C.Thai Giant - What I learned thus far

I purchased 2 Thai's in Spring 06 from Plant Delights. I quickly planted one up in a pot and gave the other to a friend, Brett. He procrastinated a couple weeks, but planted his in a pot also. My has grown to what you see in the pic, which was taken in August. Brett brought his back to me in July because it was not growing... (Bonnie's plant infirmary). I placed his pot in the same area as my giant, it has put on a few new leaves and may be 2 ft tall. The biggest leaf is maybe 10 inches from top to tip. I've heard some people have felt slighted because their Thai grew about like my friend Brett's. I do feel bad that I paid $25 and have a 2 ft Giant, but I don't think Plant Delights knows which plants will grow large and which will grow small. Could it just be that is the way with Thai Giant?
I did email PD for wintering-over instructions as I'm in zone 5b and cannot leave them outside. I wanted to take it to work and let it grow, but I've moved in philos and palms and we do have to actually do some work, so I don't want the boss thinking it's a greenhouse instead of the office, so I'm going to have do something different. Here's the reply I received:


There is no one perfect way to over winter this particular Colocasia. Your
ideas mentioned below show that you are on the right track. It will remain
a personal decision as to what is most suitable for you given its size and
how much room you have to accommodate it.

First, not all Colocasia form tubers during one growing season. It is still
unknown if Colocasia gigantea 'Thailand Giant Strain' will form a tuber.
The specimen in our garden has been in the ground three years and has yet to
form a storable tuber. It is possible that our growing season outdoors is
too short for the plant to form a tuber. Ours does go dormant in the
gardens and comes back in June just fine. We believe it has swollen roots
which could become a tuber sometime in the future. If your roots are
swollen by the end of the season, there is a chance you could over winter it
in a dormant state. A swollen root is basically an undefined tuber. It
will appear larger than a typical root, but may not have enough carbohydrate
reserves (food) to carry it through an entire winter.

We have had customers successfully over winter their plant in the container
in a dark basement. This would be another option for you. You allow the
foliage to collapse with the first freeze and once the foliage has
collapsed, leave the dying plant material on the plant and store it in the
dark. Check on it occasionally to make sure the soil isn't going bone dry
but do not water too much. The plant is dormant and cannot use the water.

Keeping the soil slightly moist will keep the roots from dehydrating. The
dark, cool basement will keep the plant dormant until spring weather
returns.

I hope this information is helpful. We wish you best of luck this winter
with your plant. It is such an amazing plant. -end

So, now I have to decide what I'm going to do.......

AuntB - I hope someone in your zone can help you with your question. It really is a beautiful plant....one that I am adding to my list after seeing your picture.

I just bought one of these at the open house week before last and was about to ask how to take care of it. I moved mine to a larger pot and it has gotten lots bigger already.Wow.
I hope to keep it thru the winter in the basement.

Lavina

Well you may have a few choices of what to do. First off I should add that the more common form of Gigantea is very hardy and can handle my zone6 winters with mulch. So you could chop off all the leaves used hard wood mulch or chopped up leaves and pile it on top of them for winter. Adding a black piece of plastic over the mulch will help keep out moisture from heavy rains and also heats up fast in the sun. Now if its not in the ground I am not sure if you should really down size it. I would suggest then to just remove all the leaves besides the newest one and put it in your storage area. I have had great luck keeping many colocasias in smaller size pots during the winter with rich dirt rather than larger pots were they tend to rot more. If it comes down to it dig up the plant remove many of the roots remove all the leaves and put it in the smallest pot you can put it in and water it. It will go into shock and may take sometime but should recover from this. The main killer is wet cold or very dry rot usually dry rot happens when nothing is around the roots or tuber to hold in the moisture.

It is in a pot, Brian. It is still outside, nights haven't dipped below 45 degrees, we've had some cooler days. I don't cut the leaves off till the plant has sucked the life out of them. It has about 6 leaves, and new ones haven't been as big... wonder if it senses the changing of the seasons...? I think I will try to keep it in a semi-dormant state in the basement.

B does yours Flower ? Paul

I have had 24 flowers on it so far. I now have 24 seed heads on it crossed with everything possible.

Yes, it had 16 total. Very interesting and cool looking, too. I left a couple and snapped of the rest, made a very unique bouquet on my diningroom table. I'm not into crossing, (yet, anyway) so I figured the energy spent on blooming could be of better use roots and/or tuber. It will be interesting to see what you come up with, Brian.
A bit off topic, I've never kept alo. colo. to grow over winter, but this year I'm trying to keep a few growing, I acquired them late in summer. I have coffee cups I bought from you getting ready to come to work with me, a nigra growing very well in front of a west, tinted window under florescent lighting at work. My question is about Nancy's Revenge (love that name), I was going to bring it to work, also but right now it is put out an all white unfurled leaf that is yellowing-dieing. The "trunk" (amatuer, here) where I trimmed some leaves off... what's left of the cut stems there is getting mushy(rotting).... I usually don't see rotting, just drying up of left-over stems. I'm afraid it will rot the whole thing. It did grow 3 pups from runners... I'm going to remove the pups to grow at work and let the mother go dormant. Sound good? Of course I'll need to clean the yucky part away. I'm in 5b so mine are all in pots, and cannot be left in the elements.. Do they need a rest period? sorry for all the questions.. Brian.. I appreciate your help.. thx-Bonnie