Alocasia, anyone?

Want Them All · 02-18-2010, 04:39 PM

Got 2 Alocasia hypnosa over the weekend, love the leaves! Anybody growing these? What's your experience with 'em? From my research, seems like the best conditions for them is well drained soil, moist, and in partial sun or shade. I have some semi shade spots outside the house, but I'm afraid the wind gusts will just tear 'em apart.

Thanks,

Want Them All · 02-18-2010, 06:39 PM

LilRaverBoi · 02-19-2010, 04:11 PM

I love Alocasia/Colocasia and when I have more space, I plan to try a lot more species. Currently, I have:

Colocasia Jack's Giant (this pic is very old now)

Alocasia Portei

and Alocasia 'Stingray'

Love the pic of your hypnosa...looks very healthy! I really want to try A. amazonica, A. teacup, A. batwing, A. portadora, A. boa and C. black ruffles.

sunfish · 02-19-2010, 06:57 PM

Want Them All · 02-19-2010, 07:09 PM

I just repotted one of 'em and decided to leave it my living room, no worry about winds. The taro plants I saw in Hawaii look very much like an Alocasia, wonder if these bulbs are edible.

I've been looking for "elephant ears" for a while now, the Home Depot in Anaheim, Ca just received 10 of these, I got 2, another guy bought 3. They look so good, couldn't pass 'em up. Thanks for posting your photos.

Tony: are you gonna sell those?

LilRaverBoi: how big is your biggest one?

sunfish · 02-19-2010, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want Them All

I just repotted one of 'em and decided to leave it my living room, no worry about winds. The taro plants I saw in Hawaii look very much like an Alocasia, wonder if these bulbs are edible.

I've been looking for "elephant ears" for a while now, the Home Depot in Anaheim, Ca just received 10 of these, I got 2, another guy bought 3. They look so good, couldn't pass 'em up. Thanks for posting your photos.

Tony: are you gonna sell those?

LilRaverBoi: how big is your biggest one?

Possibly

LilRaverBoi · 02-19-2010, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want Them All

LilRaverBoi: how big is your biggest one?

Here's a pic I took this afternoon (just repotted it today):

Leaves are just over a foot long so it's still pretty tiny in the scheme of things....cause this is what it will look like eventually:

Want Them All · 02-19-2010, 10:14 PM

Don't you have wind gusts in your area? You're in the midwest, so tornadoes are frequent. I used to live in Wichita, KS. Those huge fans act like boat sails when the winds kick up in my area. Amazing photo! I saw one of the Giant Borneo with a man standing underneath one of the leaves, they said the GB were around at the times of dinosaurs.

LilRaverBoi · 02-19-2010, 10:36 PM

Well, mine isn't big enough to have sail-worthy leaves yet...but I'm in a pretty sheltered area where I live here. It would probably be wise to plant such things in a sheltered place around your house to prevent leaf tear/damage.

As far as GB goes, they look kinda disgusting to me for some reason. Like the leaf margin isn't quite big enough for the actual leaf surface so it's all smashed in there and floppy. I dunno...always kinda looked distasteful to me...but I do appreciate the massive magnitude of the leaves!

Want Them All · 02-19-2010, 11:45 PM

I assume yours die back when the snow comes? How do you overwinter them? And how many months does it take to grow from nothing to leaves that big? Thanks,

conejov · 02-19-2010, 11:54 PM

I've always like Alacasias & Colocasias, Im hoping to expand my collection this spring. Nice looking plants guys.

LilRaverBoi · 02-20-2010, 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want Them All

I assume yours die back when the snow comes? How do you overwinter them? And how many months does it take to grow from nothing to leaves that big? Thanks,

To be honest, what you see in my first pic is how I 'overwinter' here. I have no soil to even plant in here, so it's in a pot year round, brought inside during winter. I don't believe they're hardy enough to survive winters here, but I could be wrong.

bananadude · 02-20-2010, 07:35 AM

Here is a pic of mine from this past summer! These babies are planted out in the full sun and are in the wind, here in Michigan!

sunfish · 02-20-2010, 08:24 AM

Want Them All · 02-20-2010, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bananadude

Here is a pic of mine from this past summer! These babies are planted out in the full sun and are in the wind, here in Michigan!

Nice! So they lose all the leaves and become dormant in the Michigan winter?

Want Them All · 02-20-2010, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LilRaverBoi

To be honest, what you see in my first pic is how I 'overwinter' here. I have no soil to even plant in here, so it's in a pot year round, brought inside during winter. I don't believe they're hardy enough to survive winters here, but I could be wrong.

In the photo of you in the blue T-shirt, the leaves are pretty large, are those plants in ground or pot (what size)?

LilRaverBoi · 02-20-2010, 05:25 PM

LMFAO...no no no...that's not me in the second picture. That was just an example of what a mature Jacks Giant looks like. I wish mine looked that nice! Maybe in a year or two. Pretty sure the ones in that picture are in the ground.

As far as I've seen, they are cold hardy to zone 8 maybe 7. Beyond that, you would probably need to either protect them somehow (not really sure if leaves would survive regardless) or dig up the bulb and overwinter it in your basement dormant like any other bulb. You could also dig up the entire plant and pot it and keep it growing inside if you had a sunny place and a lot of room.

palmtree · 02-20-2010, 07:54 PM

I grew a Colocasia Fontanesii last year and it grew huge in its pot. Now its resting and has one leaf (not a huge on though). They bloomed like crazy though, I think I got over 10 blooms and it flowered from late july all the way to mid November! Then it got hit by a frost and I cut it back and sent it in. This year I also have an Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Borneo Giant'. Its pretty big already, but I hear they are that in the tropics they are largest elephant ears (also apparently has the largest undivided leaves of any plant also).
Jacks giant is a really nice one also. Very nice color to it and also the leaves can get huge.
Ive never heard of Alocasia hypnosa before , but I just saw some pics of them and they look like they have a very nice leaf form and also stay at a pretty good size. Your Alocasia hypnosa already looks like its a nice planting size and will probably be a very nice size once summer comes and it sees some warm weather.

Good luck everyone!

bananadude · 02-21-2010, 07:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Want Them All

Nice! So they lose all the leaves and become dormant in the Michigan winter?

Oh no, those babies are cut back and dug up and stored in the basement for the winter! I planted 7 bulbs in that bed, they quadruplied in size, after dividing I have around 15!

cherokee_greg · 02-25-2010, 09:15 AM

Wow these are so cool I had to get me some of these
here is a link
ALOCASIA,COLOCASIA,XANTHOSOMA

anyone ever plant these before ?

02-18-2010, 04:39 PM	#1 (permalink)
Want Them All Want Them All's Photo Gallery Location: Central California, USA Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 553 BananaBucks : 569,282 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3 Times Was Thanked 333 Times in 140 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Alocasia, anyone? Got 2 Alocasia hypnosa over the weekend, love the leaves! Anybody growing these? What's your experience with 'em? From my research, seems like the best conditions for them is well drained soil, moist, and in partial sun or shade. I have some semi shade spots outside the house, but I'm afraid the wind gusts will just tear 'em apart. Thanks, __________________

02-18-2010, 06:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
Want Them All Want Them All's Photo Gallery Location: Central California, USA Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 553 BananaBucks : 569,282 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3 Times Was Thanked 333 Times in 140 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone? __________________

02-19-2010, 04:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
LilRaverBoi Nanner Time! LilRaverBoi's Photo Gallery Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Bryan Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,937 BananaBucks : 152,327 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 534 Times Was Thanked 2,243 Times in 1,245 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 855 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone? I love Alocasia/Colocasia and when I have more space, I plan to try a lot more species. Currently, I have: Colocasia Jack's Giant (this pic is very old now) Alocasia Portei and Alocasia 'Stingray' Love the pic of your hypnosa...looks very healthy! I really want to try A. amazonica, A. teacup, A. batwing, A. portadora, A. boa and C. black ruffles. __________________ BANANA RAVE! Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top! lilraverboi@genxglow.com RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you! I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN! Last edited by LilRaverBoi : 02-25-2010 at 09:40 PM.

02-19-2010, 06:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,487,922 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,593 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone?

02-19-2010, 07:09 PM	#5 (permalink)
Want Them All Want Them All's Photo Gallery Location: Central California, USA Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 553 BananaBucks : 569,282 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3 Times Was Thanked 333 Times in 140 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone? I just repotted one of 'em and decided to leave it my living room, no worry about winds. The taro plants I saw in Hawaii look very much like an Alocasia, wonder if these bulbs are edible. I've been looking for "elephant ears" for a while now, the Home Depot in Anaheim, Ca just received 10 of these, I got 2, another guy bought 3. They look so good, couldn't pass 'em up. Thanks for posting your photos. Tony: are you gonna sell those? LilRaverBoi: how big is your biggest one? __________________

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02-19-2010, 10:14 PM	#8 (permalink)
Want Them All Want Them All's Photo Gallery Location: Central California, USA Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 553 BananaBucks : 569,282 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3 Times Was Thanked 333 Times in 140 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone? Don't you have wind gusts in your area? You're in the midwest, so tornadoes are frequent. I used to live in Wichita, KS. Those huge fans act like boat sails when the winds kick up in my area. Amazing photo! I saw one of the Giant Borneo with a man standing underneath one of the leaves, they said the GB were around at the times of dinosaurs. __________________

02-19-2010, 10:36 PM	#9 (permalink)
LilRaverBoi Nanner Time! LilRaverBoi's Photo Gallery Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Bryan Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,937 BananaBucks : 152,327 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 534 Times Was Thanked 2,243 Times in 1,245 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 855 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone? Well, mine isn't big enough to have sail-worthy leaves yet...but I'm in a pretty sheltered area where I live here. It would probably be wise to plant such things in a sheltered place around your house to prevent leaf tear/damage. As far as GB goes, they look kinda disgusting to me for some reason. Like the leaf margin isn't quite big enough for the actual leaf surface so it's all smashed in there and floppy. I dunno...always kinda looked distasteful to me...but I do appreciate the massive magnitude of the leaves! __________________ BANANA RAVE! Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top! lilraverboi@genxglow.com RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you! I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

02-19-2010, 11:45 PM	#10 (permalink)
Want Them All Want Them All's Photo Gallery Location: Central California, USA Find me on the map! Zone: 9 Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 553 BananaBucks : 569,282 Feedback: 1 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3 Times Was Thanked 333 Times in 140 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone? I assume yours die back when the snow comes? How do you overwinter them? And how many months does it take to grow from nothing to leaves that big? Thanks, __________________

02-19-2010, 11:54 PM	#11 (permalink)
conejov Rabid Nanner Location: Houston, Tx Zone: 9 Name: Alex Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 559 BananaBucks : 110,150 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 40 Times Was Thanked 374 Times in 218 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 107 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone? I've always like Alacasias & Colocasias, Im hoping to expand my collection this spring. Nice looking plants guys. __________________

02-20-2010, 07:35 AM	#13 (permalink)
bananadude bananadude's Photo Gallery Location: Gladwin, Michigan Find me on the map! Zone: New Zone Map on the border of Zone 5-6 Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 221 BananaBucks : 58,406 Feedback: 3 / 100% Said "Thanks" 96 Times Was Thanked 91 Times in 47 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 23 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone? Here is a pic of mine from this past summer! These babies are planted out in the full sun and are in the wind, here in Michigan! __________________ Brian...Zone 5-6...Gladwin, Michigan

02-20-2010, 08:24 AM	#14 (permalink)
sunfish Banned sunfish's Photo Gallery Location: San Diego Find me on the map! Zone: 9-11 Name: Tony Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 18,429 BananaBucks : 1,487,922 Feedback: 8 / 100% Said "Thanks" 3,210 Times Was Thanked 20,593 Times in 7,760 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 2,716 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone?

02-20-2010, 05:25 PM	#17 (permalink)
LilRaverBoi Nanner Time! LilRaverBoi's Photo Gallery Location: Cedar Rapids, IA Find me on the map! Zone: 5 Name: Bryan Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 2,937 BananaBucks : 152,327 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 534 Times Was Thanked 2,243 Times in 1,245 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 855 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone? LMFAO...no no no...that's not me in the second picture. That was just an example of what a mature Jacks Giant looks like. I wish mine looked that nice! Maybe in a year or two. Pretty sure the ones in that picture are in the ground. As far as I've seen, they are cold hardy to zone 8 maybe 7. Beyond that, you would probably need to either protect them somehow (not really sure if leaves would survive regardless) or dig up the bulb and overwinter it in your basement dormant like any other bulb. You could also dig up the entire plant and pot it and keep it growing inside if you had a sunny place and a lot of room. __________________ BANANA RAVE! Feel the beat from start to stop, dancin' and movin' from bottom to top! lilraverboi@genxglow.com RIP Tog Tan. We love you and will always remember you! I'm Bryan with a Y! There is no 'I' in BRYAN!

02-20-2010, 07:54 PM	#18 (permalink)
palmtree palmtree 's Photo Gallery Location: New York City Find me on the map! Zone: 7b Name: Alex C Join Date: Dec 2008 Posts: 1,016 BananaBucks : 128,520 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 1,492 Times Was Thanked 1,428 Times in 644 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 103 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone? I grew a Colocasia Fontanesii last year and it grew huge in its pot. Now its resting and has one leaf (not a huge on though). They bloomed like crazy though, I think I got over 10 blooms and it flowered from late july all the way to mid November! Then it got hit by a frost and I cut it back and sent it in. This year I also have an Alocasia macrorrhizos 'Borneo Giant'. Its pretty big already, but I hear they are that in the tropics they are largest elephant ears (also apparently has the largest undivided leaves of any plant also). Jacks giant is a really nice one also. Very nice color to it and also the leaves can get huge. Ive never heard of Alocasia hypnosa before , but I just saw some pics of them and they look like they have a very nice leaf form and also stay at a pretty good size. Your Alocasia hypnosa already looks like its a nice planting size and will probably be a very nice size once summer comes and it sees some warm weather. Good luck everyone! __________________ Location: New York City, zone 7b

02-25-2010, 09:15 AM	#20 (permalink)
cherokee_greg Love those bananas cherokee_greg's Photo Gallery Location: Fresno,CA Find me on the map! Zone: zone 9 Name: Greg Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 4,357 BananaBucks : 366,305 Feedback: 2 / 100% Said "Thanks" 8,066 Times Was Thanked 3,946 Times in 1,665 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 335 Times	Re: Alocasia, anyone? Wow these are so cool I had to get me some of these here is a link ALOCASIA,COLOCASIA,XANTHOSOMA anyone ever plant these before ? __________________ Greg zone 9 Fresno,CA http://gardenjot.com/garden/view/1980/Gregs-Banana-Farm

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