Cocoyam

Cocoyam Care

Colocasia esculenta

Other names: Elephant Ears Plant, Aivi, Bleeding Heart, Dasheen, Eddo, Egyptian Ginger, Imo, Kalo, Keladi, Talas, Callaloo, Dalo, Colocasia Antiquorum

What is the plant

Elephant ears is a plant that can get your attention because of its spectacular patterned foliage.
Colocasia is mostly grown for decorative purposes with its beautiful large heart-shaped leaves. However, in tropical regions, this plant is also grown for its edible starchy tubers.

Elephant ears, also known as taro, is a common name for Colocasia plants. Colocasia is native to Pacific Islands, Malaysia, and New Guinea.
The plant can be treated as perennial or as an annual one; it depends on the climate zone where it grows.
The leaves are held on the end of succulent petioles, which come directly from the corm, sometimes called bulbs.

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Humidity

High

Lighting

Part Sun

Temperature

10°C - 15°C

Hardiness zone

10a - 11b

Difficulty

Medium

Toxicity

Poisonous

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Elephant ears plant should be kept moist. It can be watered once a day (in the morning) or two-three times a day, depending on the conditions. Check the top layer of the soil: if it feels moist, the plant is watered well. Also, avoid water from getting on the leaves; always water the plant near the root base.
Pruning
As the old leaves die and become dry and brown, they should be removed. Also, winter pruning is necessary (it should be done two-four days after the first frost). The most important part is snipping off the leaves carefully: you should make clean cuts and not tear them in any way. Always use sterile and sharp instruments.
Fertilizer
This plant is considered a heavy feeder. Use water-soluble high-nitrogen or 20-20-20 fertilizer every two weeks during the active growth period. As for outdoors, top dressing with organic compost is also a great choice.

Disease diagnosis

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Sunlight
Colocasia prefers bright sunlight unless grown in extremely hot, low humidity climates, where some light shade will be necessary. However, the plant also tolerates part-shade conditions.
Soil
The soil should be well-drained, rich, humusy, and slightly acidic. Universal potting mix will be a great choice. If Elephant ears are planted outside, the ideal options will be marshy areas and gardens situated around the water.
Propagation
The best way of propagating Elephant Ear is by division during the fall.
Divide the tuber into several clumps, each of them should have at least one growth node. Keep the clumps in a dry and dark place at room temperature for about a week. Then store them in the place with above freezing temperatures until the following spring. Plant roots with the growth nodes facing up.

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Temperature
Elephant Ears comes from tropical regions, so the ideal temperature should be around 70-85 ̊F (21-30˚C). Don't let the temperature drop lower than 60 ̊F (15˚C).
Container
Colocasia can be grown both indoors and outdoors. As an indoor plant, Elephant ears can be placed in pots of any material. However, remember that the plant is growing rapidly, so the planter should be big enough for a mature plant.
Fun fact
Colocasia has been grown by humans for over 2000 years. From Pliny's manuscripts, it is known that taro was commonly used by the Egyptians because of its edible tubers in his time.