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rockdale

Overwintering EE bare rooted?

7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago

I normally have my EEs one potted and one planted in ground, then just overwinter the potted one in my basement. I never measured how cold or warm my basement gets in winter. it is unfinished and unheated, probably between 30 - 40F degree? Anyway, this way (potted, in basement, no light) have been worked for my so far. But this year my potted colocasia Thai giant for some reason did not do well- probably I overwatered it? So now I only have the ground one left. I dug it up today as the next few days the night temperature will drop to 40s. Can I overwinte it with the soil in a cardboard box with some newpapers? Or do I need to wash the soil out ? if without soil, do I need to cover the roots with some kind of media? Any tips or overwintering stories to share? Thanks a lot

Comments (18)

  • 7 years ago

    Sorry, Have to upload the pics in comments. Surprisingly it's roots is not a lot compare to the size of the plant. Again, thank you!

  • 7 years ago

    This plant does not seem to have formed a bulb yet. I'm uncertain how it will fare outside of a pot.

    Rockdale (RI Z6) thanked Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
  • 7 years ago

    mine are colocasia..isn't the one pictured an alocasia?..I've read alocasias overwinter as plants better than colocasia..I've never had an alocasia just passing along what I've read..maybe alocasia overwinters in OR out of a pot but I have no experience with them to know..

    Rockdale (RI Z6) thanked nicholsworth Z6 Indianapolis
  • 7 years ago

    It is raining today and I have not done anything to it yet. I bought it as Thai giant so I thought it is colocasia? I will read more to see what I should do.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago


    pic#1 leaves pointing up..pic#2 leaves pointing down..#1 IS an alocasia..I thought your leaves point up..do they?..I don't know which one of these (if either) is a Thai Giant..to me pic#2 look like Jack's Giant..like mine..lots of wrong information online..

  • 7 years ago

    The leaf of mine points up. Is that the difference between colocasia and alocasia?

    I cleaned the soil this afternoon. Behind the root there seems some structure might be the bulb? I probably will pot it up with some soilless mix and see how it goes.

    This is the potted one, you can see the rotted bottom is cleaned out. I will dust with cinnamon and hope the best. Again thanks.

  • 7 years ago

    I don't know the scientific differences but alocasias have upward facing leaves..I hope they survive..

  • 7 years ago

    That looks like a thai giant and definitely a colocasia. For future reference you should let the plant go dormant before digging it up. I leave all of mine in the ground until the first frost. They'll literally "melt" overnight so you know they're done for the year. I leave all of mine potted or at least in dirt overwinter except for the exceptionally large tubers which hold a lot of water. The dirt helps to regulate the moisture levels keeping the smaller plants from overdrying, although I still give them a shot of water once a month or so while they are in storage.

  • 7 years ago

    Yes, that's true but its it's really a generalization as the plant reaching towards the sun can affect the direction of the leaves. The best way to tell is where the petiole (stem) attaches to the leaf. Colocasia petioles attach to the leaves in the center of the leaf while alocasia petioles attach to the leaf where the two lobes ("the ears") meet.

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I haven't had much luck with Thai Giants in the ground or as bulbs. My 2017 one got almost a 5 ft leaf then died before fall, and the bulb didn't grow again in the spring. I kept the bulb in a basement in a paper bag of peat moss. The one I got this spring rotted before it was in the ground for 2 mos.


    Today (2 days after our first frost of this cold season) I've spent mostly digging out my Caladium bulbs. I put them in brown paper sandwich bags with peat moss. I have so many that the box of then is quite heavy. I have a lot of Burning Heart Caladiums. When I first stored them as bulbs in the fall of 2017 I think I only had about 50% of what I have now. The sizes have also grown by about 1/3. Also, I still have a clump in the ground that's not ready to become a bag of bulbs. Shown below is only about 1/10 of them:


    Some already bagged, some will stay in a pot that will dry out, the rest will go in bags:


    In the fall the Burning Heart Caladiums lose about half of the rich color brilliance they had in June:


    I dug out my 6 ft 9 in Borneo Giant. I cut off all but 1 spike and put it in a pot that will remain indoors for the winter:


    Next I dug out a 5 ft Alocasia Macrorrhizos 'Black Stem' and will keep it as a bulb in a bag of peat moss (center plant below):


    Here I cut off all but the yet-to-be-exposed spike. I'll cut that after in a few weeks when the corm is dry:


    This is it out of the ground. It has 1 connected node and 2 I found while digging it out. Last winter I tried a couple of these nodes in a pot and kept some in peat moss but none of them ever grew. They are actually and obvious pink in color but the photo doesn't convey that:


  • 7 years ago

    Jay, from my experience the bulbils grow significantly better when fresh. Since they are so small they have had the tendency to dry out when I stored them til spring. Since I usually find them in fall I plant them in the smallest, shallowest pot I can find with some saran wrap over it and stick it on my cable box for heat. It can take awhile sometimes depending on how developed the bulbil was but if they're fresh they'll almost always grow.


    Off topic: Got a little frost last night so I went and checked on my plants earlier and found this on my Borneo . First time I've ever had an alocasia set seed.


  • 7 years ago

    Keys thanks for the tip - I believe mine is colocasia for sure.

    Jay, was your Borneo giant in ground, did you wash out all the soil and then potted it up with soilless potting mix? And you are going to grow it as house plant in winter?

    I potted my Thai giant up, hope it survives. The rotted bulb I dusted with cinnamon, should I pot it up too?


    And thr caladiums I just leave them in their pot to overwinter.

    Do you see any issues or any suggestions? Thanks

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    keys..I learned about petiole attachment from you..the best pics I could find of petioles attaching to leaves..

    the back side of my colocasia..
    jay's alocasia..attachment is clearly different than mine..his leaves are shiny..mine are dull..
    zoomed in on rockdale's..hard to tell but there's a sliver of light between the lobes..why both of you say this is "definitely" and "for sure" a colocasia is puzzling..considering petiole attachment, upward facing leaves and leaf sheen rockdale's fits the criteria of an alocasia..rockdale were your petioles like mine or jay's?..

  • 7 years ago

    My Thai giant is like the first picture in your post. The stem connect to the leave in the "center" - the is connection between the left part and right part of the leaf. Your first picture and my EE are colocasia. The second picture in your post is alocasia because the two half leaf are not connected, the stem connect to the leaf where the two loves meet as key stated.

  • 7 years ago

    I couldn't tell from your pic..in this Thai Giant pic the leaf on the left looks like it's connecting on the underneath side in the center..a colocasia..most of these leaves point down but the top 2 for now are up haha..maybe they'll droop as they grow..I agree that yours is a colocasia after your description of the stem attachment..

  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    keys6505 - thanks. I potting some in a very small pot today. I got these on 2 other Alocasias I dug out. They mostly come from A. M. 'Black Stems'. I've never had a Borneo bloom. I have 2.


    rockdale - my Borneos were both in the ground. The potted one is in a sun room for the winter and doesn't get much sun. The other that was its pup has been dug out and will stay in a small bag of peat moss in my basement for the winter. I've washed a couple EE bulbs but most I just removed the dirt by hand. I've no luck with overwintering Thai Giants because they didn't last that long. I've only had 2 that rotted before fall. Dry peat moss is said to have natural rot deterrents. After how well my corms/bulbs in peat fared last winter I believe it. I have 1 Colocasia I've left in a pot to dry for the winter and several Caladiums in now dry pots for the winter. Today I dug out my last 2 EE clumps. They are Alocasia Calidoras that began as single plants.


    This A. Calidora clump came from 2 small corms planted in the Spring:

    The dig out:

    After washing the roots and separating them (a yard stick is with them):

    The bulbil from the left side of the above photo:


  • 7 years ago

    jay..from what I remember from the guy's pics that gave me an alocasia - his alocasias DO resemble your Calidoras..I hope so..from what I've read there's fewer problems than with Thai Giants..