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4.3 out of 5 (66 experiences)


About Taro
Colocasia esculenta is a tropical plant grown primarily for its edible corms, or roots. It is most commonly known as taro and is widely cultivated in the high rainfall areas of Southeast Asia. It is thought to be one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world! 🌏
Taxonomy
Colocasia esculenta
Colocasia
Araceae
Alismatales
Also known as
Elephant Ear, Colocasia Painted Black Gecko, Colocasia 'Mojoto', black sapphire and Waikiki

How to care for Taro

How often to water your Taro

every 9
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

Check the growing potential in your area
A plant's growing potential is determined from its location, the time of year, and current local weather.

Select a city to check sunlight intensity

Finding light for Taro in your home

a window
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 Taro in your home 🏡.

How to fertilize Taro

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 Taro after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

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!
Water Needs
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.
Sunlight Needs
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 🏡.
Toxicity
Taro is not safe to consume. 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. If you have children, cats, or dogs in the home, we suggest keeping this plant out of reach.
Humidity
Taro doesn’t require additional humidity. Plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves, so the best way to provide humidity for your plants is through watering the soil.
Soil
Taro does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!
Fertilizer
Taro should be repotted after it doubles in size or once a year, whichever comes first. Fresh potting soil has all the nutrients your plant needs, so as long as it’s refreshed yearly, you shouldn’t need to use fertilizer. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!
Native Region
Taro is native to Southeast Asia.
Flowers
Yes, you may see your Taro bloom with the right amount of sunlight and water.
Growth Pattern
Taro is a clumping plant, meaning new growth will emerge from the soil around the parent plant.
Growing Outdoors
USDA Hardiness Zone
Taro can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 8a-11b. Find your local hardiness zone here.
Propagation
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
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 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!
Care Summary for Taro
Taro
Greg recommends:

0.5 cups every 9 days

< 3ft from a window

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












Idk if it’s just me but shawty is so difficult to keep alive. It’s very difficult to find a place in my home where the temperature, humidity, and light are perfect for this picky plant- not to mention that a consistent watering schedule gets thrown out the window. Too picky of a plant for me and my other more tolerable plants 😰







Alocasias. Challenging but so worth the challenge. Ruby isn’t doing too well but she’s trying. My hope is she’ll go dormant for the winter and in the spring she’ll start shining. Water carefully. Alocasias like water but not a lot. Too much sun and the leaves scorch. Also pest checks weekly are a must.









Alocasia Regal Shields are work. They are large and lush plants but they need loving. Too much water and they hate it. Too little water and the hate it too. They need sun but not direct, the leaves will brown. Pests love them too. We’ve had spider mites, thrips, and fungus gnats. But through it all she’s persevered and we’ve even got two blooms! And new leaf growth. This plant is not for the first time plant parent but if you are patient and give it time you’ll love it just like I do!









We started out as close friend…I don’t know what I did but I did it! The leaves just fainted…passed out. No amount of water revived so I chopped them off. I figured maybe next year so I set it and attempted to forget it well that appears to be the formula. Water plentifully when you do water BUT leave them alone. Staking and tying to a stalk causes bruising and weakened stems so just let it do what it does.









Colocasia are bog plants so mine has enjoyed sitting in a few cm of water, being constantly moist has made it happy (but not wet as the roots will be deprived of oxygen) gotta say it is dramatic if its environment changes; 1 night in a cold dark moving van made it lose all its leaves. Has recovered since tho with some tlc ! Lots of sun and lots of water is the way for this one i think







I absolutely love her. I’ve had her for about two weeks now and she already has two more beautiful leaves that she’s growing to show the world, they’re slowly unraveling as we speak! She’s kept on my balcony, away from direct sunlight, but she definitely gets her fill! I water her just about everyday since it’s her growing season (summer) and it’s sooo hot outside, but I know they love the humidity and Lord knows there’s enough of it out there. She also loves to be misted now and again. I absolutely love her and I hope she continues to thrive as she’s moving to a bigger pot soon! I hope she knows she is very loved!



