Colocasia esculenta
Taro
At a glance
- Light
- Partial shade
- Spacing
- 60 cm, rows 90 cm
- Lifespan
- Perennial
- Planting
- Apr–May
- Harvest
- Sep–Nov
- Hardiness
- Cold damage below 5 °C
- Water need
- High
Photo: Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source
This description was machine-translated.
Description
Taro, botanically Colocasia esculenta, is a warm‑loving tuberous plant from the tropics with large, heart‑shaped leaves. Both the tubers and the leaves contain raw calcium oxalate and are toxic when raw, irritating the mouth and throat and potentially causing swelling; they are safe only when adequately cooked. The plant is also popular as an ornamental due to its striking foliage, but the harvest is worthwhile only with a long, warm season.
Care instructions
Taro requires consistently moist, nutrient‑rich soil and tolerates briefly waterlogged feet. A sunny to semi‑shaded, wind‑protected location is best. Plant the tubers only after the danger of nights below 10 °C has passed, usually from mid‑May (week 20), as even light frost permanently damages the plant. Water regularly and keep the potting soil from drying out completely; during vigorous growth, add organic compost as a side dressing. Before the first autumn frost, either dig up the tubers or keep the entire pot in a frost‑free, dark place at about 10 to 15 °C. Remove yellowed or damaged leaves regularly to keep the plant healthy and prevent rot.
The care notes were machine-translated from German.
Garden year
PlantingApr–May
HarvestSep–Nov
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
moist, humus-rich, nutrient-rich, loamy
Taro likes it permanently moist to wet; the tuber is happiest in a container standing in a water tub or in a shallow hollow at the pond edge. The soil may well be heavy and loamy, as long as it stays humus-rich and nutrient-rich. Waterlogging is expressly welcome here; free-draining soil tends to slow growth.
Feeding
Heavy feeder
Months
May–Aug
During the growing phase taro needs plenty of nutrients for its large leaves and tuber formation. Work mature compost or well-rotted manure into the soil before planting, and from May to August add another portion of compost or diluted nettle feed every two to three weeks. Because the plant stands in water or constantly moist soil, fertiliser washes out quickly; small, frequent doses work better than one large one.
Overwintering
In Central Europe taro does not survive frost outdoors, so you have to dig the tubers up in autumn as soon as the foliage wilts in the first cool nights. Store the tubers frost-free and dark at around 10 to 15 degrees in slightly moist sand or coir. Check them occasionally over winter for rot and generously remove any affected areas.
Propagation
Methods
- Division
- Offsets
The easiest propagation is from the small daughter tubers that form around the mother tuber. Carefully separate them when you dig the plant up in autumn or when it restarts into growth in spring, making sure each tuber has at least one eye bud. Let the cut surfaces dry for one to two days before replanting, which prevents rot. For a fresh start in spring, plant the tubers in warm, moist substrate from mid-May · week 20; starting them off on the windowsill from April shortens the season noticeably.
For your garden
Grow Taro yourself
Gartenkern tells you when frost is coming, when to sow and when to harvest, for your location.
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