Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Colocasia Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant (Colocasia gigantea 'Thailand Giant')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Thailand Giant elephant ear, Thailand Giant taro.

More about colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant

About Colocasia Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant

Colocasia gigantea 'Thailand Giant' · also called Thailand Giant elephant ear, Thailand Giant taro · tropical

Colocasia gigantea 'Thailand Giant' is one of the largest elephant ears, producing immense, soft blue-green leaves on towering stems that can dwarf a person. A water-loving bog plant, it craves heat, full sun to part shade, rich constantly moist soil and high humidity, and heavy feeding. Cold, dry conditions stall its spectacular growth.

Cold limit: USDA 8-11 (root-hardy with deep mulch in 8; lift tubers in colder zones) · RHS H2 (20-30°C)

Watch for — Tuber rot in winter: Cold combined with wet soil rots the dormant tuber. After frost blackens the foliage, lift, cure, and store the tuber dry and frost-free at around 10-13°C.

What colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant's hardiness rating actually means

Colocasia Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Its RHS rating of H2 means: Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot. On the US scale that maps to USDA 8-11 (root-hardy with deep mulch in 8; lift tubers in colder zones) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

Minimum survivable temperature is roughly about 1 to 5 °C — tolerates cold but no real frost. Colocasia Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant shrugs off cold nights but a real, sustained freeze will kill it.

Concretely, for colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant as it gets too cold:

Down to roughly about 1 to 5 °C it copes, especially if dry and sheltered.
A sustained hard frost collapses the top growth; whether it returns depends on whether the roots, crown or tubers froze.
Wet cold is far more lethal than dry cold for this plant — soggy, frozen soil is the usual killer.

Can colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant go outside or overwinter — and where?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 8-11 (root-hardy with deep mulch in 8; lift tubers in colder zones) or a frost-free UK microclimate.
In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter.
A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H2 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant

Colocasia Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost.
Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse.
Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones.
Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.

Colocasia Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant cold hardy?

Colocasia Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant is half-hardy (RHS H2). It survives a mild winter outdoors in a sheltered spot, but a hard frost kills it — so in colder zones it is lifted, potted, or grown as a tender plant. Borderline outdoors. In its mild end of USDA 8-11 (root-hardy with deep mulch in 8; lift tubers in colder zones) (and sheltered UK gardens) colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant can stay out; in colder areas it must be lifted, brought in, or treated as a frost-tender plant.

What is the minimum temperature colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant can survive?

What hardiness zone is colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant?

Colocasia Colocasia Gigantea Thailand Giant is rated USDA 8-11 (root-hardy with deep mulch in 8; lift tubers in colder zones) and RHS H2 — Tender — survives a frost-free greenhouse or a very mild, sheltered spot.

Can colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant survive winter outside?

It can live outside year-round only in the mildest, most sheltered part of USDA 8-11 (root-hardy with deep mulch in 8; lift tubers in colder zones) or a frost-free UK microclimate. In colder zones, grow it in a pot you can move under cover, or lift its tubers/roots and store them frost-free over winter. A south-facing wall, free-draining soil and a dry winter position can push it a full zone hardier than the books suggest.

How do I protect colocasia colocasia gigantea thailand giant from frost?

Mulch the crown or root zone deeply with bark, straw or leaf-mould before the first hard frost. Move container plants against a warm wall or into an unheated but frost-free porch or greenhouse. Fleece the top growth on the coldest nights, and keep it on the dry side — dry roots survive cold far better than wet ones. Lift dahlia-type tubers or tender crowns after the first light frost blackens the foliage and store them somewhere cool but frost-free.