Growing taro root

Hey there guys I have bought some taro roots from a market stall in the hope of growing then into elephants ear plants any one ever grown them before ? any tips ?

 

Stick them into a plastic bag and blow into the bag and seal. Place them in a warm place ie heated propagator /airing cupboard. Wait till they sprout then pot up into pots and keep warm.

 

With this method check frequently for fungus, mine rotted in the bag as I didn't keep an eye on them.

 

Is blowing into the bag to add a bit on moisture ?
I have three so don't mind trying diffrent ways

 

Yep only need a tiny bit, got 3 out of 6 of my eddoes this way. There still very slow though even though there in the GH

 

I tried a couple of years ago.
But they just rotted

 

What do they taste like?

 

Good idea John. You could probably use a copper compount as an alternative.

There seem to be two main varieties - small and somewhat egg shaped, and larger and more round. I bought the small ones in Morrisons and the larger ones in Bradford covered market.

They are pretty easy to get into growth - I used the bag method. But as Strongy said - watch out for rot. Its best to move them about a bit in the bag - if they stay too long in one position the tuber sits in a damp spot which ultimately causes rot in that area.

 

I think part of the problem is how they were treated before you got them.
If they were thrown about, they are internally bruised and prob have less of a chance.
Also, I see them lying about in boxes on pavements, often in winter. This can't be helpful either.

 

Has nobody tried cooking them then?

 

Thanks guys I got two in a bag one in a bag of moist compost on top of boiler so see how they do

 

I don't think any one has tried eating them lea but from what I read they not very tasty

 

Taro (or Colocasia esculenta) is said to be the oldest known cultivated crop. Wikipedia quotes it as being cultivated in India earlier than 5000 BC.

I bought some of the larger variety from a West Indian stall in Bradford market, and the lady there said that she shredded it and added it to soup. Though there are probably many different ways to eat it

I suspect that a major use was to make flour. Potatoes, Dahlias, Cannas and other tubers store starches in preparation for the new year's growing season. You can make flour from them all, which was probably as adventurous as they got in 5000 BC.