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Taro

4.3 out of 5 (64 experiences)

Large, lush leaves

Fast grower

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

Scientific name

Colocasia esculenta

Genus

Colocasia

Family

Araceae

Order

Alismatales

Also known as

Elephant Ear, Colocasia Painted Black Gecko, Colocasia 'Mojoto', black sapphire, Waikiki, Hawiian Waikiki' PP34615, 'Black Coral' aka 'Elephant Ear', Colocasia Mojito, Heart Of The Jungle, Hawaiian Punch Taro, Lemon-Lime Gecko, Ruffle Leaf, 'Black Coral', Black Coral, Hawaiian Punch Elephant Ear, Colocasia 'Red Pharaoh's Mask', Pharoahs Mask and Aquatillis Var. Paraiso

How to care for Taro

💦 Water

How often to water your Taro

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 Taro in your home

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 🏡.

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Taro

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for 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 Taro after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #Taro

💡 FAQs

⭐ Difficulty Level

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 Taro →

Common Taro Problems →

💦 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.

Taro Water Frequency →

Taro Root Rot →

☀️ 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 🏡.

Taro Light Requirements →

Taro Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →

🐶 🐈 👶 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.

Taro Humidity Needs →

🪴 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!

Best Soil Mix for Taro →

When and How to Successfully Repot Taro →

What Are Healthy Taro Roots →

💩 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!

How Much and When to Fertilize Taro →

🌎 Native Region

Taro is native to Southeast Asia.

🌸 Flowers

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

Taro Flowers →

Is Taro an Annual Plant? →

Is Taro a Perennial Plant? →

Common Taro Flower Problems →

⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

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

Taro Lifecycle →

Taro Size Guide →

How and When to Prune Taro →

🌦️ Growing Outdoors

USDA Hardiness Zone
Taro can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 8a-11b. Find your local hardiness zone here.

Taro Temperature Tolerance →

Taro Hardiness Zones →

Is Taro a Weed? →

🌱 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

How to Propagate 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 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 Taro →

What Eats Taro? →

Care Summary for Taro

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 51

Fast grower 39

Survivor 18

Browns easily 14

Pest magnet 7

Blooms easily 6

Easy to propagate 5

@Abdullah

1 Plants

36 XP

Auckland

11/25/2021

This bad boy had been great. I’ve had him it in water and it has literally churned out leaves every other day.

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves

Blooms easily

Taro plant photo by Abdullah named Ele on Greg, the plant care app.

@@codymichele

5 Plants

574 XP

Bend, OR

11/17/2021

grows tall and leaves are big. pretty sensitive to watering

Large, lush leaves

Taro plant photo by @codymichele named Benett on Greg, the plant care app.

@@madlikesgreekmythology

5 Plants

353 XP

11/07/2021

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 😰

Pest magnet

Browns easily

Taro plant photo by @madlikesgreekmythology named Thalia on Greg, the plant care app.

@@RinnyK

24 Plants

1,713 XP

Round Hill, VA

11/02/2021

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.

Large, lush leaves

Survivor

Browns easily

Pest magnet

@@RinnyK

24 Plants

1,713 XP

Round Hill, VA

10/28/2021

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!

Large, lush leaves

Survivor

Pest magnet

Browns easily

Taro plant photo by @RinnyK named Ally on Greg, the plant care app.

@@PlantyGoddess

109 Plants

9,648 XP

Woolwich Township, NJ

10/24/2021

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.

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves

Survivor

Browns easily

Taro plant photo by @PlantyGoddess named Dumbo on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Erodplants

110 Plants

2,758 XP

10/23/2021

Love this glorious looking plant , leaves are huge , get ready for some massive hog spacing.

Large, lush leaves

Fast grower

Taro plant photo by @Erodplants named Your plant on Greg, the plant care app.

@Pamela

5 Plants

210 XP

Lynchburg, VA

09/17/2021

Yes

Fast grower

Taro plant photo by Pamela named Elle on Greg, the plant care app.

@Jade

11 Plants

126 XP

Richfield, PA

09/14/2021

Pretty easy to grow!

Large, lush leaves

Taro plant photo by Jade named Your plant on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Finchwing

2 Plants

46 XP

Edgware, England

08/23/2021

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

Large, lush leaves

Fast grower

Taro plant photo by @Finchwing named Mojito on Greg, the plant care app.

@@dellasoasis

7 Plants

133 XP

08/19/2021

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!

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves

Survivor

Taro plant photo by @dellasoasis named Dumbo on Greg, the plant care app.

@@ELHenslee

26 Plants

2,104 XP

08/03/2021

Grows VERY FAST

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves

Survivor

Taro plant photo by @ELHenslee named Babar on Greg, the plant care app.

@@ronawright

9 Plants

409 XP

Decatur, GA

07/25/2021

I love the look of this plant😍

Large, lush leaves

Easy to propagate

Taro plant photo by @ronawright named Alocasia Elephant Ear on Greg, the plant care app.

@@isabelle.rose

45 Plants

2,164 XP

Wauwatosa, WI

06/27/2021

I had a huge fungus gnat infestation from it

Large, lush leaves

Fast grower

Pest magnet

Taro plant photo by @isabelle.rose named Your plant on Greg, the plant care app.

@@tortoise

16 Plants

249 XP

Little Rock, AR

06/23/2021

i don’t know what i did wrong but from the moment i got him he was dying. constantly miserable looking. i hated him so much

Browns easily

Taro plant photo by @tortoise named jotaro on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Jackinbox45

11 Plants

8,219 XP

Saint Leonard, MD

06/10/2021

I love this big green plant, love the big leaves and is easy to grow.

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves

Taro plant photo by @Jackinbox45 named Buddy on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Snceoflove

4 Plants

292 XP

Phoenix, AZ

06/01/2021

So beautiful and Resilient 🥰🥰🥰

Large, lush leaves

Blooms easily

Fast grower

Taro plant photo by @Snceoflove named Shyne on Greg, the plant care app.

@@jlee

1 Plants

32 XP

Emeryville, CA

05/28/2021

Big and beautiful

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves

Browns easily

Taro plant photo by @jlee named Big bubba on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Steeze365daily

15 Plants

2,080 XP

05/21/2021

Honey this plant is a grower. She’s better in the garden, because of how big she gets but is a stunning houseplant. You give her enough bright indirect light and a well drawing soil and she’s going to flourish. Mines is about a foot away from a south facing window and she’s flourishing! She’s the fastest growing plant in my collection. Literally grow new leaves within a week. I highly recommend. She doesn’t like to get dry, so be sure to keep her moist but not wet. Happy Planting!

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves

Survivor

Taro plant photo by @Steeze365daily named Your plant on Greg, the plant care app.

@@Jessicabailey

4 Plants

55 XP

Marble Falls, TX

04/23/2021

This is my first plant. I honestly didn’t think it would grow very fast. I’ve had it for about 3 weeks and it has doubled in size! Plus the leaves are just gorgeous!

Fast grower

Large, lush leaves