Just purchased my first set of colocasia bulbs for my indoor garden, and one seems a bit squishy. It doesn't seem wet, but it is dry and there seems to be a fair bit of air and space between the outer skin and the hard bulb inside. Is this normal? It's my first time dealing with bulbs and I would love some help! Thank you!

Welcome to ATP Laura! It may just be the papery layers covering the bulb that feels soft, as long as the bulb beneath is firm, but not dried out. If you can scrape away some dry covering, you can lightly scratch the surface of the bulb and see if there is white, firm tissue underneath. If so, it should be fine, if its over dry or dead, it will be dark and dry underneath.

Thank you so much! I am looking forward to planting a lot of bulbs this year, so this will hopefully begin my journey! As per your instruction, they look healthy and are now planted, and will hopefully greet me with beautiful new EEs soon!

Did you plant them in the garden or in pots? You're in a warmer zone than I am, but it is still probably a bit early to plant EEs outdoors just yet. They need warmth to start growing, and cool, wet soil can cause rot.

Yeah, these are tropical and love the hot temps and humidity of summer. They don't like to be cold. I would pot them until later when it warms up, then put them outdoors.

I have them indoors. I have about 55 plants, but they're all indoors (and mostly tropical), since we rent and the landscape around our house is pretty full and set up already. Although, my mother in law and I split the package of bulbs and she intends to plant them as a border/sun-block for a window well for a basement bedroom. We haven't warmed up yet, but we do live in the desert of Washington and we hit triple digits often in the summer. Would you suggest she start them indoors first, or do they sprout quickly when planted directly in the ground once we warm up? I'm sure she'd love some advice, and thank you all again for being so helpful!!

Once the night temps are warm, they sprout pretty quickly. Either way is fine for the plants, but starting indoors does give you a head start and give you a longer show.

Awesome! I'll let her know!