Colocasia esculenta syn. Colocasia antiquorum

Colocasia Esculenta from tuber about 1 month of growth. Boy do they like water!! #colocasia #jungle

#elephantears #foliage

I get mine from as Asian supermarket in the veg section. They're know as either Eddoes or Taro. See my other pic for what they look like. Look for a little growth bit at the end (like a nipple!) and that is the top part, where the leaves come out. I plant mine and provide heat and water in my grow room, as they need warmth to get started. Once some foliage comes through, you can put in very big container or plant in the ground. Each year the plant gets bigger....contd.!!

The leaves will eventually get to 2-3 feet width and stand tall at about 3-4 feet or higher. They like full sun and lots of water and fertiliser, in fact you can practically drown them as they live near the water in the wild. You'll need to overwinter inside or dig tuber up & cut leaves off and store dry, ready to start next year!! Phew....😃😃 @latebloomer

Known in Asian stores as "Edoes" - they produce lovely #Jungle #foliage plants - #Colocasia

Is that its natural casing? very strange looking 😜

Yes @Squares I don't know what they taste like, but this is the edible bit, they're like a tropical potato I think. You've just got to look through the box spotting ones that have a little growth spot. I plant mine straight away and give lots of heat, some rot, some grow. They are a big draw for fungus gnats, so I water weekly with a 12% hydrogen peroxide sol. to kill any larvae. 😜😜

Very interesting stuff @drnicko i must say i've never heard of fungus gnats eww! 👿 #pests will you eat one? an edoe that is not a gnat.... 😛

Fungus gnats are what you may see around indoor plants, especially when people overwater. Little tiny flies, like fruit flies, but they lay eggs in soil and the larvae can eat your plants. Why you should never overwater indoor plants and don't use soils intended for outside. Miracle gro is famous for containing larvae....!!!! @Squares

@Squares maybe eat one. Will look up some recipes!!

haha! thanks for that info, now i know what you mean, i have had the odd one flitting round my seedlings, will keep an eye out and squish it!

#fungusgnat #advice #tip #hydrogenperoxide

@drnicko as a solution to gnats for house plants would you suggest the solution above and in what quantitys? :-)

@slj always dry NOT to overwater, let first few cm's soil dry out (as it kills them naturally), but if you have issues then start on a 3-5% sol and can safely go up to 12% without harming most plants (in fact it provides extra oxygen). But each plant is different so go easy! 😃

@drnicko it's an old bonsai so I would be concerned about letting it dry out. Thank you for the info though I am trying just to catch on fly paper and quarantine at the moment but if its situation worsens I will follow your advise 😊

@slj you need to make yourself a "gritty mix" a homemade soil, it was invented for bonsai but can be used on nearly any houseplant. You won't get fungus gnats then! Google it and you'll be reading all day. I use gritty mix on my plumeria. If you need help on the UK ingredients, let me know...it's very easy!! 😃