http://xrl.us/myc4 There are two pictures of an Elephant Ear tuber I recently purchased showing each end of the tuber. I think this is Colocasia Esculentum, but am not definite on this. Which end do I point to the bottom of the starting pot? All the web sites studiously avoid mentioning which is top and bottom of the tuber. The best suggestion was 50/50 by planting on its side. Durgan.[/SIZE][/FONT]
The end with the concentric ring pattern goes up and the end with all the small holes goes down. However even if you plant it upside down it will right itself eventually. Sideways is fine too. Try to let the top of the tuber just barely peek out from the top of the soil and keep it moist. Good luck.
Thanks. I confirm your replies. I dug it up carefully after two weeks in a pot, and discovered that many shoots about one inch long are growing from the bottom and from the side eyes. I planted it up as you have indicated the left photo, http://xrl.us/myc4 which by guess work was correct. There is a slight indication of upward shoots starting from the top judging by the slight bulges showing on the top of the tuber. The smooth ringed end of the tuber is the top. Many thanks. Durgan.
http://xrl.us/myde The root was planted 24 May 2006 in the ground and is growing rapidly. I put the top of the root even with the ground. This is the growth after about a month in the greenhouse, and a week in the ground. Durgan.
I got a couple of pounds of Colocasia Esculentum at the chinese market really cheap, everything came up. Big leaves everywhere. They like loads of manure and water if you can spare it. To confirm which bulg you have, its the same as mine. Esculentum
http://xrl.us/nera Update. 14 June 2006 This is the growth of the elephant ear (Colocasia Esculentum) 14 June 2006. Contrast this with 2 June pictures. http://xrl.us/myde This is about 6 weeks from the time I started it in the greenhouse. I notice the leaves unravel, similiar to wrapping a piece of paper around a fat pencil and slowly unwinding. The leaves should be fully out in a few days. Durgan.
http://xrl.us/nex7 http://xrl.us/nex7 Pictures indicating how the leaf forms by unravelling on the Colocasia Esculentum plant. Durgan.
http://xrl.us/nga7 Leaves finally opening Picture of the leaves opening today. 15 June 2006. Six weeks after planting, four in greenhouse and two weeks plus in the ground. I notice some bug got to one leaf. Durgan.
http://xrl.us/n9tm http://xrl.us/n9tm Elephant Ear 4 July 2006. The plant is thriving. The green appears a little light, so I am withholding the water a bit. I think I was watering too much, Anyway I will observe it over the next few days. More leaves keep coming up. It is interesting to see how the leaves unroll. Sort of unique in my experience, such as it is. Durgan.
I just ran across this thread while doing some research. The correct scientific name of this plant is Colocasia esculenta, not "esculentum". This species has at least 68 scientific synonym names and it appears someone has tried to combine portions of an older scientific name (Colocasia esculentum)with the current genus to come up with this spelling. You can verify the correct spelling on either TROPICOs which is a service of the Missouri Botanical Garden http://mobot.mobot.org/W3T/Search/vast.html or the International Plant Names Index (IPNI) http://www.ipni.org/index.html Here is more detailed information: http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Colo...arge pc.html