Colocasia (Taro)- Care tips

Colocasia (Taro)
When we hear about the family Araceae, we can get confused because this is not the most common name for the family. This family is usually known as the Arum family and its members are often called aroids. This family of 140 genera with about 3,750 species is very diverse! Very decorative, these beauties are popular as houseplants for their beautiful leaves and (sometimes) flowers.
rhizomatous or tuberous. The leaves can be totally different from plant to plant. The special physical detail of these green beauties is that the inflorescence consists of a spadix, which is surrounded by a modified leaf called a bract. Apart from the physical detail, the superpower of this family is incredible: some of them can produce heat! Their flowers can reach up to 45°C, even when the temperature around them is completely different. The reason for this ability is to attract insects to pollinate the plants. Amorphophallus paeoniifolius (elephant foot yam) is one of the plants that produces heat.
Araceae plant care tips
Light and placement for Aracae
Colocasia are mostly cultivated as outside plants due to their height. But they are also really happy as indoor plants. To be sure your Colocasia will be a happy green beauty, you can place her in bright indirect sunlight. She will enjoy a humid atmosphere, so don’t be afraid to put her in a location with a high humidity rate!
Water
For watering, we advise you to give your beautiful Colocasia a good splash of water regularly. She likes wet soil with high humidity, so you can keep the soil moist, richly moist, but make sure it is well drained.
Nutrition
Talking about nutrition, your Colocasia will appreciate some liquid PLNTS Nutrition during the growth season (spring and summer). She doesn't eat much, but to know if she needs more food, look closely at her leaves: if you see some yellow leaves, that means she is hungry!
Propagating Araceae
Propagating Colocasia is more complicated than other plants. You can’t propagate Colocasia from cuttings. As they grow from a bulb, you will have to dig up the parent plant, preferably in fall, and divide the new tubers from the original plant. Repot the new plant in a large pot with drainage holes and fill it with potting soil (cutting soil).
Most common pests on Araceae
The most common pests to control are spider mites, which particularly like the leaves and texture of elephant ear Colocasia. Thrips can also attack, usually targeting the leaves to suck the juices that will develop silvery pale spots on the giant leaves. You can check out our PLNTSdoctor page to identify and eliminate your plant pests! If you are interested in biological pest control, you can take a look at our blog: 'Which natural and biological control against which pest?’
Are Araceae poisonous for your pets or children?
Sadly, most of the Colocasia (and araceae in general) are poisonous. People and pets should not eat the plant, as chewing or biting it may release some minerals that irritate the mouth and skin.
Araceae plant for sale
At PLNTS.com we have a lot of Araceae, mostly aroids. Such as Caladium, Alocasia, Aglanoema, Philodendron, etc… We have BabyPLNTS and RarePLNTS for approximately every subfamily, and if you want to see them growing from a BabyPLNTS to huge, mature and beautiful green ladies, you can try our different potting soil mixes such as the Caladium potting soil mix Kit or the Aroids potting soil mix Kit to make sure your new baby will thrive happily! Here at PLNTS.com, we got you covered for your plant dreams!
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