Colocasia gaoligongensis, one of the most hardy

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Dave Brown
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Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis

Post by Dave Brown »

Mr List wrote:where can you buy these from?
I've never actually seen these for sale. I think I got mine from Tony Palmer.

They are much greener growing in shade and go very yellow in full sun.
2011-08-01 14-21-18 Young Colocasia gaolagongensis.jpg
2011-08-01 14-21-38 Colocasia gaolagongensis.jpg
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Dave
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Mr List

Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis

Post by Mr List »

i've had no luck with either a.mac or colocasia esculenta fontanesii at all so i think i might need to make do with gaoligongensis if i want a colocasial presence in my garden.

i am right in assuming these grow in cooler conditions than other colocasia?
how big does an average leaf get on these if you just feed them like a normal plant and no extra special care?

bigger than 15cm and it will be beating my efforts with the afformentioned aroids i have this year.
Palmer

Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis

Post by Palmer »

I lost all my gaoligongensis that I had planted in the garden, we had a very hard frost that went deep in the ground and lasted for two weeks, and it must have been too much for them.

List when you do get some, plant them in dappled shade like Dave said they colour up much nicer then in full sun, and give them a good mulch in winter just in case we get another bad one.
I only feed them miracle grow and leaves get around 40 to 60cm

I kept three small gaoli frost free as backup, they have done well this summer so I will have a look to see if I can spare a couple of pups for you list.


Tony
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Dave Brown
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Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis

Post by Dave Brown »

Glad you had backups Tony icon_thumright Mine were under a Dicksonia antarctica and the snow weighed the leaves down creating a little Igloo. We got down to -10C but not under the snow.

The really odd thing, but logical when you think about it, soil temps actually rose under the snow while temps were silly above it. The snow insulated the soil from the radiation freeze and was warmed from underneath :wink:

Incidentally, where did you get these from to start with?
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Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis

Post by Palmer »

Dave, I first saw them when Peter Reed showed a picture of his on the Ukoasis he said they had survived two winters planted out for him, they called it Fallax back them but it obviously wasn’t Fallax.
I bought two from fir tree farm in Cornwall I believe fir tree got them from ChenYi….or is that Ye, and the rest is history.

I gave some to Jimbamboo a few years ago and they grew very well for him in his bamboo glade. He lives a few miles away from me and he had –16 and lost all his, I think I had –14,That’s without any snow cover.

Tony
Mr List

Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis

Post by Mr List »

that's a very generous offer palmer, thanks :D

will need to keep any for me until next season though since it is too late to plant now and i have no good way to keep them over winter inside.
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Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis

Post by Dave Brown »

I'm trying to find out more about this plant on the Planet Aroid Facebook group. Someone has suggested that I have Colocasia gaoligongensis 'Black Pearl' but most have never heard of gaoligongensis. I checked out Cheng Yi and it is a nursery in China, the only Colicasia they currently have listed is Colocasia fallax found at 3000m :wink:
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2011-08-13 16-26-14 Colocasia gaolagongensis.jpg
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Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis

Post by Palmer »

grub wrote:Well, how has everyone got on with these? I had two from AndyC last year and they were planted together in an open border in about the middle of the garden, neither had any protection of any kind in the winter and look what I've just spotted :DD
hardy colly..jpg
I know it's a crappe picture but it was on my phone, that's a pound coin next to it icon_thumright and I'm happy to say it takes -18C :shock:

:lol:

Look what I’ve found in my front garden today… a gaoligongensis survivor of -14 in the 10/11 winter. icon_cheers

Image
grub

Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis, one of the most hardy

Post by grub »

Mine obviously never got big enough to survive another winter :( , I have sourced a replacement though :DD
Palmer

Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis, one of the most hardy

Post by Palmer »

It must have come up last year but I never saw it… the front garden has always been a little untidy :oops:
Last year I also found a very small Amophophallus albus that survived that crappy winter, I had about 30 in the garden, only the one survived though.
The albus and gaoli are both in pots now. :)
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Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis, one of the most hardy

Post by Dave Brown »

They seem reliably hardy in Kent, both myself and SteveW have them planted out and coming back each year. Admmittedly I only had -10C in Decmeber 2010, and Steve is a degree or so milder than me. In fact I was so sure they were completely hardy, that I didn't have backups for insurance :ahhh!: but they don't do as well inside.

They run like crazy, to about 8 feet (2.5m), last year, so could turn up in a completely different place to where you planted it.
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Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis, one of the most hardy

Post by Mr List »

do they pop up singly eight feet apart, pop up all along the length of runner or pop up as patches eight feet apart?

i'd be happy if they formed a mat.
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Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis, one of the most hardy

Post by Dave Brown »

The plant pops up at the end of the stolon. The only way to get them to clump seems to be if the rhizome growth point is damaged. Then it might send up a few pups very close to the main plant. :wink:
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Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis, one of the most hardy

Post by Palmer »

I planted these out a few weeks ago and I must admit it’s nice to see them back in the garden. :)
I’ve learnt my lesson though, I will make sure they get a good mulch come winter time!

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Mr List

Re: Colocasia gaoligongensis, one of the most hardy

Post by Mr List »

i thought you mean't they died off with a mulch, did you not mulch in that bad winter?
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