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🌍 Built for UK, USA, Canada & Worldwide Gardens Free Growing Guides for Every Region Love It or Your Money Back Secure Checkout Instant PDF Download Checked Against RHS, USDA & Agri-Food Canada Data Free Garden Layout Planner
Move through the SoilCommander growing library like a course: keep the navigation in place, open the next lesson, and build your garden plan step by step.
CTAHR: the most prevalent taro disease in Hawaii, worst during wet seasons, recognised by purplish-brown, circular, water-soaked leaf spots exuding a clear yellow liquid; diminishes in dry months.
Phyllosticta leaf spot (taro)
low
Phyllosticta colocasiophyla
Named by CTAHR; seldom serious in well-managed upland taro plantings.
Southern blight
low
Sclerotium rolfsii
CTAHR names this as "dry rot," caused by the same Sclerotium rolfsii pathogen as the existing Southern blight entry; seldom serious in well-managed plantings.
Named by both RHS (UK glasshouse) and CTAHR (upland Hawaii growing), damaging by sap-sucking on petioles and leaves, rarely serious unless in large numbers.
Taro leafhopper
moderate
Tarophagus proserpina
Named by CTAHR as one of the two most common upland Hawaii pests, recognisable by brown-to-black staining on petioles from sap oozing at puncture holes.
Poorly-drained tolerated (RHS); CTAHR: deep, well-drained, friable loams, pH 5.5-6.5, moist soil at or near field capacity.
Lifecycle
Tuberous, evergreen perennial. RHS rates it H1B (10-15C minimum), grown in the UK as a container/conservatory plant moved outdoors only in summer. CTAHR describes upland (dryland, rainfed) and lowland (wetland, flooded) cultivation systems in its native tropical range.
CTAHR: plant "hulis" (the upper 1/4-1/2in of the corm or cormel plus 8-10in of petiole) or small cormels 3-4in deep, spaced 18-24in apart in rows 18-24in apart. RHS: plant tubers in a large pot of humus-rich compost in warm conditions in early spring.
Canopy establishment
1
CTAHR: taro is very susceptible to weed competition for the first 3-4 months while the leaf canopy forms -- hand-pull or hoe weeds during this window; once the canopy closes, lush foliage shades out further weed growth on its own.
Vegetative growth and feeding
3
CTAHR: apply fertiliser before planting, then side-dress at two, four and six months after planting; upland taro tolerates prolonged waterlogging, but dasheen types should not be left waterlogged for long. RHS: water freely once in growth, with a weekly high-nitrogen feed.
Corm maturation and harvest
8
CTAHR: upland taro matures 8-10 months after planting, signalled by yellowing leaves and shortened petioles; dasheen is ready once cormels go dormant and leaves dry. For home use, taro can be harvested as needed over several weeks.
When to pick: CTAHR: upland taro ready for harvest 8-10 months after planting, when leaves turn yellowish and petioles shorten to under 2ft with corms visibly protruding from the ground.
Storage
SAFETY: corms and leaves are harmful eaten raw (RHS) -- always cook thoroughly (boiled, steamed, baked, or fried) before eating. Dasheen corms store well cleaned, washed, drained and refrigerated; poi taro does not keep for long (CTAHR).
RHS describes taro's long-stalked, heart- or arrow-shaped leaves as reaching blades up to 60cm on metre-long stalks -- a dramatic foliage plant even before considering the edible corm.
CTAHR notes taro thrives in warm, moist conditions with evenly distributed rainfall -- the broad, ribbed leaf surface is built to shed heavy tropical rain.
RHS lists numerous taro cultivars bred for foliage colour and pattern -- 'Yellow Splash' shows the variegation some UK conservatory growers select for over eating quality.
Some taro varieties carry distinctive red or purple-tinted stems and petioles -- a trait breeders and growers alike select for in ornamental and culinary varieties.
CTAHR notes several named varieties are grown for different purposes -- some for poi, others for table use or chips -- and colour is often the easiest way to tell them apart at a glance.
CTAHR describes taro as very susceptible to weed competition early on, but once the leaf canopy closes like this, the plant shades out weeds on its own.
The sharply defined central vein and radiating side veins are characteristic of the whole Colocasia genus, sometimes called elephant ear for the leaf's size and shape.
Hardiness H1B (10-15C minimum). Soil: loam, poorly-drained, acid or neutral pH. Sun/aspect: partial shade, any aspect. Exposure: sheltered. Size: 1-1.5m height and spread, 5-10 years to maturity. Planting: tubers in a large pot of humus-rich compost in warm conditions in early spring, positioned outdoors in a sunny or lightly shaded, wind-sheltered spot from early summer; water freely in growth with a weekly high-nitrogen feed. Winter: move to greenhouse/conservatory, or lift and store the tuber dry. Propagation: division in winter. Pests: glasshouse red spider mite, aphids, glasshouse whitefly. Diseases: generally disease-free. Safety: harmful if eaten, skin/eye irritant -- wear gloves and protective equipment when handling.
Soil: deep, well-drained, friable loams, pH 5.5-6.5; avoid rocky/stony soils (deformed corms, hard harvest). Climate: warm, moist, evenly distributed rainfall; supplemental irrigation needed in dry areas. Planting: rows 18-24in apart, plants 18-24in apart within rows; "hulis" (sets, upper 1/4-1/2in of corm/cormel plus 8-10in of petiole) or small cormels planted 3-4in deep. Fertilizer: 7-30-20 or similar at 2.75-3lb/100sq ft before planting, side-dressed at 2/4/6 months. Irrigation: moist soil at or near field capacity; upland taro tolerates prolonged waterlogging, dasheen does not. Weeds: hand-pull or hoe for the first 3-4 months until the leaf canopy closes and shades them out. Pests: taro leafhopper (Tarophagus proserpina) and aphids (Aphis spp.), damaging by sap-sucking on petioles/leaves, rarely serious unless in large numbers. Diseases: taro leaf blight (Phytophthora colocasiae, most prevalent, worst in wet seasons, purplish-brown water-soaked leaf spots with clear yellow exudate); dry rot (Sclerotium rolfsii); Phyllosticta leaf spot (Phyllosticta colocasiophyla) -- both less common in well-managed plantings. Harvest: upland taro ready 8-10 months after planting, when leaves yellow and petioles shorten to under 2ft; dasheen ready when cormels go dormant and leaves dry. Storage: dasheen corms clean, wash, drain, refrigerate for extended storage; poi taro does not store well. Leaves for laulau/luau can be picked any time, taking only young leaves while the plant keeps growing. Uses: corms made into poi, or boiled/steamed/baked/fried into chips; leaves used as a cooked vegetable in laulau.
2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.
Frequently Asked Questions
What problems affect taros?
Our data links 3 diseases and 4 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.
Science-based growing guides · Thresholds that hold in any climate
This guide states the conditions the plant itself responds to — soil temperature, frost tolerance, day length — rather than dates, because the same calendar month means opposite seasons in the northern and southern hemispheres. Anything genuinely restricted to one part of the world is named as such rather than presented as universal. Written and maintained by our editorial team against international horticultural research and extension sources.
Sketch your exact plot shape, pick your crops, and get a spacing-accurate bed layout with companion pairings and a rotation plan. Spacing, companion pairings and rotation are the same in every climate and both hemispheres — pair the layout it gives you with when to plant to set your own timing from soil temperature.
