EE - Can I savwe a mushy bulb?

17 years ago

I planted a large Elephant Ear bulb about a week or two ago. It did not sprout so I decided to transfer it to another pot. I found that the pot had not been draining properly and there was a mushy section on the bottom side of the bulb. I scraped some of it off - about a tablespoon of a grapefruit-size bulb.

Does it have a chance of sufvival? Thanks !!

-Sprout

Featured Answer

xerophyte NYC

16 years ago

Colocasia gigantea and the "Black Magic" strains do not form true tubers, at least not until they are several years old. To store them overwinter, you need to maintain the root ball intact.

If you understand the plant biology, you should be more successful.

The "tubers" and "rhizomes" store carbohydrates which are converted into sugars for growth. During dormancy, there are no active roots, so water uptake is essentially non-existent. But some moisture is needed to prevent the tubers from desiccation. I have found that tubers kept in boxes filled with regular bark mulch works very well. Air circulation is good, and it can be moistened lightly to keep humidity high without being too wet. If too wet, they will rot. At colder temps, rotting is more likely.

In the spring when you are ready to plant, remember that there are still no roots. At the right temps, the carbs are converted into sugars, and new roots and leaves begin to sprout. Regular watering is still not necessary - just enough to keep the substrate barely moist. Any soil mix with peat is very difficult to get barely moist because the tendency is for peat-based soil to be either too wet or too dry.

When the sprouts begin to unfurl leaves, you can begin to water normally because at this point there are roots present to suck up the water. For most tubers (Colocasia, Alocasia, Canna, Caladium, etc.) it takes about 4-5 weeks of warmth to initiate growth.

Once roots are present, you can drown your plants without worrying. Cannas and Colocasia can be grown as aquatic plants. You can make your own mini-pond by using a large container without drainage holes. Cannas love it. But it must be warm. Cool weather = inactive roots = rot in the presence of too much moisture.

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Comments (10)

xerophyte NYC
17 years ago
Let the wound dry out before you replant it, it should be fine as long as the growing point was not damaged, powder fungicide will certainly help make sure the open area does not rot
garden_nerd
17 years ago
I have this problem all the time with colocasia tubers. I never know if the problem is over-watering (I hardly give them any!) or lack of sufficiently tropical temperatures and humidity. I must admit I just chuck them out once I find any sign of rot. I find it very hard to get EE to sprout at all before the rot sets in.

I usually buy tubers from the local exotic grocery store and grow these - is that what I'm doing wrong? Can't see why these should grow less well than a nursery-produced tuber though. Any tips would be welcomed.
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Maybe this will help :-) "For Alocasia bulbs and Colocasia bulbs, each bulb has "eyes" or "sprouts" all around the bulb. Look for an upward pointing appearance of each sprout. That will be a clue as to which end is up. The eyes tend to look like a spade pointing up toward the top end of the bulb. For Colocasia bulbs, they are typicall bought in the stores smooth on the outside and the eyes do readily appear. For alocasia bulbs, (if you can find any) the eyes are under the husk. Peel the husk away from the bulb and notice when you peel the husk from the bulb. One end of the bulb, the husk will be free and you should peel from that end. That end indicates the top end. Peel the husk and you will see the eyes underneath. It is not necessary to remove the husk prior to planting, I only mentioned peeling to give you a clue as to how to see the eyes on the bulb."
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Hose off all the dirt , and trim the roots .
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Mindsmile said " softnecks which do I understand only store for 3-4 months or less than half the storage time of hardnecks." I think you are misinformed. The storage of softnecks is LONGER than Hardnecks. Most softnecks store 9-12 months which is longer than hardnecks. We grow both. We usually don't even sell our softnecks until we have sold out of our hardnecks first. Many of our cutomers say that they are still using their softneck braids when we are selling our scapes the NEXT spring. Computer gardener have you check any of your other bulbs? are they soft? you said the whole head wasn't mushy maybe you brusied some of the cloves while harvesting. We used to cure our bulbs in an old tobacco barn here in NC and didn't have a problem with the heat. The garlic lady
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Are you asking if it is safe or if it is a practice for your situation or both? This is the best I can tell you: I have an Alocasia calidora which is said to have come from Alocasia gageana and Alocasia odora. I inadvertently sliced off the bottom 3" off of the 17" corm/bulb with a shovel last fall: https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/0db22dc40a04eb72_9-1859/home-design.jpg. You can also see where the bulb had 3 branches from 2 falls back that were also inadvertently sliced off with a shovel. I then dried and stored the main bulb. It has since been planted, has grown new leaves, and has bloomed several times. This is a pic of it today(on left): https://st.hzcdn.com/simgs/ca52e6e90ae6144b_9-7915/home-design.jpg
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xerophyte NYC
17 years ago
Try planting them in pure perlite or pine bark nuggets, something that drains extremely well and does not hold too much moisture. Warm temps are a must, typical room temperature conditions are fine for sprouting along with enough water to keep the mix barely moist.
sunsetsammy
16 years ago
I have also had problems with mushy EE bulbs.

I tried to overwinter 2 dozen various types of elephant ears this winter. Some very large Upright EE and common Colocasia. Also a few different types ie. fontanesi, black magic, illustrus, freydek. All bulbs were stored in peat in either cardboard boxes or pots. They were kept in a semi-heated shed. I basically only turned the heat on when we had a cold snap and the temps were dropping below freezing. I transplanted all the plants into pots (promix) about 2 or 3 weeks ago. The bulbs seemed heavy for their size but they didn't seem mushy. Maybe a little around the area were they where cut back last fall but the bulb below felt solid. I've barely watered them over the last few weeks and haven't seen any growth. The pots were kept in the same shed this spring and occasionally I would move them out to the sun on a warm day for a few hours.

Today I decided to check a few of the pots and I've found that the majority of the Upright EE bulbs were very mushy.

I've cut off all mushy areas and have a fair size solid chunk left over. Can I do anything with these?

Some of the smaller bulbs ie. fontanesi, black magic, illustrus, etc. seem to be okay but haven't sprouted either. I've heard there is a lower success rate with trying to overwinter these types???

It was obviously too damp where I stored these plants. My Musa Basjoo (stored in the same place though) are all growing nicely. There is a lot of moisture in the air during the winter here. Has anyone else had success overwintering EE bulbs in the PNW without a greenhouse?
minilibby
16 years ago
Sunsetsammy...where do you find the variety of EE? I am from Ontario and can't seem to find any except the common and upright ones.
I think maybe you need to be more patient with your bulbs.
I have found some of mine take up to a month or more to sprout. I have overwintered mine free of dirt in a dry container kept just above freezing. It has worked the best for me.
sunsetsammy
16 years ago
Minilibby

I get most of my "odd" EE's from places like Canadian Tire, Art Knapps, Home Depot, and Superstore. You have to look for them though. Sometimes in the aquatic plant section.

I have a few Taro bulbs from the grocery store which I'm trying to get going now. The ones from last year are done. Rotten and stinky. :)
angelfairy
16 years ago
This can be caused from rodents chewing on your tubers. Just cut off the mushy part till you see light colored flesh and allow to dry out for a day. Then sprinkle the cut part with some cinnamon (herbal fungicide) and replant. Colocasia and Alocasia require hot temps and high humidity to do their best. If you try growing them in cooler tmeps. make sure you have a well-draining soil..especially for the Alocasia's.
cheerpeople
16 years ago
I have dropped all my colocasia and xanthosoma, and switched to alocasia
they overwinter for me better and come back with better results-
Karen ( zone 5)
marilily
2 years ago
I'm in Missouri. I dig up elephants (dont know all my names) in mid Oct and set them on large tarp in the middle of garage for a week to dry (so I can still park in there). Then pull and shake off all the dry dirt. Store in paper bags in the basement. Plant again on June 1, when its warmer night temps. Most are planted in ground, some in pots. Works great!

EE - Can I savwe a mushy bulb?

xerophyte NYC

Comments (10)

xerophyte NYC

garden_nerd

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