Colocacia 'coco"??

[nige pook]

Hi guys,whilst in Winchester today just happened to pop into a garden centre and found a whopper of a colocacia as a dry tuber next to the dhalias. It was called 'coco'. Has anybody heard of this or tried to grow one before? It's about the size of a tennis ball. For some reason I always seem to struggle getting eddoes etc started off in the first place, seem to have alot more success from stolons. Any ideas or suggestions would be welcome. Obviously it's going to need some heat to get it going,but what temps are we talking about? They were priced at four pounds fifty,a bit steep I thought. Went to pay at the till and was charged two fifty,bargain!! Nige

[jonny]

We sell this at Hilliers as coco which i believe is just another name for Esculenta. I have had no luck we these either. Colocasia fontanasii was one of the most impressive plants that i have ever grown but didnt make it through the following winter. I think that i would give this one a go again.

[nige pook]

Hmmmm,well we shall see if this sprouts or not. Have to say snap re the col. 'fontanesii'! I bought a smallish one from Andy C last year which grew really well. Toward the autumn it sent out loads of runners and the tip of one I pinned down onto the compost in another pot which sprouted. This I separated and have managed to grow on over the winter on the south facing window. I kept the big mother plant frost free but all the leaves died off and I gently teased apart the compost to find the main tubers had rotted. But..... took some sections of the runner(stolon) with at least one node on it and placed on moist compost in the warm. About ten of them are now sprouting,pretty pleased with that result!! N.