Colocasia Plant Tips

Colocasia known as Elephant ears. They can be grown indoors or planted outside. Colocasia have a more spreading habit and their leaves typically have a velvety surface texture. Elephant ears can easily hold their own as a solo plant in the garden or in a large container.

 Below are a few plant care tips to help your colocasia to flourish. 

• Care Difficulty – Easy
• Provide a bright, indirect location with minimal sunlight. Sites that are too bright will cause bleached leaves and sun-scorch, whereas shady areas will result in soil mould and root rot. It’s best to locate Colocasia with overhead lighting, as their growth structure may topple over when situated too far from a light source.
• Allow the top third to dry out in between waters, reducing this further in the autumn and winter; over-watering is the most common issue with Colocasia, so always be cautious with your regime.
• Keep an eye out for Spider Mites that’ll form webs on the under-leaves of the plant, Aphids that’ll attack the juvenile growth.
• Especially with those kept in a dark location, gently rinse the foliage monthly to increase the light-capturing efficiency.
• Repot every three years using a ‘Houseplant’ potting mix, or a general-purpose compost with some perlite. Introduce some grit for larger specimens to strengthen their root system.
• Bright overhead lighting is best for wholesome (360º) growth, as locations too far from the window will cause dramatic phototropism. Although the excessive sunlight should be avoided at all costs, an hour or two of winter sun will provide vital nourishment to get it through the dormancy period.
• Allow the top third to dry out in between waters, reducing this further in the autumn and winter. Under-watering symptoms include stunted growth, brown leaf edges and yellowing leaves. These issues are commonly caused by being pot bound, too much sunlight or heat, or pure forgetfulness. Over-watering symptoms include a collapsed base, yellowing older leaves, mouldy soil and plant death. If you feel that root rot is to blame, remove the affected leaves, roots, and soil, and replace with a fresh batch of houseplant compost

If you have any more helpful tips please comment below….