Don't know how much help I can be, but I did grow up out there (long before I learned about these fascinating things) and I grow them here, so maybe I can give you some guesses. Mine are really fairly small still, and I only have a couple Amorphophallus that have even broken the ground, so I would guess it'll be a little too early for them to get very enthusiastic there. The damp isn't the problem--we specialize in humidity down here in the swamps! I think some of these guys can be stored dry, tho' in bark or peat I wouldn't expect rot if they're warm enough. The 'warm' part is probably the problem. I really think they need to do some more work on zones--I kinda have the opposite problem with zones. Seems like they usually mean the west coast when they say 'grows in 8-9' and the zones really only refer to how cold it gets in the winter. Not how hot in the summer, or how humid, and out there you have nice cool evenings. They do have a heat zone map that's some help, tho' far from perfect--I'm in heat zone 9 too. I've read that one of the problems with growing some of these guys out there is the lack of sufficient heat in the summer to store up whatever they need to survive dormancy. That may be your problem. They don't actually have to go dormant, you know, and if you have room in your house and good light you can keep them growing all winter.

For overwintering dont use peat since it just holds water. Use cedar shavings instead, it helps deter fungus/rot. Keep them dry and in a cool place. The reason they rot before you get them growing is probably cause you are keeping them to wet. Try planting them and only watering if the dirt gets REALLY dry, set them on top of the refrigerator planted to give them some bottom heat to really get them going. Once they start leafing out you can probably start up the watering more frequently.

You need to plant them where they get a lot of heat AND stay dry in winter. Heat really helps them get going in summer. Some winters they do great, others they just survive.

A sunny spot under the eaves spot is great, stays dry in winter and the house will reflect lots of heat. I use LOTS of rocks and gravel to give large areas ofmy yard more heat in summer. In my cacti/agave bed, which I dont cover in winter, it gets probably 20-30 degrees hotter just cause of the rocks and gravel and sun exposure. You just gotta find that perfect spot. Most of all, Good Luck!

If your in Vancouver check this place out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nursery in Vancouver

Besides using good soil, temps, ect, maybe try investing in some hardy species such as Colocasia fontessia, Colocasia pink china, Alocasia odora, Alocasia calidora. Any others to add to the list?

Thank you all for the responses.

Its been another week or so and still no signs of sprouting from my taro bulbs. I pulled some out of the pots to check again and there is definitely more root growth though. I've been keeping the soil on the dry side. At the wettest its probably about as moist fresh cake.

My girlfriend purchased some more taro bulbs for me the other day. They are very small compared to the original ones I've tried. Low and behold they have green sprouts coming out and I haven't even planted them yet.

I do like the suggestions about using cedar chips for storage. I will definitely try that.

Once again thanks for the help and I'll keep you posted. :)

I've had great luck lately with indoor storage of Alocasia, Colocasia and also a wide variety of other plants. We kill many plants, at first, until we find what works well for us. So I've found it important to test first, before I throw abandon to the compost pile.

What works. A year ago, I picked up a bag of 3 large orange fruit-sized Colocasia tubers. I potted them in March in Miracle Gro Moisture Control potting soil, watered them once and then kept them quite dry. They were very slow to sprout in the shed w 55 F night temps, next to a sliding door. But they stayed firm and heathy. They were 2" under the soil, so I could poke down and feel bulb top firmness.

Once solar gain brought the shed day temperatures up into the upper 70's, all three tubers started to take off. They grew well outside in full sun in our cool PNW summer. The single bulbs also gained side bulbs and are now large enough to be separated, or the plant be directly put in the and test thar z7-10 rating. Didn't the first year, but now multiplied, will the next year.

I brought them inside before the first frost with the shed running 60-65/55 F day/night (I also have some lights and tropical lights in there so there's some heat gain with the lights on during the day). I'm keeping the Colocasia green and still growing, but they are quite dry and there's a nice seed cluster or two formed with bright orange fleshy seed coats. I can choose to maintain them this way or let them dry in place if they look stressed. Either method has worked.

This shed environment also stores non-potted Colocasia, Alocasia, Arum and all other bulbs, tubers or perennials that I've tested or Fall or Spring planting. I just open the shipping boxes and store the bulbs as is still in the original individual bags as shipped. These are loosely placed one or two layers deep, checking them once a week, until it's time to plant them outside. If they sprout early, I pot them and grow near the sliding door or under plant lights in the shed.

Humidity from the live plants in the shed seems to put less "low humidity stress" on the plants and bagged "rootstock" stored there.

I find acquired rootstock are packed in cedar chips for the dry types or lightly moist peat moss e.g., with Canna, Phlox and Foxtail Lilies. The bags already have the appropriate surface pores to help hold correct humidity. If I store bulbs in drier or more humid places, I stack the bags deeper or add an outer bag closed as needed to maintain moisture correctly. If in a very low humidity environment put in a lightly wet sponge wrapped in newspaper into the outer bag. If I have an important invesment to protect I can choose quite accurately measure rather than guess what to do individually for single rootstock bags or whole collections. Moisture is heavy so monitor and record weight over with sn appropriately sensitive scale, postage to bathroom scale depending measurement needed.

Storage media be it air alone, cedar chips, newspaper, or dry or lightly moist peat moss work great when applied to the right respective rootstock. The best moisture level to maintain is only that needed to keep firm rootstock turgor. Error on the slightly dry rather than wet side. Light surface mist can be applied for peat stored rootstock, if they become too dry. Watch for molds. Increased air exposure and/or decreased moisture often can solve the problem. Mold and soft slimy rootstock? Isolate or throwaway sooner than later to not infect the rest.

Also in the shed, I've stored Arum tubers I've dug just letting them sit free in the air in a shallow cardboard box. These include Drancunlaris vulgaris and Amorphophallus rivieri 'Konjac'. They and canna can instead be left in the ground here. However, stored as above helps in propigatation.

Brugmansia can be stored in the same shed with the 55 nights or in the dark along along with cuttings in our unheated at 45 F garage. Ensete ventricosum 'Maurelii' (Abyssinian Red Banana) can also be leaf and root trimmed and garage stored.

For Brugmansia with either storage method, I generally ad no water, unless their fat stems lose a little turgor. Then I add the bare minimum water. Brugmansia drop all their leaves in either case. If watered at 55 F in the light, they grow fine, but tend to develop mite troubles.

However, if overwatered even marginally, Brugs at 45 F might rot. Thus, cuttings work best for me at 45, unless I want to start the next year with a larger Brug tree branch structure. In the latter, case I set aside back up cuttings when shaping the Brugs to be stored potted. The size of garage plants stored generaly is limited by space limitation and what you can lift. Have strong friends?