Thanks to a VERY kind DG member. I have a nice black magic and illustris.
I dont really want to keep these long term as pot plants unless that is the best way to go. I would like to have them in the ground or in my pond in a pot. My pond gets ALOT of sun during the heat of summer. Since, I have been able to kill these before -though they were smaller- I am a little gunshy and would appreciate any input you may have regarding how to help these beautiful plants thrive !
charlotte
help me NOT kill this
I grow Illustris in a pot sitting in a saucer of water and in most shade to help it remain dark in color. The Black Magic can grow in the ground or in a pot sitting in water. I've grown it both ways and in full sun.
So you are saying that the illustris will stay darker in the shade but Black Magic CAN go in the sun !
Charlotteda i grow Illustris in sun AND in shade and I cannot tell any difference. this is a great plant. My problem w/ EEs has been putting them straight inground when they are little so I've concluded that I will keep them potted in part shade for 1 year, then plant inground. I did that w/ my Black Magic and this spring planted them inground, full sun and doing fantastic.
Lime Zinger, Hilo Beauty, etc. presently in pots til next year when I will transplant to ground.
This is not written in concrete anywhere, just what has worked for me.
For the last few years, I have grown them both in full sun in pots of gravel submerged in one of those rubbermaid troughs for feeding livestock. My pond water runs through it feeding the plants and the gravel and roots clean the pond water. I don't notice color loss on the illustris but the black magic seems to be less dark.
I have both of these and they do well for me in the full sun - they get great color. If 'Illustris' gets too much shade, it has more green and less of the purple (at least that's what I've observed). I have them in pots because when I've tried to grow them in the ground they did not come back in the spring. Plain old green Colocasia esculenta is reliably hardy for me - it forms large tubers and comes back whether I want it to or not. But the 'Black Magic' seems to be a lot more tender - the tubers are much smaller. Ilustris tends makes a lot of runners but very small tubers, and is even more sensitive than 'Black Magic'. Both 'Black Magic' and 'Ilustris' are very slow to get started in the spring, but once they do get going they grow very fast. If I were you, I would not try to overwinter them in the ground in Zone 7a. If you want to grow them in the ground during the summer, be sure to dig some up in the fall and save some indoors over the winter. I keep mine in the garage and let them dry out and go dormant; they hate it but they do come back in the spring once I bring them back outside, repot, and start watering.
Thanks Tom, I have dug a new bog garden. I might be able to set a pot in there. What size pot do you use for these?
I left both in the ground last fall. They are in a shady, sheltered area and I am crossing my fingers they will return! Both got HUGE last year in the shade. I kept a runner of the Black Magic but not the illustris. After reading this thread, I am starting to worry as I have not seen a sign they are returning. Then again, my green EE's have not shown themselves either.
I'll keep my fingers and toes crossed!
I plant mine in the ground but I dig them in the fall and pot them up.
Arent the green EE's alocasia and these two colocasia?
The plain green ones are usually sold as Colocasia esculenta. I have also seen them as Caladium and Esculentum. It all depends on who has them for sale. The other two are also Colocasia "Black Magic" and "Antiquorum Illustris" or "Illustris". http://www.agristarts.com/colocasia_main.htm