Plant guide:ðŋ Colocasia (Taro / Elephant Ear)
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Roots
Root Rot in Colocasia
Commonly affects: Colocasia esculenta (Taro / Elephant Ear)
The plant wilts or yellows despite consistently moist soil, and roots or the corm appear brown, mushy, and foul-smelling when checked.
Potential Causes
- 1Poor soil aeration combined with constantly wet conditions, even though Colocasia tolerates boggy soil better than most plants, still needing some oxygen at the root zone
- 2Overly compacted, poorly-structured potting mix that becomes anaerobic when kept wet
- 3A pot without any drainage at all, unlike a bog planting which still has some water movement
Solution Steps
- 1Remove the plant from its pot and trim away all rotten roots and corm tissue with a sterilised blade
- 2Repot into a mix that retains moisture well but still has some structure and isn't fully compacted or anaerobic
- 3Use a pot with at least some drainage, even for a plant that likes consistently wet conditions
- 4Reduce watering slightly if the mix has clearly become waterlogged and anaerobic rather than simply moist
Prevention Tip
Colocasia tolerates wet soil far better than most houseplants, but 'wet' still needs some oxygen â fully waterlogged, airless soil can still cause rot.
