Plant Care Taro

Taro

4.3 out of 5 (65 experiences)

Taro has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves
Taro has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower

About Taro

Colocasia esculenta is a tropical plant grown primarily for its edible corms, or roots. It is most commonly known as taro and is widely cultivated in the high rainfall areas of Southeast Asia. It is thought to be one of the oldest cultivated plants in the world! 🌏

Taxonomy

Colocasia esculenta
Colocasia
Araceae
Alismatales

Also known as

Elephant Ear, Colocasia Painted Black Gecko, Colocasia 'Mojoto', black sapphire, Waikiki, Hawiian Waikiki' PP34615, 'Black Coral' aka 'Elephant Ear' and Colocasia Mojito

How to care for Taro

💦 Water

How often to water your Taro

Water needs for Taro
0.5 cups
every 9

Taro needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Taro

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
☀️ Light

Finding light for Taro in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Taro: 3ft from a window
3ft or less from
a window

Taro may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.

Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Taro in your home 🏡.

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Taro

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Taro: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Taro after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

💡 FAQs
⭐ Difficulty Level

Taro is generally easy to care for, though some plant parents report facing challenges with growing it. Check out the reviews down below to read more about their experiences!

Benefits of Growing Taro →

Common Taro Problems →


💦 Water Needs

Taro prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Taro Water Frequency →

Taro Root Rot →


☀️ Sunlight Needs

Taro may have difficulty thriving and will drop leaves 🍃 without ample sunlight. Place it less than 3 feet from a window to maximize the potential for growth. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Taro Light Requirements →

Taro Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →


🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity

Taro is not safe to consume. If you, a family member, or a pet has ingested any amount of plant material contact Poison Control, US (800) 222-1222, or your veterinarian. If you have children, cats, or dogs in the home, we suggest keeping this plant out of reach.


💨 Humidity

Taro doesn’t require additional humidity. Plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves, so the best way to provide humidity for your plants is through watering the soil.

Taro Humidity Needs →


🪴 Soil

Taro does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!

Best Soil Mix for Taro →

When and How to Successfully Repot Taro →


💩 Fertilizer

Taro should be repotted after it doubles in size or once a year, whichever comes first. Fresh potting soil has all the nutrients your plant needs, so as long as it’s refreshed yearly, you shouldn’t need to use fertilizer. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!

How Much and When to Fertilize Taro →


🌎 Native Region

Taro is native to Southeast Asia.


🌸 Flowers

Yes, you may see your Taro bloom with the right amount of sunlight and water.


⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

Taro is a clumping plant, meaning new growth will emerge from the soil around the parent plant.

How and When to Prune Taro →


🌦️ Growing Outdoors

USDA Hardiness Zone
Taro can be grown outdoors in USDA Hardiness Zones 8a-11b. Find your local hardiness zone here.

Taro Temperature Tolerance →


🌱 Propagation

Taro can be propagated by division into new individual plants.

  • Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
  • If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
  • Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
  • Repot the parent plant back into its original pot

🍂 Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.

Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Taro, since they are sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.

Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!


🧐 Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.

Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.

Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.

Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.


Care Summary for Taro

Taro

Taro


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 3ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Taro has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 52
Taro has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 40
Taro has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 18
Taro has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 14
Taro has a Pest magnet plant personality Pest magnet 7
Taro has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 6
Taro has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 5
Abdullah avatar
@Abdullah
leaf-1 1 Plants
xp 36 XP
globe Auckland
11/25/2021

This bad boy had been great. I’ve had him it in water and it has literally churned out leaves every other day.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily Blooms easily
@codymichele avatar
@@codymichele
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 574 XP
globe Bend, OR
11/17/2021

grows tall and leaves are big. pretty sensitive to watering

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@madlikesgreekmythology avatar
@@madlikesgreekmythology
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 353 XP
11/07/2021

Idk if it’s just me but shawty is so difficult to keep alive. It’s very difficult to find a place in my home where the temperature, humidity, and light are perfect for this picky plant- not to mention that a consistent watering schedule gets thrown out the window. Too picky of a plant for me and my other more tolerable plants 😰

Pest magnet Pest magnet
Browns easily Browns easily
@RinnyK avatar
@@RinnyK
leaf-1 24 Plants
xp 1,713 XP
globe Round Hill, VA
11/02/2021

Alocasias. Challenging but so worth the challenge. Ruby isn’t doing too well but she’s trying. My hope is she’ll go dormant for the winter and in the spring she’ll start shining. Water carefully. Alocasias like water but not a lot. Too much sun and the leaves scorch. Also pest checks weekly are a must.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
Pest magnet Pest magnet
@RinnyK avatar
@@RinnyK
leaf-1 24 Plants
xp 1,713 XP
globe Round Hill, VA
10/28/2021

Alocasia Regal Shields are work. They are large and lush plants but they need loving. Too much water and they hate it. Too little water and the hate it too. They need sun but not direct, the leaves will brown. Pests love them too. We’ve had spider mites, thrips, and fungus gnats. But through it all she’s persevered and we’ve even got two blooms! And new leaf growth. This plant is not for the first time plant parent but if you are patient and give it time you’ll love it just like I do!

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Pest magnet Pest magnet
Browns easily Browns easily
@PlantyGoddess avatar
@@PlantyGoddess
leaf-1 109 Plants
xp 9,648 XP
globe Woolwich Township, NJ
10/24/2021

We started out as close friend…I don’t know what I did but I did it! The leaves just fainted…passed out. No amount of water revived so I chopped them off. I figured maybe next year so I set it and attempted to forget it well that appears to be the formula. Water plentifully when you do water BUT leave them alone. Staking and tying to a stalk causes bruising and weakened stems so just let it do what it does.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
@Erodplants avatar
@@Erodplants
leaf-1 110 Plants
xp 2,758 XP
10/23/2021

Love this glorious looking plant , leaves are huge , get ready for some massive hog spacing.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
Pamela avatar
@Pamela
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 210 XP
globe Lynchburg, VA
09/17/2021

Yes

Fast grower Fast grower
Jade avatar
@Jade
leaf-1 11 Plants
xp 126 XP
globe Richfield, PA
09/14/2021

Pretty easy to grow!

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@Finchwing avatar
@@Finchwing
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 46 XP
globe Edgware, England
08/23/2021

Colocasia are bog plants so mine has enjoyed sitting in a few cm of water, being constantly moist has made it happy (but not wet as the roots will be deprived of oxygen) gotta say it is dramatic if its environment changes; 1 night in a cold dark moving van made it lose all its leaves. Has recovered since tho with some tlc ! Lots of sun and lots of water is the way for this one i think

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
@dellasoasis avatar
@@dellasoasis
leaf-1 7 Plants
xp 133 XP
08/19/2021

I absolutely love her. I’ve had her for about two weeks now and she already has two more beautiful leaves that she’s growing to show the world, they’re slowly unraveling as we speak! She’s kept on my balcony, away from direct sunlight, but she definitely gets her fill! I water her just about everyday since it’s her growing season (summer) and it’s sooo hot outside, but I know they love the humidity and Lord knows there’s enough of it out there. She also loves to be misted now and again. I absolutely love her and I hope she continues to thrive as she’s moving to a bigger pot soon! I hope she knows she is very loved!

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
@JoanieC avatar
@@JoanieC
leaf-1 73 Plants
xp 27,078 XP
globe Lubbock, TX
08/12/2021

This is one of my most favorite plants. I have had it almost 2 years indoors and it is amazing. It is very easy care and oh so gorgeous with its huge lush leaves.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@ELHenslee avatar
@@ELHenslee
leaf-1 26 Plants
xp 2,104 XP
08/03/2021

Grows VERY FAST

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
@ronawright avatar
@@ronawright
leaf-1 9 Plants
xp 409 XP
globe Decatur, GA
07/25/2021

I love the look of this plant😍

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
@isabelle.rose avatar
@@isabelle.rose
leaf-1 45 Plants
xp 2,164 XP
globe Wauwatosa, WI
06/27/2021

I had a huge fungus gnat infestation from it

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
Pest magnet Pest magnet
@tortoise avatar
@@tortoise
leaf-1 16 Plants
xp 249 XP
globe Little Rock, AR
06/23/2021

i don’t know what i did wrong but from the moment i got him he was dying. constantly miserable looking. i hated him so much

Browns easily Browns easily
@Jackinbox45 avatar
@@Jackinbox45
leaf-1 35 Plants
xp 7,329 XP
globe Saint Leonard, MD
06/10/2021

I love this big green plant, love the big leaves and is easy to grow.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@Snceoflove avatar
@@Snceoflove
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 292 XP
globe Phoenix, AZ
06/01/2021

So beautiful and Resilient 🥰🥰🥰

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Fast grower Fast grower
@jlee avatar
@@jlee
leaf-1 1 Plants
xp 32 XP
globe Emeryville, CA
05/28/2021

Big and beautiful

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Browns easily Browns easily
@Steeze365daily avatar
@@Steeze365daily
leaf-1 28 Plants
xp 1,766 XP
05/21/2021

Honey this plant is a grower. She’s better in the garden, because of how big she gets but is a stunning houseplant. You give her enough bright indirect light and a well drawing soil and she’s going to flourish. Mines is about a foot away from a south facing window and she’s flourishing! She’s the fastest growing plant in my collection. Literally grow new leaves within a week. I highly recommend. She doesn’t like to get dry, so be sure to keep her moist but not wet. Happy Planting!

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor

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