Common Problems with Elephant Ear Plants. Amazon Elephant's Ear Plant Profile (African Mask), How to Take Care of Outdoor Plants in Winter, Tropicanna Canna Offers Fast Growth Rate, Colorful Leaves, 9 Great Foliage Plants for Container Gardens. Take around 3 to 7 stalks of an Elephant ear plant from a mature plant. Replant outdoors after all danger of frost has passed. But they can be brought indoors for winter to extend their lives. 'Jet Black Wonder' has black leaves with striking white veining. Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool →, elephant ears image by robert mobley from, Iowa State University Extension—Horticulture and Home Pest News: Growing Elephant Ear. Plant the tubers about 2 to 3 inches deep, blunt end down. Elephant ears don’t like sitting in the water, but they are most likely to be affected by drought. Plant taxonomy classifies the most widely known elephant ear plants, or "taro," as Colocasia esculenta. Use a rich soil between 5.5 and 7.0 pH. Cut back elephant ears to the ground after the first frost of fall. Take advantage of their large attractive foliage and grow them among your other plants to provide texture in a planting bed. In the United States, gardeners often treat elephant ears as annuals by overwintering the tubers indoors. Elephant ears are heavy feeders. Elephant ears like the soil to be constantly moist, so during the warm months of the year, you’ll need to water them frequently. I’ve found that elephant ears grow best in partial sun or filtered sunlight. Plant elephant ears during spring in a location that receives partial shade throughout the day. Their thirst for water makes elephant ears effective, not only in soggy areas of the landscape but also near water features. Just dig up the corms and keep them in a cool–but not freezing–basement or garage as you would store canna bulbs, dahlia tubers, etc. Elephant ear plants are native to tropical Asia and derived their name from their huge, 2-foot-wide, 3-foot-long, heart-shaped leaves. Elephant ears, also known as taro or by their scientific name, Colocasia esculenta, grow natively in swamps and wetlands in tropical areas of Asia. Elephant ears require consistently moist soil, which means that they will grow better in a well-drained soil that is watered regularly. Replant them in spring when the danger of frost has passed. They are not native to Florida but have become naturalized in some wetland areas in the southern half of the state and are widespread. Place a humidifier in the room where you grow your houseplants. Soil for an elephant ear plant should be moist, and they even can be grown in water. Do not sell this plant short simply because it lacks showy flowers; after all, pretty leaves last longer than flowers. Apply at the manufacturer's recommended rate, and then water thoroughly for the best results. Also, the sap can be a skin irritant. Use a heavy mulch, such as wood chips or evergreen boughs. Elephant ear is just one example of a plant valued for the display put on by its leaves. 'Yellow Splash' has variegated leaves of yellow and green (similar to the. Soil and Water Requirements. The tubers can be placed directly outdoors once the threat of frost or freezing temperatures have ceased in your area. Elephant ears' species name, esculentia, is the same term that gives us the word "esculent," meaning edible. If in doubt, says Roger, “check the soil moisture with your finger, and water when the top couple of centimetres feels dry. Sidhe's work has been published on numerous Web sites, including Gardenguides.com. Store them in peat moss at a temperature of around 55 degrees Fahrenheit until spring. Elephant Ears require organically-rich soil and a lot of nutrients, so you should use fertilizers or compost. They also benefit from an application of liquid fertilizer every 2-3 weeks. Keep watering regularly. Elephant ears are tropical foliage plants with large dark green leaves. Elephant ears need a constant supply of water. Aug 16, 2015 - Elephant ears are large-leaved plants that come from a tuber. Remove the mulch during early spring before active growth resumes. You can propagate elephant ears by seed, runner or by transplanting. Several of these (in addition to 'Black Magic') have leaves with quite a bit of black color in them; others have yellow or chartreuse: The corm, or root, of elephant ear is commonly known as "taro" or "coco yam," a common food source in Hawaii and other tropical regions. Be aware that all parts of elephant ear plants can upset the stomach if ingested without being properly cooked first. The leaves are massive and can come in variegated colors or even purplish-black. Increase watering to once or twice per week during periods of drought or extreme heat. While these leaves can reach three feet long and two feet wide in the tropics, in colder climates they will remain smaller (but still impressive). Elephant ear plants grow from a swollen stem similar to a bulb but known as a corm. As a wetland plant in the wild, elephant ear plants like a lot of water. While they are in storage for the winter, make sure the corms neither rot nor totally dry out. Whether you want to frame an entryway, define a patio or create a tropical retreat in an indoor space, the elephant’s ear (Alocasia spp.) Most of these plants prefer rich, moist soil and can be grown in full sun, but they generally prefer partial shade. These tropical foliage plants are tender but can be overwintered in cold climates. All Rights Reserved. Growers value elephant ears for their striking, heart-shaped leaves that resemble the ears of elephants. 'Maui Gold' has golden-chartreuse leaves. Elephant ears like to grow in soil that is consistently moist. David Beaulieu is a garden writer with nearly 20 years experience writing about landscaping and over 10 years experience working in nurseries. Although elephant ears are easy to grow, they may face several problems. Grow elephant ears in full sun if desired, but water the plants twice per week to keep up with their high moisture requirements. The area only received early morning sun because it was on the east side of the house. is the right plant for the job. Both alocasia and colocasia plants can be grown indoors successfully, although it would be difficult to get one to reach its full potential without an atrium or some other feature that allowed for more sunlight. The plants can grow eight feet tall in the tropics but only about two to three feet elsewhere, depending on growing conditions. Reduce watering thereafter to once every 10 days. You can keep the pots in the greenhouse if your region is cold as elephant ears thrive somewhere humid and warm. According to Wilfred Lee ("Ethnobotanical Leaflets," Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 1999), "Taro constituted the staff of life for the Hawaiians when Captain Cook arrived in the islands in 1778. Plant elephant ears in rich, well drained soil. Elephant ears usually sprout three to eight weeks from planting. How to Grow Elephant Ears in Containers. Space elephant ear tubers 2 to 3 feet apart. With their huge shield-shaped leaves, they create a nice contrast with another favorite used around water gardens, the horsetail, which pushes up multiple green spear-like shoots from its base. Start six to eight weeks before your last frost date. Hardy in zones 8 through 11, the plants prefer warm or tropical climates and cannot tolerate cold winters. Elephant ears reproduce by division of corms, which come from their tubers. In cold climates, the plants are treated as annuals, providing an infusion of tropical landscaping, albeit short-lived. Put a bowl of water and pebbles near your plants, typically in … Growing elephant ear plants is easy. In fact, they are considered invasive there. Keep elephant ear plants well-watered during the growing season, especially during dry spells. Elephant ears, also known as taro or by their scientific name, Colocasia esculenta, grow natively in swamps and wetlands in tropical areas of Asia. Elephant ears like rich soil with decomposed cow manure, and lots of water. Feed elephant ears during early spring with a slow-release fertilizer to gradually distribute nutrients into the soil throughout the growing season. Apply a 3-inch layer of organic compost to the planting site and use a garden tiller to incorporate into the soil before planting. How to Grow Elephant Ear Plants. How to Plant Elephant Ears in a Pond? The Elephant Ear (Colocasia) is a tropical plant that grows up to tall and sprouts large, arrow-shaped leaves that resemble the ears on an elephant. A number of cultivars of elephant ears have made a name for themselves by virtue of the striking colors of their foliage. Elephant ears, also known as taro or by their scientific name, Colocasia esculenta, grow natively in swamps and wetlands in tropical areas of Asia. Humidity helps elephant ears thrive, so you may want to place a humidifier near it when indoors. A general rule is big, green alocasias are practically indestructible and can tolerate variable moisture conditions; dark-leaved types will suffer if over watered and can stay dry for several days. How to Grow Elephant Ears in Containers. Space elephant ear tubers 2 to 3 feet apart. Now dig 8 to 10 inches of soil in your pond and plant the Elephant year. In fact, elephant ears are an important food source in warm climates around the world. Numerous cultivars exists, some producing variegated, purple and almost black foliage, although light to dark green is most common. When growing elephant ears, remember they crave water. Willow Sidhe is a freelance writer living in the beautiful Hot Springs, AR. They are also known as the taro plant or colocasia, a semi-tropical plant that needs to be moved indoors for winter. When watering, water until the water is draining freely from the drainage holes . They also require high soil fertility, so gardeners with sandy fast-draining soils are going to need to amend with compost or grow elephant ears in containers. I suppose you probably clicked on this blog post to find out how to grow elephant ears, so let me tell you about the cultural conditions that they like. Sprouting occurs when the weather begins to warm in spring. However, you can extend the growing season to produce larger plants, by starting them early. They grow just fine and make a large plant even if you plant the corms outside. For this reason they make excellent pond plants and will add a tropical touch to the garden water feature. Planting Elephant Ear Plants. Elephant ears are heavy feeders that also need an excessive amount of water. It's best to water with a drip or trickle system that delivers water at … Elephant Ears in Pots. Dig up elephant ear tubers before the first killing frost in USDA hardiness zones 1 through 7. Before planting, improve the soil with compost or topsoil to add nutrients and improve the soil's water-holding capacity. A number of cultivars also exist, including types with dark leaves (for example, C. esculenta 'Black Magic'), placing them among the so-called "black plants.". They can be found in nature growing on the edges of swamps or even in heavily flooded soils. Reduce the frequency of watering in winter. Learn tips for creating your most beautiful (and bountiful) garden ever. Allow the tubers to remain in the ground in zones 8 through 11 and new growth will appear in spring. Elephant ears are lush jungle plants with large green leaves shaped like hearts. For elephant ears to reach their full size, they need consistent moisture throughout the summer. But last year, just months after planting the elephant ear, it grew 7 feet tall, to my husband's disgust --he likes small plantings. They need at least moist, organically rich soil, but constantly moist soil is preferable, especially in warm months. Introducing "One Thing": A New Video Series, The Spruce Gardening & Plant Care Review Board, The Spruce Renovations and Repair Review Board. One option is to grow them in containers as a complement to smaller plants for water gardens. Use a rain gauge to check to see if you need to add water. In USDA plant hardiness zone eight and above, elephant ears can be left outside year-round. If you are growing elephant ears in containers, water daily during the summer. Water elephant ears once every five days during the first three months of growth to help them become established. At that time an estimated three hundred thousand people in the islands lived chiefly on poi (a fermented or unfermented taro paste), sweet potato, fish, seaweed, and a few green vegetables and fruits.". Prune away faded and damaged leaves during midsummer. The elephant ear plant is a tropical perennial plant, originally from Southeast Asia, that is now grown all over the world. Why are my elephant ears turning yellow? There are a few ways to increase the humidity around your houseplants. How to Propagate Elephant Ear Plants. Elephant ears have colorful, broad leaves that make striking additions to garden beds, quickly becoming the focal point of any vegetation. One option is to grow them in containers as a complement to smaller plants for water gardens. Give 2-3 inches of water per week. Grow elephant ears in slightly acidic soil in partial shade. Can elephant ears be grown in tropical areas? Plants need about 1 inch of rain per week during the growing season. This tropical Arum is an excellent choice for pond edges, lightly shaded areas and as screens for hiding unsightly items. Elephant ears need high humidity levels for proper growth. During winter, water less frequently.” The plants grow 4 to 8 feet in height and do well in Texas. Fertilize them with a fertilizer high in nitrogen. As maintenance, keep the soil moist and start feeding them when you notice growth. Elephant ears are grown for their large, heart-shaped leaves. 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