im not sure i'll give u a really good answer..
u can always try growing thai giant inside....this comming from me.. i grow ammorphophallus titanums inside..LOL
:)
i dont grow my elephant ears inside..i put them outside..late spring..thru early fall..dig them..cut them down..and store them inside..dormant..
one thing u will have to deal with..are spider mites,..
while its small..(moveable)..i would recommend putting it
in the shower..and make sure using warm water..give it a rinse.. mites will still be in the soil..but will keep them at bay..
light.. u might want to look into a spotlight growlight..
not to hot.but close enough so it will get more light than
just from east window..
if youre not bothered if it fails.. go for it..:)
nothing ventured..nothing gained..
let us know how it goes.and what u do...

How about Philodendron maximum? How hard is this one to keep?

im not very familar with philos..so..my 2cents probably isnt
worth much...:)
from what i understand..philos do ok under moderate light
..i would think probably same problem with spider mites..
higher humidity will help..
i say u should go for whatever plant u want to try inside..
also on IAS (international aroid society) there are some
pretty serious growers over there.. check out what some philo growers say..
good luck to ya !!!!

I have an auction ending in a day, I really need to get this figured out ASAP

I'm laughing at myself but I really can't figure this one out. What kind of auction? An eBay auction? What is the relationship to getting a houseplant? And why the urgency again? I must be missing something big, because no one else asked. Maybe a house auction? Are you staging a home that is for sale? Hmmmm...

Ohh, I just noticed that... lol.. Nah I just have a couple ebay elephant ears auctions ending tomorrow and I'm having an internal turmoil debate on whether or not to buy one. I keep going back and forth, it looks cool, it will eventually have huge leaves... in a few years.... it looks cool... and then theirs the, in my mothers yappity voice, what happens when it dies, eh jimmy?? Who's gonna pay the bill?? I'm not payin' it!! It looks like a weedy, oversized pothos vine! Imagine the voice of howard's mom from big bang theory.. Yept that'll do it.. mouse hovers over buy it now button, then receeds, proceeds, receeds, proceeds, receeds, eventually I just go, oh what the *, let's do it!

Anyone have any success keeping any colocasia indoors longterm?

I love this post!

Tell your mom, the plants cheap(I hope) it's ok if it dies!
Like lomodor said nothin ventured nothing gained!
The dirt and pots will cost wayyy more!

I say it can be done with ease!
I'm not sure how it's going to do for you exactly, the closer you get it to the window the better!
If you have modern windows...your hurtin, they are UV treated!
A 4' quad tube t5 fixture would likely be enough extra light until it gets some size to it... Then one fixture per leaf...

I said I was gunna hydro a few colocasia this year but didn't, I'm sure a Thai would do it, I'm not sure you'd want the extra growth rate!
Or the cost of nutes...stick with soil to start out, I think!

These things can really grow! I had a marble sized tuber mature into 7 foot tall beast! With 4.5' long leaves, loads of blooms, it's pictured in this post...
It's doubtful that in a pot you could maintain the same growth rate over a long period of time, but with enough light, the right soil, and proper care it's entirely possible to get one of these up to monsterous size indoors.

If you don't have them now, cross your fingers you don't get mites...better yet, prepare for the inevitable, if you don't have a miticide handy, get one!
And read up em if your not familiar...mist and humidity are your freind, and your plants too! It's the only reliable way to fight them without chems!

I'd like to suggest that an alocasia would probably be a better choice for indoors, they generally don't mind less humidity, need less light, and want to be kept less moist.
By all means get the Thai!
It will provide more instant gratification!
Unless you you have deep pockets or a good local source your going to be limited to starter plants, your idea that it's going to take a few years to get a big plant, may not apply to a Thai! It defiantly applies to alocasia, especially grown indoors in a pot...

I should also mention that these guys grow best in spring and summer, if your in the US, don't get too upset if they move pretty slow!
If your really dedicated you can build a makeshift humidity chamber, with a good heat mat in it, 80-90 with 60%+ humidity and they would surely grow!

Here's the same plant, shortly after planting!
Ain't he cute?

This ones still just a wee one...
It's 15' across!

They can get so much bigger in the tropics!

This post was edited by grabmebymyhandle on Wed, Sep 18, 13 at 17:17

Bananas could be another another good choice too!

They have similar needs to alocasia but needs lots of direct light!

If you have the high ceiling for it a dwarf cavendish could fit the bill!
They top out around 8' Thers a few others around this size but I think DC has the biggest leaves!

There's also super dwarf cav, poquito, truly tiny and little they are in the 4' range.

All of em grow fast!

Ughhh.. I feel so indecisive..
Philodendron's are super, super easy to keep
I'm kinda leaning toward philodendron maximum, the leaves can get over 5 feet long and I actually do like the idea of a vine more than colocasia bush. I feel like I'm not really taking a risk if I go with a philo, since it's light requirements are much less demanding and the hardiness is incredible. Am I wrong or do any of you agree that I should be able to grow the philo as long as I water it enough, give it enough fertz, and light.

It will be years and years before any philo gets up the size your wanting...I'd say 5-10 years, especially if your starting with a small eBay plant!

I don't grow many philos simply because the grow so slowly here!

Most are fairly easy, and there's some big ones!

Without a tropical greenhouse they are truly an investment in time and patience!

They also get leggy and unkempt too!

EE natually drop old leaves as they produce new ones, in time the plant just gets bigger, philos just grow longer and taller, if a leaf drops, all you get is a bare spot on the stem...not attractive!
The solution is to behead the vine as it matures, and root the head up, it'll be full and have larger leaves than the lower portion.
The new plant will be big and full and should root up fine, and continue to make big leaves...
Bulb producing plants ate much more forgiving and easier to cope with in my opinion!

How big would a philo be in a 3gallon pot?

Could the leaves on a philodendron be full size in a 3 gallon pot? In general, what size plant/leaves am I looking at here if it's being described as well rooted, will need a bigger pot next season, etc..?

Those photos are Xanthosoma, not Colocasia. The name "Thai Giant" is used for species in both. But their growing conditions are different.

To get the Philo up to the size described will be an impossibility unless you're in a tropical rainforest environment, or have a constantly heated and humid green house.

Actually I'm buying it at that size. It's shipped for arrive tomorrow. How big you think the plant/leaves are?

Tropic- do you mean my photos?
I can only assume so since I'm the only one who posted pics...

The first 2 pics are of colocasia gigantea Thai giant, the first pic is current, the 2nd was in may when planted out!

The 3rd pic is of my big Thai, and the 4th us musa poquito...

What about a bird of paradise? Some big leaves on those. Often at BBS's for $15-$40, depending on size.
Palm?

Here is a link that might be useful: A pretty big Monstera

I was hoping we could get an update!

I haven't bought any colocasia's or alocasia's, I don't know if I will. The Philo unfortunetely didn't make it by the end of the week and sat in the post office the whole weekend, upon arrival I had to chop 75% of the plant. It's recovering, though the plant is so huge I can barely lift the pot on my own and need to do some serious thinking on how this is going to work out, watering that is. I have a drip tray underneath but I can't empty the drip tray after watering because the plant is so massive and heavy when I tried to lift it up last watering to empty the tray, water just made a huge mess on the floor everywhere. What a mess, and my schedule is completely full, actually it's overflowing and now I owe a bunch of sleep debt.

I haven't bought any colocasia's or alocasia's, I don't know if I will. The Philo unfortunetely didn't make it by the end of the week and sat in the post office the whole weekend, upon arrival I had to chop 75% of the plant. It's recovering, though the plant is so huge I can barely lift the pot on my own and need to do some serious thinking on how this is going to work out, watering that is. I have a drip tray underneath but I can't empty the drip tray after watering because the plant is so massive and heavy when I tried to lift it up last watering to empty the tray, water just made a huge mess on the floor everywhere. What a mess, and my schedule is completely full, actually it's overflowing and now I owe a bunch of sleep debt.

AdeniumGuy, you need a turkey baster. If you have one for food, buy another. Dedicate one to the task of emptying the drip tray. If you have one for plant drippings and one for food, you won't need to wash the plant one every time you use it. Saves time. And saves you from lifting heavy pots.

Idk about Thailand giant I. The house, but I know for a fact that alocasia calidora is an easy one for outdoor during the summer and indoors for winter. Done it for four years now myself and have a couple of customers that never put them out at all. Very easy.

i think the biggest consideration for any "tropical" plant grown in the house..not a greenhouse..would be size the plant may get to..
of course conditions on the plant possibly stunting the plants growth/possible size..would be optimal growing conditions..
i know im playing a game with my big amorphs.. since i dont currently have a greenhouse..and they thrive on
high humidity,and constant warm temps..
i do the best i can..and im very pleased with how my titanums have done.. but time will tell.. for me..i want to get them to bloom..
but..i hope ya dont give up on tropicals..maybe just find
a plant that will do well in the conditions you can give it..
:) keep us posted....:)

Do it. Yes, DO IT!!

Best of Luck, please post pictures!

Don B.