bambooweb.info

Hi guys, I just bought a Thai Giant for about 20 bucks.

The given name seems to be Colocasia Gigantea 'Thailand Giant Strain'.

However, I am finding conflicting information from the web on the difference between Colocasia and Alocasia.

Many sources however seem to state that Alocasia has leaves that are horizontal or pointing up. If so, the Thai Giant should be classified as Alocasia, and not Colocasia.

Now, if you like Vietnamese sour soup, you would know what Bac Ha is. Some said it is Alocasia Odora. But when I googled it up, I don't find definitive ids. I have a Bac Ha plant as well...I think. I got it from a Viet/Chinese supermaket. It doesn't seem to grow very big under full sun. This year, it's putting up many little pups. I am hoping they would grow bigger and faster so that I can harvest the stems for the soup. Bac Ha stems are expansive!

Thing is, the Thai Giant to me looks just like a bigger version of Bac Ha. They're both native to south-east Asia. Chances are, the stems of Thai Giant are also edible. Now I am not going to harvest it any time soon. I am hoping for a giant plant by seasons end. Perhaps then I'll get to take some stems...or not.

I got an $8 last week and that supplier labelled it as a colocasia. It is one of 4 types I bought and I'm going back for some more I think. Nice plants at very decent prices, I think I'll pick up the Siam Ruby banana as well for I think either $8 or $12 bucks. Check out the website for Brian's Botanicals, he is in Louisville not so far from me and I might even drive down his place may be quite interesting.

Thailand Giant is a beautiful plant! Oddly (and unfortunately), mine only lasted 1 year. It got 2.5 ft leaves that year from a plant that came to me in a tiny 24oz pot, flowered abundantly and beautifully, then died forever before the first frost. There were no seeds produced that I could find

2.5 ft eh... I am hoping for monster 3-4 feet leaves, but I guess that's more of wish in zone 5. Let's aim for 3 feet to start.

Are these plants supposed to die after flowering (just like bananas)? I hope not.

Right now, my Thai Giant gets full sun. I wish I have another one planted in shade or part shade so that I can compare their performance. Based on my observational of plants in general, they tend to be short and stocky under full sun, but long and slender in shade. I want the largest and tallest plant possible that would not snap under strong winds. I would rather have a 6 feet strong plant than a risky 8 feet specimen.

needmore wrote:I got an $8 last week and that supplier labelled it as a colocasia. It is one of 4 types I bought and I'm going back for some more I think. Nice plants at very decent prices, I think I'll pick up the Siam Ruby banana as well for I think either $8 or $12 bucks. Check out the website for Brian's Botanicals, he is in Louisville not so far from me and I might even drive down his place may be quite interesting.

Sounds like you have a great deal there if it is a Thai Giant you purchased. Here in Toronto, it is the first time I found a Thai Giant. Priced at $20 or $25, I did not hesitate to purchase it, considering it's rarity. Other colocasias are more plentyful and in the $10 range. I figure that if I have to do some work to overwinter a plant, it better be rare or spectacular.

I also tried some Canas this year. I got it for under $10 and quite plentiful so I may not bring it in for Winter. I'll try mulching it instead and see if it can survive zone 5 Winters. I have not found evidence that it can, but I figure that if Musa Basjoo can do it, so too can Canas.

I purchased a bunch of these guys 1 of each species off eBay from aroidgrower, and they arrived in their own 4X4 pots. They were fairly big plants around 1ft tall. I planted them fairly recently. They costed around $10 per plant plus the combined shipping. I believe this is a pretty good seller.

stevelau1911 wrote:I purchased a bunch of these guys 1 of each species off eBay from aroidgrower, and they arrived in their own 4X4 pots. They were fairly big plants around 1ft tall. I planted them fairly recently. They costed around $10 per plant plus the combined shipping. I believe this is a pretty good seller.

Steve, I think you buried it a little too deep...unless you intend to keep it in the ground over the winter. I don't know if it can make it though.

Your green one does look a bit like mine...do you have the ID? My dad once tried tasting the stems of an elephant ear thinking it was Bac Ha and he got a big shock! Stems of Taro plants are poisonous if eaten raw. However Bac Ha is different, and perhaps the Thai Giant also.

I think the winter wet in Ontario will get them before the cold does. A friend in sw NS frequently winters his glads over with no problem but tried it with Dahilas one year and they were slop even with a tarp to keep them dryish. He's since discovered Crocosmias and doesn't bother with glads anymore.

For a big statement have you tried Canna grande yet? It may be a musifolia; got it at Cistus Nursery in Portland, Or. Planted these from a 2 gallon last year at a nursing home and when we lifted them in the autumn the root masses were 30"+ across. Reached this height after the cool wet summer of 2011, it would really take off in Ontario.

Temp has dropped to 21c with a passing thunderstorm.

johnw

Crocosmias looks nice. I'll keep an eye out for it next time around.
I'll see how my President Canna performs this year before trying the Grand version. 30" root ball is a bit excessive. Where am I gonna store that?

The President form is bright red according to photos I've seen. I think that together with my hardy Fireball hibiscus will really make a statement.

The photo below is from last year. It's only put up two stems this year. I was hoping for more, but mice did major damage to its roots during winter. Another hibiscus (pink) was completely killed.

After about a month, the thai giant consistently put out about one leaf every 2 weeks. Each leaf is about 40% larger than the previous. The newest leaf which is still unfolding, is estimated to be about 2 feet long when fully opened. So far, I consider it satisfactory. I didn't spoil it with manure or much fertilizer, only giving it enough water so that it doesn't completely dry out under the full hot sun.

Sun burn issue.
The leaves tend to get burned out and die after a few weeks. I think this plant does need some sun protection. I'll leave it where it is this year and see how it performs for the rest of the season. Speaking of sun burn, is it primarily caused by UV rays? If so, would coating it with regular sun screen help? I wonder if anyone has tried that...

In other news, my bac ha plant has been devastated by a large mouse. I started noticing it yellowing last week and soon found two mouse tunnel entrances, one of which is directly underneath the clump. I finally caught the culprit with a mouse trap. The trap caught its leg. It was still trying to eat the bate even when it notices me approaching. Anyway, I think I killed it...Er Mi Tho Fo. If it manages to survive (after I hacked it with a shovel that sent it buried into the soft dirt), then it deserves a second chance at life. The tubers are completely eaten and the stalks are flopping over. Estimating damage at 90%.

We can compare notes and see what the plant may like best - I've been doing the opposite, mine is potted in blazing hot sun on the deck although it is partly shaded for parts of the day, I'm keeping the soil soggy with daily watering and water in the tray plus fed it for the 2nd time in a month. It seems to produce a new leaf about every 4-5 days. The other types seems to be growing at about the same rate but the 'gecko-eyed' alocasia producing leaves much slower.

I take care of mine Alo/colocasia the same was as needmore, cept theyre in pots this year. I also keep em alive all winter, instead of letting them go dormant. SInce my growing season is "shortish", this makes sure I get some good upsize between summers.

I never let the soil dry out, this makes mine start to drop lower leaves. I do belive they get exposed to boggy conditions in the wild (alo/colocasia in general, not necassaraly the Thai giant), and grow in low land near rivers. Basically I treat them like bananas, except I keep the soil "wettish" during the growing season.

THe rule I follow is, I water based on the temp. IF its "cool" during the day (well say, 20C), they dont need much water. IF its over 25C, they need lots. ANything above that they need lashings of water IMO.

Mine are in full sun all day, however, they do get randomly shaded by some plants, but nothing major. THeyll take lots of sun as long as they get their water.

Yes, I'll post periodic update of my Thai Giant's growth here. It currently has 3 (actually 2 + 1 dying) leaves. The largest one is over 2 feet long.
All the leaves from the previous photo (from last month) were dead. I think, had the leaves not burned out and died so quickly, it would have grown much faster.

This guy has growing tips for Thailand Giant: http://www.briansbotanicals.net/News-Ev ... a-Gigantea

He says: half-day of sun, protection from wind, plenty of water but don't let it sit in it, and regular feedings.

Too much sun or too little sun results in smaller leaves. Sitting in water causes roots to rot (at least in his climate: Kentucky).

One would assume they could take more sun in S Ontario, then in kentucky. Im pretty sure most colocasia and alocasia are from understory niches, but in the tropics.


MIne get at least 8 hours of sun, around 6 or 7 of that is direct. The only thing that stops mine from growing, is lack of water, and cold temps.