Colocasia Black Magic can't get black

[doranakandawatta]

I can't explain but Colocasia esculenta 'Black Magic' I brought from Switzerland (where it's used as ornamental plant in summer borders) to Sri Lanka never get the dark black color I saw in Switzerland!

Can someone explain that?

Worst, they are delicacy for wild pigs who do not eat the wild Colocasia but come especially into the garden for them! (swiss taste?)

Planted closer to the house, it's ok, but elsewhere in the garden...

[BigFrond]

This stuff is variable. It will need more sun to get darker. I use to have this and it is darker in the sun. However, if not moist enough in the sun, it can get sun burn.

[tropicbreeze]

They do need good sun to get the colour. Like some of the other Colocasia they are greener in the shade.

[Pedro 65]

Philippe, as Frond said Full Sun.

Ive lost all mine at the Dams due to the same bird in below pic,Purple Swamp hen ( Porphyrio porphyrio ) they eat all the water lilies I've planted in the water too.

I have one Black Colocasia left in the dam, I placed it still in the pot, in the water amongst the thick Raphia pneumatophores ( air roots in the water), its all good now but come Winter time Lots of Swamp hens leave the flat lowlands and walk up the hill to hang out here as its warmer and more food available. Pete

[doranakandawatta]

Pete,

Are you vegetarian? Or will you prepare "roti de Porphyrio"?

These birds are not so good looking, sorry they also destroy some plants !

In Sri Lanka, porcupine and monkeys can be a serious problem for palm collections, as I saw in Thabit Suby's garden.

[MattyB]

It needs full blazing sun to turn the most black. Also, there's several black varieties (black runner, black ruffles, etc) some are more black than others. I'm not sure which one you got, but try moving it out into more sun.

[doranakandawatta]

OK Matt, we'll try, i seemed to me it's easier to grow them in swiss summer beds than in srilankan gardens, but we don't have wild boars in swiss towns, it makes the difference!

I don't know if it's the same in california or in Florida but I noticed that so close to the equator line, north and south facades don't give the same shady or sunny places like in Europe, we have sun everywhere!

[Laisla87]

Ive never seen it "black", in fact when I saw your pic it looked quite normal. Mine is in partial sun and looks the same as yours.

[Palm crazy]

A combination with superphosphate and sulfate of potash will help give better color to most plants.

[tropicbreeze]

  On 4/24/2013 at 7:01 PM, doranakandawatta said:

OK Matt, we'll try, i seemed to me it's easier to grow them in swiss summer beds than in srilankan gardens, but we don't have wild boars in swiss towns, it makes the difference!

I don't know if it's the same in california or in Florida but I noticed that so close to the equator line, north and south facades don't give the same shady or sunny places like in Europe, we have sun everywhere!

It's the position of the sun in the tropics, particularly closer to the equator. The sun is mostly higher in the sky plus it will shine on both the north and south sides of the house. You don't get that in non-tropical places like Europe, California or Florida.

[realarch]

Philippe, I found a cultivar here in Hawaii called C. 'Diamond Head' and seems to retain it's black color

either in full or partial shade. One clump that used to be in full sun now only gets a few hours in the late afternoon because of canopy growth. It's still has great color. I have to thin it regularly to keep the leaves large. Also, the pigs dug some up, chewed on the tuber a bit, but evidently didn't like them much.

Here are a few pics.

.

[doranakandawatta]

Tim,

The second picture look like a swiss public garden in summer! (I am joking, ... only with the color of the Colocasia)

But you have a nice Socratea (??) behind them, isn't it?

Hawaii must be a real paradise,

Thank you for showing pics.

Philippe