You'll soon have a big clump and it's NOT at the expense of leaf size. Each pup is pulling nutrients out from the ground from an area away from the parent plant roots.

[@theartingskorpio1524]

I recently got a black magic and it is giving me the hardest of times so far. leaves just keep drying out or dropping and getting a white powder like markings that don't go away when you lightly scratch it. it is still producing new leaves so idk if its just the plant maturing or its something wrong with it

[@GrowParadise]

Depends how you are growing it, they don't like dry heat indoors. The white marks could just be from your hard tap water?

[@theartingskorpio1524]

@@GrowParadise they are located on an opened balcony. They do produce new leaves tho. Can try to use filtered water on it and see. I’m also treating it for spider mites just in case

[@wilsonramosconnected]

Great video but there was very little showing of how to grow them...

[@jennyhorner]

We’ve been having trouble getting hold of Pink China. Where do you think they’re in stock? Were there other sellers you said would be linked in the description?

[@GrowParadise]

I have a few Pink China that will be available in a couple I weeks 👍

[@nadimahbogart2705]

Can anyone help me with whiteflies? I’ve been using Provanto from concentrate, it just seems they attack the elephant ears relentlessly 😭

[@GrowParadise]

Use a dilute neem oil spray. It deters white fly very well 👍

[@willemh3319]

biy the tubers from an asian shop as arvi then you are sure it is safe we eat them often and the leaves too

[@sdqsdq6274]

hmmm i think you will like Alocasia sarawakensis

[@heyitsowa]

Colocasias just randomly grow here in our area! They tend to be invasive when not supervised.

[@GrowParadise]

Sounds like heaven to me, where in the world are you growing?

[@heyitsowa]

@@GrowParadise Philippines! Hehe 😅

[@Tamerlane33]

​@@GrowParadisethey don't need care at all in tropical to sub tropical areas with high rainfall. Dontt even need to be fertilized. Have seen growing in roadside bushes . BDW what's yield of its foliage per unit area .. have any idea ??

[@Retro_Vintage_62]

Is there a lime green colocasia ?

[@GrowParadise]

Yup, the 'Maui Gold' is a pretty intense lime green colour 🌱👍😀

[@tedscott1478]

Can you recommend a good high nitrogen fertiliser please?

[@GrowParadise]

Liquid seaweed or chicken manure pellets 👍 both are organic too

[@lindadevuyst9311]

What are you doing for spider mites..been plagued this year

[@jesusvr4354]

Try to wash with water with a little of soap every day, takes a lot of time to remove because eggs survived. You can also apply a pesticide or use biological control with phytoseiulus persimilis a predator for spider mites

[@GrowParadise]

I haven't had a problem yet but I deal with most pests using an organic neem oil mix 👍

[@AraceaeFanatics]

Hey what did you call that Hawaii one?

[@GrowParadise]

Its 'Blue Hawaii', I currently have lots for sale 😁📦🪴

[@AraceaeFanatics]

@@GrowParadise where do I contact you?

[@amandathomas182]

I grew one for the first time this year in Cambridge UK. It is doing really well, I think because it has been warm and wet. I am very nervous about what to do with it over winter.

[@GrowParadise]

I've got some videos about overwintering Colocasia but I will share another one this year when the time comes 🌱👍

[@moomoon1410]

Spider mites are damaging mine. I am hopeless.

[@comewalkflywithme7432]

Have you or anybody got colocasia pharaoh's mask they want to sell

[@GrowParadise]

Unfortunately not, that is one that I would love to have myself! 😃

[@fanpalm]

I have a pharaoh mask for sale, but I'm from Poland so shipping to the UK is a problem.

[@clearwaterbeachhomesearchm5957]

No pharaohs mask?

[@GrowParadise]

Not yet 😃