Backyard Banana Joe

I have been growing taro for only about a year or two. I got my starters from Clemmens. It is a small grocery store. The roots were just visibly sprouting from the top. It took several months for them to sprout, but they finally did. My question is: do you have any tips for growing this root vegetable? The plants are not doing well. Maybe because they are growing in sand that is dry. However, one plant was doing well and had several immature roots about 5 inches long and an inch wide. And guess what happened to them???? A STUPID animal dug under the plant and broke of all the roots. Man was I happy �� :272 3:a rachutenanner::banananinj a::nanert ank:

paulorph

Taro like very moist soil. It needs sun and higher temps. It can also be grown in paddies. I have not grown the edible form(might try next year). But the other forms I grown in my koi pond can and I assume you can do with edible form too. In winter I take it in and throw in 5 gallon bucket under lights. Or you can store away for the winter months if you want.

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Hi from cold Ann Arbor,Michigan! Go Blue!

Backyard Banana Joe

Thanks Paulo! I will try growing them in sun in a wet area in my yard, as they are in a dry shady spot now. I will also put on unpainted oak mulch to hold moisture and attract worms and Centipedes.

Backyard Banana Joe

Also are you dude growing mustangs?!!?!

paulorph

I know I am growing Mustang projects lol. I have 4 them that wandered into my yard lol. But they are kinda rare ones that I got at good prices. To original poster, you can create a wet area by digging hole a foot deep then lining with 6-8 mil plastic. leave top of plastic a few inches below top of soil.

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Hi from cold Ann Arbor,Michigan! Go Blue!

paulorph

I also have GTO, Porsche and firebird projects lol. How you find out?

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Hi from cold Ann Arbor,Michigan! Go Blue!

Backyard Banana Joe

Wait........ I thought cincinnana said , “Take care of that stable of mustangs out back.....” I thought he was talking about horses.......lol

beam2050

you can also line the hole with bentonite, which is used by both water well and oil field in their drilling fluids. also used for making green sand.

have a few early mustang parts around, steering drive train. do you have parts for 68 goat or mid 70's camaro or firebird.?

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npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

paulorph

Yes bentonite will work well. Trying to keep it simple. Actually my dream would be a bentonite pond for my koi (another hobby)….. I am a car horder lol. I have 2 gto (68 and 69)verts and a lemans (68)vert projects. I just picked up a 1970 formula in tough shape but had good running drivetrain. $3.5k with a hood. It needs work on floors, rear frame rails but has a 12bolt and great running drivetrain! I wanted a trans am but no luck finding a 1973 or before project. ALso have a 1969 firebird vert! What are you looking for? I see stuff a lot here in Mich. All my stuff is project grade. Hopefully will have one of the stangs done over the winter. Banana Joe glad you reminded me about that post otherwise I would have thought stalker or you saw me on one the mustang sites. No living horses lol. I do have 4 pretty desirable mustangs. Your sandy soil is the major problem. We have a lot of clay here in Ann Arbor and it works well with taro (colocasia). I think change of soil or keeping wet will make a big difference.

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Hi from cold Ann Arbor,Michigan! Go Blue!

beam2050

not really looking for anything except for goat, lemans parts for a friend. a grill basically.

I have a 77 camaro but pretty much have all the parts just need to clear some projects. got most of the rest of the interior recently from a 80 trans am from a wrecking yard but I am sure the car is gone now.

also have a 63 falcon convertible which I have had on the road. 68 289 for the motor, a bit of a cam. Granada disk brakes on the front and 93 mercury disks on a 8 inch rear end. looking for a posi for it, 373 gears. thinking about drag racing the kid when he gets his k5 blazer finished. been helping him with the frame, going to do the welding and body work on the body. so I have got a little time. falcon is the daddy to the stangs and except for the body everything is pretty much the same.

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npk of wood ash 0/1/3 to 0/3/7

npk of banana leaf ash 1.75/0.75/0.5

cincinnana

I grow taro as filler plants.
The plant is inexpensive and has full and tall foiliage.
They are in 3gal containers and tucked in between pots in the landscape.
They are in a 3inch deep saucer to hold the water.
The plant seems to be a beast and is a heavy feeder in a constant wet environment.
They overwinter well in a dry environment and perk up once brought outside.

Pests.....Mealybugs

I think once your plants are established you will rewarded also.

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Backyard Banana Joe

Thank you for all the suggestions everyone! ANOTHER pest I forgot to mention is white flies. They congregate on the leaves as SOON as that are open. The old leaves are COVERED on the bottom in old hatched egg shells. Anyone else had the problem? How to stop it? I’ve tried Castile soap in water sprayed on the bottom of the leaves (that is where they are), and it controls it for a little while but in a couple days there back. Thanks 👍

cincinnana

Mites.........arg!!!

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cincinnana

A Youtube search on white fly/pest control will steer you in a good direction.
Many videos offer very good practices/techniques to control pests on your tropicals.
Pick and choose what will work best for you.
Some even have product links.
Castile soap used as a sticker in conjunction with an insecticide of your choice offers a great inexpensive 1-2 punch.

A forum search will reveal a few good threads on the subject also.

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cincinnana

Brougt mine indoors the last few weeks.

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Backyard Banana Joe

Malanga is looking better. There are only whiteflies on the ones in full sun. I think the ones that had whiteflies before were in straight dry, sand. They were under a bougainvillea that was out of control. The bougainvillea is gone and a food forest has took it’s place, and more. And they seem to like growing there:










New variety gotten recently

Iowa

I grow some Colocascia and Leucocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant. I start mine early inside and then plant in the garden in full sun and give them plenty of water. Dig up and store the tubers after the first frost and do it again the next spring.

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Growing Musa Orinoco since 1993 - Added 2018-Basjoo, Zebrina' Rojo, Ensete Red Abyssinian - Added 2019-Goldfinger - Added 2020-Kokopo (Short Cycle), Double (Mahoi), Highgate, Super Dwarf Cavendish - Added 2021-Pisang Ceylon(Mysore), Musa Margarita, Ensete Ventricosum - Added 2023 - Siam Ruby

Yug

Well, the bottom photo didn't look like taro (we call it Kalo over here), 2nd from the bottom did look right for taro, 3rd from bottom didn't. Plants were similar, but true taro doesn't have a leaf with a split open all the way to the stem. I saw a Cassava leaf in there, too, somewhere. I agree with the comment to grow them wet. Some of the lo'i over here have the bottom of the plants completely under water with just some stem and leaf above the water. If it thrives under those conditions, you never want it to dry out. Some will tolerate drier conditions, but they really love to be wet.

Backyard Banana Joe

Maybe the first and third picture are Malaga and the second is taro? I believe that the one in the second was called 'blanca'. Not sure though.

AaronTT

I grow Malanga. I noticed it does best in almost complete shade with good rich soil. I water them well, but they don't sit in flooded soil. Trick is to plant them very shallow, almost on top, then mulch heavy with a grass. I use alfalfa. I get massive roots by doing this. The soil I use is a blend of rabbit manure and pine bark fines. I add just a few additional minerals. They get big.
I am also growing cassava as I see you are too.