If it's growing, it should be fine. Just don't keep it too wet until it starting putting down some roots. Keep it very warm. I started all of mine back in February and had them on top of my radiators and they're doing fine.

With some of the large Colocasia and Alocasia tubers (I don't know what kind you have), the bottom portion of the tuber is dead material and will eventually rot away. As long as the top portion is hard, that's where the new growth will emerge.

Kevin

Thanks, I was hoping that was what I could do. My hubby said the same thing, but I was afraid of the rather small soft spot on the bottom. It has even shriveled somewhat. I bought these beautiful 5" or more bulbs and am so looking forward to the large leaves---the plain green ones.
Do you usually dig yours back up in the fall and keep them overwinter? We are usually very busy farming in the fall and I forget to dig them, but I should...wonder if the bulbs will be as big or bigger.
Thanks for answering, I hope yours do well too...they must be a foot tall or more by now!

If there's a soft spot, that means some sort of rot is setting in. I would cut or dig that out before planting depending on how large it is. After doing that, allow it to air dry for a few days before planting. You could also treat the spot after removing with peroxide or dust it with sulfur. You don't want the rot to spread. Don't get freaked out by this. I've had some tubers almost half rotten respond well to this and grow beautifully.

Yes, you do have to dig these before the ground freezes. These are from tropical parts of the world and can not freeze. Usually the tubers will get larger each year and multiply. I've had some of my Alocasia tubers grow to several pounds each.

Despite having started mine in February, they are only first sprouting now which is why I start them so early. They take a long time to do anything.

Kevin

I would pot them up since the ground is probably too cold for them to do much of anything yet where you are. If they get a little frost, they won't mind. That happens to them all winter here in the ground if it's warm enough, like this past winter... grow a leaf, it gets frosted, grow another, repeat... When your regular perennials start growing well, that's when I'd put them in the ground. When it gets hot, keep moist and be ready for the BIG leaves, (depending on the size of the bulbs at this point,) the more fertile the soil, the better. I've tried them all around the yard and the biggest leaves grow in mostly shade, almost total, this far south.

The comment about growing in shade is very interesting because I've never found these to do well in anything less than almost full sun. It must have something to do with our zones. But I do agree about the need for water. They need lots and lots of water to do well.

Kevin

because I've never found these to do well in anything less than almost full sun. It must have something to do with our zones

==>> kevin!!!!

it has nothing to do with zone ....

it has to do with the angle of the sun..

there is a sign in the middle of MI.. 45th parallel .. half way to the north pole.. what are you.. above that a bit ...

you can grow things in sun.. that peeps in the south .. one third the way to the north pole ... can not .... sun burn.. etc ...

after that.. its heat.. and a plants ability to process enough water to live .... combining sunburn with water management ...

it is why hosta get harder and harder to grow.. the further south you go ...

and then finally.. with hosta.. the requisite cold dormancy .. and that is where ZONE finally rears its ugly head ...

ken

ps: england is the 60th parallel.. or so.. but with the north Atlantic drift [prevailing warm ocean currents] ... is zones higher than most of us ..... THATS 2/3 OF THE WAY TO THE NORTH POLE ... they grow EVERYTHING in full sun ... but for the fact that sun rarely shines.. lol ....

Yes, that's why I said "this far south." I had these in OH, in tons of sun, and never had really big leaves but they were always in a pot, not a fair comparison.

A couple years after moving here, I put it in the ground in quite a bit of sun and the leaves were bigger than before, but not what I'd hoped for. Yes, this is the same bulb this whole time, it never got bigger during these 10 years, just made some pups. Then I moved the main bulb to a much more shady spot last spring and finally got some really big leaves - about 3 ft. from petiole to tip. In the past year, the bulb has finally doubled in size also.

These can be seen "in the wild" around here, often in a drainage ditch in full sun, where they never make really big leaves. BUT those are always extremely crowded, so may not be a fair comparison either. The ones people put in their landscape in much more shade make much bigger leaves. Impossible to say if all the really big ones I've seen are being coddled with tons of watering.

If you have more than one, but be interesting to try in both settings to see what works best "up there." Having never tried any in the ground up north, just pots, I'm not in a position to advise. Very likely being in a pot was the cause of the lack of really big leaves, not necessarily too much sun, IDK.

i live in northern illinois and i start my EEs in pots in early march to get them going. i dig them up and store them in the basement over winter. last year they didn't do as well, very dry and hot summer. i grow them in partial shade where they do the best. the ones in more sun are always smaller. and i'm in zone 5. my one bulb has multiplied to about 10 in 2 years.

hi
Check out the family Alocasia colocasia homolomena
There are ast least 150 different kinds ranging from a foot to well over 10 feet, from green to variagated to black to bronze ,spotted splotched . with stripes I'm particularly fond of the blacks with silver veins or apple green with white veins You can get evergreen , summer dormant, winter dormant Have been getting into the so-called "jewel alocasia " which are unreal but delicate and expensive Aroids are my favorite family.
Might mention "borneo giant " gets leaves in excess of 5x12 feet lol makes a great house plant lol gary

I grow EE in very large pots in part-shade on the patio. They get quite large leaves. But, yea - gotta keep them moist, moist, moist!