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Florida Gardening

Help with colocasia "mojito"

7 years ago

Hi all,

I'm taking another shot at C. "Mojito" - last one the main tuber died, then the pups rotted over winter. Anyone have any advice?

i searched the forum archives, and found a couple of relevant discussions. Some have grown it in a drain less pot, as a bog plant, and others just grow it like any other colocasia. Do I give it sun? I've heard full shade, part shade, and even full sun. I'm in zone 10b, just north of Miami, and while I've seen some alocasia in sun, I've only ever seen colocasia thrive in full shade.

Right now I'm thinking in a pot with a tray that I keep with about a quarter inch of water in, in shade at first, then gradually working it up to part sun. It's in a ceramic pot with one hole, in a mix of potting soil and about 40% perlite.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

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Comments (5)

sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Mine definitely like to be in a pot vs in ground. When Ive planted babies out in the ground they always rot. My potted ones are well drained pots but get full sun and plenty of water.
oldmangroot thanked sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
User
7 years ago
My taro is just in the ground in a spot that gets sun up until about 2 p.m., then is shaded the rest of the day. The heat has been hard on it, giving the leaves some brown edges, but mostly, it's been fine. I keep it well watered. On the other hand, my xanthosoma is not doing well at all.
oldmangroot thanked User
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Kay, I rooted this using florists' foam. I didn't really start out to root it, as I've heard it's difficult, but I broke a piece off when moving the mother plant. I took that piece and cut it down into three small cuttings, probably about three nodes long, then treated it like I do passiflora cuttings. Audrey, I REALLY want the 'Mojito'---but if I don't get any offers, then I'll get back in touch with you!
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A lot of these very decorative Colocasia do not produce the really hard, easily stored tubers like the common Elephant Ears. This is my first year with Mojito, but I've grown many other similar-type Colocasia. Here's how I overwinter them: I keep them all in south facing windows, but in an unheated part of my house. As long as the temps stay in the 50's or above, I water a little just to keep them growing a bit. Once temps start falling below 50 F., I keep them as dry as possible. They rot very easily. Come Jan or Feb when the temps in this room can fall to 38 F or so, I really start checking for rot. If it appears that is happening, I dump them out of their pots and salvage any viable small plants, runners or even pieces of root. These are potted up and brought into a much warmer part of my house where they usually start growing again. In general, older and larger plants are much easier to get through a winter because the tubers seem less susceptible to the rot problem. Kevin
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Hi Joey, Colocasias love lots of water and prefer to stay moist most of the time. They also do much better with shade or filtered sun (like through tree foliage). Any midday sun would be too intense for it. I am in Florida and have our Mojito in the ground in an area that gets watered quite a bit. If your pot is a terracotta pot, those dry out quickly. You could plant it in a regular plastic pot and put it inside the terracotta if you like that look. Good luck! Mojito is a resilient plant and I'm sure it will do well for you once you cater to its preferences!
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oldmangroot
Original Author
7 years ago
Huh. Tried them in full shade and dry sand last time. I think you've helped me figure out what went wrong ;) thanks!
annafl
7 years ago
Hi Oldmangroot! I have my Colocasia mojito in the ground where it gets a lot of water (near a sprinkler, and the ground stays moist because the sprinkler hits something nearby, making the area get a whole lot of water. However, this area is well-drained and has a lot of organic matter from decomposing wood chips and oak leaves. It loves it there and makes new babies. I just bought a Colocasia fallax and will put it in a similar area.
oldmangroot thanked annafl
User
7 years ago
@annafl I just looked up C. fallax. Beautiful! I need one of those.

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