Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant Elephant Ear Plant

My Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant grew extremely fast from little 6 inch leaves to 5 foot leaves in one summer. The Colocasia Gigantea is the fastest growing and most amazing tropical plant in my California garden zone 9b. There are two varieties of the Colocasia Gigantea - The Thai Giant and the Common strain. The Thai Giant is the larger of the two strains. The large five foot leaves make the plant a showstopper It is the largest elephant ear plant in my garden.

I found the Colocasia Gigantea for sale on eBay from the seller gray-gardens for $9.99 plus shipping. It did not come as a bulb, but as a small plant in a pot. The bulbs that are for sale are not colocasia gigantea. They are taro roots known as colocasia esculenta, which is a much smaller plant and will not grow five foot leaves. Before I bought the plant, I purchased bulbs that were listed as colocasia gigantea for over $5 each. When I received them, I knew the bulbs were taro roots because I have bought many of them at the grocery store for 50 cents each to grow in my garden. I sent them back for a refund, the return address was for a grocery store. Learn from my mistake, and buy a plant, not the bulb if you want a true colocasia gigantea plant. To care for the plant, I let the Colocasia Gigantea grow indoors for a few weeks before planting it outdoors. I watered it 3 to 4 times a week and fertilized it 2 times a month during the growing season. The plant grew quickly with five foot leaves in less than five months. The plant only has three to five leaves growing. The older leaves turn yellow and die off as another leaf grows. I cut off the yellowing leaves to keep the plant looking green and healthy. At the end of the season, if it is mature enough, the Colocasia Gigantea will flower. Mine did not flower this season. As winter came and the temperatures dropped into the 30's the leaves died and I left the bulb in the ground to overwinter. My neighbor wanted the bulb to cook, but the Colocasia Gigantea bulb is not edible. This plant is my favorite tropical plant in my garden, the large elephant ear shaped leaves stand out from the rest of the tropical plants. Grow this plant and it will be the highlight of your garden.

Alocasia vs. Colocasia | Which is Your Favorite

 

All 16 different types of elephant ears that I grew in the first season of my tropical garden. Alocasia vs. Colocasia - Which is your favorite elephant ear plant? Here is the complete list of all the elephant ears in this video from start to finish. 1. Colocasia Mojito 2. Alocasia Mayan Mask 3. Colocasia Imperial Gigantea 4. Alocasia Calidora 5. Colocasia Black Coral 6. Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant 7. Colocasia Sangria 8. Xanthosoma Arrowleaf 9. Colocasia Bikini-Tini 10. Colocasia Jack's Giant 11. Colocasia Illustris 12. Alocasia Macrorrhiza 13. Colocasia Diamond Head 14. Colocasia Fontanesii 15. Colocasia Hawaiian Punch 16. Colocasia Esculenta Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments. Colocasia vs. Alocasia Elephant Ears. Watch to see the difference between the Colocasia and Alocasia Elephant Ears? Here's a tip from the video, the Colocasia Elephant Ear Plants have the tip of their leaves pointing downwards, while the Alocasia Elephant Ear Plants have the tip of their leaves pointing upwards.

Scarifying Canna Lily Seeds to Germinate

 

Which method was 100% successful? Which method was easiest? I tried six methods of scarifying Canna Lily seeds to find out. Sandpaper, Nail Clippers, Rotary Tool, Boiling Water, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Blender were the methods I used to scarify canna seeds so that they would germinate and grow into Canna Lily plants. I used sandpaper to try and rub off part of the hard shell of the canna seed. I tried to nick the canna seed using nail clippers, a rotary tool, and a blender. I tried two methods of softening the hard canna lily seed shell, soaking in hydrogen peroxide and water, and pouring boiling water onto the seeds. The boiling water method is the easiest method and 7 out of 10 seeds germinated and grew into canna lily plants. The Rotary Tool method was the most effecient method as 10 out of 10 seeds germinated. But it is a more time consuming method. The Boiling Water method is best if you have a lot of seeds, while the Rotary Tool method is the best if you have a handful of seeds to scarify. The other methods - sandpaper, blender, and hydrogen peroxide were unsuccessful or in the case of the blender method you might end up wasting too many seeds figuring out which setting your blender will scarify the seeds without destroying them. I recommend the Rotary Tool method and the Boiling Water method to scarify canna lily seeds.

Pretoria Canna Lily has Beautiful Variegated Leaves

My Pretoria Canna Lily has the most beautiful foliage of all the canna lilies in my California tropical garden zone 9b. The variegated green and white striped leaves make it one the most unique looking canna lilies. I grew my Pretoria Canna Lily from a rhizome. I found the Pretoria Canna Lily for sale as a bulb on the Eden Brothers site. I paid $14.99 plus shipping for two bulbs. Canna Lilies are not bulbs, but are rhizomes. Many websites sell and call them bulbs, but they are rhizomes. I planted the rhizome in early spring in a felt pot and waited a few weeks for them to sprout. I watered them twice a week and fertilized them twice a month. The Pretoria Canna Lily grows beautiful orange flowers, but mine did not bloom this year. There are two other canna lily plants that look alike - Tropicanna Gold and Bengal Tiger. All three have the same variegation with green and white striped leaves and orange flowers. I am not sure if they are the same plant or different hybrids. I deadhead the flowers on my canna lilies by cutting the flowers off at the stalks as the flowers begin to fade. This allows new flowers to grow from the same stalk. Mine did not flower, but I don't believe it grows seeds for propagation because the plant is a hybrid. When winter came, I left the plant outdoors to overwinter. Many of the leaves turned brown and died. I pruned back the dead parts of the plant and new offshoots started growing from the rhizome as spring neared. Grow the Pretoria Canna Lily in your garden and it will add a strikingly unique focal point in a tropical garden.

How to Grow and Scarify Seeds to Grow Canna Lily Plants

Canna Lilies have astounding growth rates, they can grow from a seed to six feet tall in one growing season. Canna Lilies add beautiful flowers and foliage to a tropical garden.

I found the Canna Indica seeds for sale on eBay. They may be listed as Indian Shot seeds. They are cheap at about 20 for $5. I only buy seeds from US sellers, as I have received fake canna seeds from overseas sellers. 

These seeds will usually have green foliage and red or yellow flowers. For other Canna Lilies with the beautiful variegated foliage, you will have to buy them as bulbs or rhizomes because they are hybrids. Usually when the hybrid Canna Lily plants grow seeds they are infertile and won’t grow

First, the canna seed needs to be scarified or nicked to let the water into the seed. I use a rotary tool like a Dremel to scarify the seed. Then I soak the seed in hot water for one week until a root emerges from the seed.

Then the seeds are planted on top of potting soil in a container with a lid kept under a grow light. After a few days a plant will emerge and when the plant gets too tall for the container, I transfer the plants to cups to grow.

When the weather warms up to the 60's, I plant them in my tropical garden and the Canna Lily grows astoundingly fast, and flowers in 4 months. Grow Canna Lilies in your garden to give it that tropical look.

New Purchase - Alocasia Regal Shield

I saw the Alocasia Regal Shield in my local plant shop for $75. It was less than 3 feet tall, so when I saw the Regal Shield for sale on Brian's Botanicals for $14.99 plus $5.50 for shipping, I had to buy it. I know these elephant ears grow fast, so it should only be a matter of months before it is the size of the one for $75.

The Regal Shield was also in fantastic shape for being in the mail for a whole week. Still I soaked the roots for six hours along with the rest of the plants in a vase, just to get them hydrated. The longest stem on this plant was 10 inches long, with four leaves in fantastic shape. All in all, I'm satisfied with the plants from Brian's Botanicals, because the roots are always looking strong. I still have one more order from them that I'm looking forward to.

 

New Purchase - Alocasia Yucatan Princess

The Alocasia Yucatan Princess arrived in excellent shape. This elephant ear was $14.99 plus $5.50 for shipping. The longest stem on this plant was 10 inches long and none of the leaves were dying. The roots were just like the other plants, in excellent shape. I was drawn to this plant because of its glossy leaves and deep veining that pops out from the underside of the leaf. This plant will be one of the highlights in my tropical garden.

New Purchase - Colocasia Red Eyed Gecko

 

The next plant is the Colocasia Red Eyed Gecko. This elephant ear didn't fare as well as the Alocasias in my order. The roots were in excellent shape, but the plant was wilting with one leaf already dead and one leaf that might survive. 

I purchased this elephant ear for $12.99 plus $5.50 for shipping. It was the smallest by far of the plants at only 5 inches tall, and it was in the worst shape.

I'm not worried about the plant dying, because I've had other plants from Brian's Botanicals that lost all their leaves, but because the roots were strong the plants survived. I expect the Red Eyed Gecko to survive too.