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Giant Taro

4.5 out of 5 (41 experiences)

Large, lush leaves

Fast grower

About Giant Taro

Alocasia macrorrhizos (otherwise known as the giant taro plant) is a staple crop of the Pacific Islands. The leaves of this plant can reach gigantic proportions, growing up to six feet in length! Not to be confused with the taro root, the giant taro is used primarily for medicinal purposes. 🤒

Across the Pacific, giant taro is used to treat a variety of conditions ranging from influenza to ringworm and even snake bites. Don’t be tempted to snack on yours though, since giant taro contains calcium oxalate crystals (called raphides) that can cause itching to the skin and mouth. 🤭

Taxonomy

Scientific name

Alocasia macrorrhizos

Genus

Alocasia

Family

Araceae

Order

Alismatales

Also known as

Upright Elephant Ears, Alocasia macrorrhiza, Splash Variegated, Micky Mouse, Vari. Giant Taro, Alocasia and Alocasia Dragon Scale Mint (Variegated)

How to care for Giant Taro

💦 Water

How often to water your Giant Taro

Giant Taro needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

No Yes

Select the pot size

☀️ Light

Finding light for Giant Taro in your home

Giant Taro may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.

Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Giant Taro in your home 🏡.

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Giant Taro

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Giant Taro: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Giant Taro after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #GiantTaro

💡 FAQs

⭐ Difficulty Level

Giant Taro is generally easy to care for, though some plant parents report facing challenges with growing it. Check out the reviews down below to read more about their experiences!

Benefits of Growing Giant Taro →

Common Giant Taro Problems →

💦 Water Needs

Giant Taro prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Giant Taro Water Frequency →

Giant Taro Root Rot →

☀️ Sunlight Needs

Giant Taro may have difficulty thriving and will drop leaves 🍃 without ample sunlight. Place it less than 3 feet from a window to maximize the potential for growth. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Giant Taro Light Requirements →

Giant Taro Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →

🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity

Giant Taro is extremely dangerous if consumed. If you, a family member, or a pet has ingested any amount of plant material contact Poison Control, US (800) 222-1222, or your veterinarian immediately. Giant Taro is not recommended for homes with children, cats, or dogs.

💨 Humidity

Giant Taro prefers dry environments. Providing extra humidity or misting your plant allows water to linger on leaves, which can create the perfect environment for harmful types of fungi.

Giant Taro Humidity Needs →

🪴 Soil

Giant Taro is very sensitive to dry soil, so choose a potting soil that retains moisture. A good soil will still drain well and contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir or sphagnum moss.

Best Soil Mix for Giant Taro →

When and How to Successfully Repot Giant Taro →

What Are Healthy Giant Taro Roots →

💩 Fertilizer

Giant Taro is a fast growing plant and may deplete the nutrients in its soil over time. Replenish them with a gentle organic fertilizer or compost every 1-2 months depending on your location and season. Fertilize more often during the growing season and in warmer and brighter climates.

How Much and When to Fertilize Giant Taro →

❄️ Dormancy

It’s common for Giant Taro to go dormant in the wintertime and you may notice their growth slow down. Waterings should be spaced out more during this time.

🌎 Native Region

Giant Taro is native to tropical and subtropical Asia and Eastern Australia.

🌸 Flowers

Yes, you may see your Giant Taro bloom with the right amount of sunlight and water.

Giant Taro Flowers →

Is Giant Taro an Annual Plant? →

Is Giant Taro a Perennial Plant? →

Common Giant Taro Flower Problems →

⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

Giant Taro is a clumping plant, meaning new growth will emerge from the soil around the parent plant.

Giant Taro Lifecycle →

Giant Taro Size Guide →

How and When to Prune Giant Taro →

🌦️ Growing Outdoors

USDA Hardiness Zone
Giant Taro can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 9a-11b. Find your local hardiness zone here.

Giant Taro Temperature Tolerance →

Giant Taro Hardiness Zones →

Is Giant Taro a Weed? →

🌱 Propagation

Giant Taro can be propagated by division into new individual plants.

Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
Repot the parent plant back into its original pot

How to Propagate Giant Taro →

🍂 Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.

Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Giant Taro, since they are sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.

Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!

🧐 Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.

Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.

Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.

Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.

Common Bugs Affecting Giant Taro →

What Eats Giant Taro? →

Care Summary for Giant Taro

Giant Taro

Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 3ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Large, lush leaves 34

Fast grower 23

Survivor 12

Browns easily 9

Pest magnet 6

Blooms easily 3

Easy to propagate 2

@@catnipu

4 Plants

77 XP

Tucson, AZ

04/04/2022

I love this big bitch!!!! Loves being next to window and grows such big beautiful leaves

Large, lush leaves

Giant Taro plant photo by @catnipu named coochie on Greg, the plant care app.

@@PlaneGuy

4 Plants

110 XP

Castro Valley, CA

02/22/2022

Loves indoor shade. Grows big so give it space!

Large, lush leaves

Fast grower

Giant Taro plant photo by @PlaneGuy named Elephant on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Tweeter

10 Plants

238 XP

Appleton, WI

12/18/2021

I received my taro as a gift in 2018; it was 2 little leaves in a 3” pot. Now my taro has become TWO TREES, one of which has grown to nearly 8 feet, and rewards me with a plethora of seed pods each spring!

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves

Giant Taro plant photo by @Tweeter named Big Ben on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Bigleaves

2 Plants

1,210 XP

09/20/2021

Huge , luscious green leaves that are so aesthetic , this paticular plant grows quite quick so I recommend providing it with a big space so it can have room too grow , partial to a dark space as too much sun can scorch the leaves resulting in the leaves turning brown . Doesn’t like too much water so make sure you don’t overwater it !!!

Giant Taro plant photo by @Bigleaves named Damalis on Greg, the plant care app.

@Terry

42 Plants

712 XP

Columbus, OH

09/17/2021

My husband got this for my 50th birthday

Fast grower

Giant Taro plant photo by Terry named Orlando Bloom on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Plantbitchesunite

3 Plants

90 XP

League City, TX

08/28/2021

I love mine! It’s so tall and works as an inside plant.

Large, lush leaves

Fast grower

Survivor

Giant Taro plant photo by @Plantbitchesunite named Gordon on Greg, the plant care app.

@Mimi

4 Plants

74 XP

08/28/2021

Love my big baby

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves

Giant Taro plant photo by Mimi named Elephant on Greg, the plant care app.

@Holly

5 Plants

85 XP

Whitstable, England

06/18/2021

I always get it where one leaf grows up quickly and then one of the original leaves die in its place. My mum has the same plant and the same thing happens to her. I’ve got 2-3 leaves at one time and the leaves are big and beautiful

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves

Browns easily

Giant Taro plant photo by Holly named Moana on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Planterino_07

3 Plants

51 XP

06/09/2021

PLEASE buy pest control. Please. I made the mistake of not doing that and I overwatered.

Fast grower

Pest magnet

Large, lush leaves

Giant Taro plant photo by @Planterino_07 named Sonora on Greg, the plant care app.

@@jaymcnuggets

5 Plants

154 XP

New Braunfels, TX

05/23/2021

u know how alocasias be

Pest magnet

Browns easily

Giant Taro plant photo by @jaymcnuggets named Aly on Greg, the plant care app.

@@egotopia

66 Plants

9,716 XP

Jacksonville, FL

05/17/2021

I pulled the bulbs in this pot out of a rotten stem on the ground and it took a long time for them to start growing, but now that they have taken off the plants are growing extremely quickly. It sits in my yard in Florida under full sun for more than 6 hours. The soil is a mix of organic ground soil and bark. It likes to stay very moist to the point of being nearly boggy. In a 15 inch plastic pot. I water it once a week.

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves

Blooms easily

Survivor

Giant Taro plant photo by @egotopia named Yoink on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Cjsplanties

22 Plants

842 XP

05/17/2021

The Giant Taro seems partial to medium-‘low’ light. The edges tend to brown easily in direct sun light and with low humidity. They don’t like the cold. Mine Tends to grow a lot of smaller leaves around the base and a few larger leaves above. The plant seems to be drought resistant in my east facing windows and only needs to be water every 10-15 days. Mine tends to be happiest when I wipe the leave down weekly! Overall easy beginner plant for someone looking for something that is ‘big’ or ‘impressive’. (Make sure you have the space as they can grow supposing quickly! )

Large, lush leaves

Survivor

Browns easily

Giant Taro plant photo by @Cjsplanties named Alocasia on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Manicmagan

31 Plants

395 XP

Holland, MI

05/10/2021

This guy has been producing new leaves, and even a baby that has began to split. I was so nervous to care for such a large plant inside, but he seems to love it here!

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves