Jake

I'm going to bring it inside before frost, and put it in my basement in an unheated room. Should I remove some or all of the leaves or let them fade on their own? I'm planning to bottom water once a month once inside. Is there anything else I should know or do?

My understanding is the Colocasia esculenta do not produce a large tuber that can be lifted and stored dry. Thus they must be kept potted when overwintered indoors. Thanks for your help.

Steve

I you like EEars like I do try picking up some malanga and yautia at a Spanish market (Coco Yam is another name). For me these are Xanthosoma. Don't know the species but 3 different (looking) tubers with 5 different names from the same market yielded 3 distinctly different Ears.

I keep them all in south facing windows, but in an unheated part of my house. As long as the temps stay in the 50's or above, I water a little just to keep them growing a bit. Once temps start falling below 50 F., I keep them as dry as possible. They rot very easily.

Come Jan or Feb when the temps in this room can fall to 38 F or so, I really start checking for rot. If it appears that is happening, I dump them out of their pots and salvage any viable small plants, runners or even pieces of root. These are potted up and brought into a much warmer part of my house where they usually start growing again. In general, older and larger plants are much easier to get through a winter because the tubers seem less susceptible to the rot problem.

Kevin