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.