Add water to the container and store it in a cool, dark place to ensure the tuber stays dormant throughout the winter. Your visitors won't be able to stop measuring themselves against the enormous leaves. What are some of your tricks to keeping Elephant Ear tubers through the winter? By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. The best time to cut the leaves is early to mid fall. Elephant ears ... Sign Up For Our Best DealsAnd get $5 off your first qualifying order. Plant this easy-to-grow collection as a backdrop for bright flowers, or create a lush living wall that’s deer-resistant and rabbit-resistant. If all else fails but you still love the look of elephant ears, transfer them to pots. To lower a soil’s pH, add some sulphur, gypsum, or organic compost. How To Prepare Your Elephant Ears for the Winter, © 2020 AmericanMeadows.com All rights reserved, Find the Right Perennials for Your Garden, Watch Our Spring-Planted Flower Bulb Videos, Watch Our Fall-Planted Flower Bulb Videos, Free Ground Shipping Right To Your Event Or Business, Attract Pollinators & Do Good For The Environment. But with the arrival of COVID-19, the stakes are higher than ever. On the other hand, if you live in an area where it's sub-freezing for an extended period of time and the tuber, even 2" deep, could freeze, you'll lose it if you leave it in the ground. Cutting them can lead to rot. Water and vegetation are more plentiful in the jungle. This helps if you’re planting other plants, flowers, or bushes in your garden so you know where everything is growing and don’t accidentally overcrowd them. Top notes are Cloves, Cumin and Mandarin Orange; middle notes are Cardamom, Caraway, Licorice, Mango, Ylang-Ylang, Heliotrope and Gardenia; base notes are Vanilla, Amber and Patchouli. It's entirely different than the deserts of Africa. Thanks for the details on growth. To grow elephant ear plants, plant the bulbs in the spring, during April or May, in an area that receives indirect sunlight and has moist soil with good drainage. Try again! The gardening experts at HGTV feature black, purple and deep red flowers for your gothic garden. Why should you let your elephant ear bulbs dry out before storing them? (Colocasia illustris). We get extremes in Texas. Sizes are equally diverse, from cultivars with tiny dime-sized leaves to those with leaves approaching the size of elephant ears. Especially in winter. After your first frost, cut the stems to about 6 inches tall. Transfer the started plant outside when night temperatures are over 50 degrees. Elephant ears radiate heat to help keep these large animals cool, but sometimes the African heat is too much. Your site helped me identify it and how to properly take care of it. Move your plants to containers. They range from South to East Africa. If they get less than that, the leaves will start to turn yellow as the chloroplasts die off. Our Tropicalismo Shade Collection will transform your garden with rich, textural, foliage. Divide the elephant ears when they outgrow the plot. Mix compost matter or manure into the soil for extra nutrients. I water it twice daily, giving about a gallon each time. ", "The step-by-step instructions were a tremendous help to me. Recreate tropical conditions in your garden by keeping the soil moist and not letting it dry out. This helps to keep the Elephant Ears warm and insulated throughout the winter months. The leaves contain oxalic acid which is toxic when eaten raw. Imperial Taro Elephant Ear (Colocasia) with its dark burgundy-tinged foliage. This article has been viewed 1,345,530 times. Why Buy Seed Favors For Your Promotion Or Event: Save Up To 50% - Pre-Order For Spring Delivery. I leave mine in the ground and they come back every year. References If you live in USDA hardiness zone 8 or above, you can leave your elephant ears in the ground to regrow the next spring. Elephant ear plants aren't super-dangerous, but the liquid in their leaves is a skin irritant that can give you a rash. If it takes longer than 4 hours to empty, you have poor drainage. Keep them out of reach of children or pets. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,345,530 times. Elephant ear bulbs are susceptible to both fungal and bacterial infections while in storage. I am interested in planting elephant ears in my, "It's been many years since I planted elephant ear tubers, so I needed a refresher on the amount of sunlight and, "I was concerned about growth in a pot in full sun. Find mixtures for your region, or for special uses such as dry areas, partial shade, attracting animals, low growing, and more. Over 110 choices for fast color, such as poppies, cosmos, sunflowers, zinnia, and many more. ", clay soil is bad, and that shade can benefit the plant. ", determine that it all needed to be submerged underground. Many gardeners like to deadhead, or remove the faded flowers, to keep their plants looking in tip-top shape. Wear gloves when you’re trimming the leaves if you have sensitive skin. The sunnier the spot, the more you'll have to water the plant to prevent the soil from drying out. Dig a hole that is around 1-2 inches deep, place the bulb with the flat side down, and cover it completely with soil. A larger plant will cover a smaller one, for example, so the leaves of the smaller plant can't get enough light. Larger bulbs will need slightly deeper holes. Uncover the plants after the last spring frost. Support local wildlife with native wildflowers. Caladiums... 'Imperial Taro' Elephant Ear produces unusual, black-purple leaves patterned with bright-green veins. Division is not necessary for these perennials, but they are very easy to propagate by splitting the root clumps. Especially comfortable, since I chose a 36", "This article helped me with winter storage and growing in the winter. This article was co-authored by Lauren Kurtz. Step by step instructions on how to plant your spring-planted flower bulbs when they arrive. Keep reading to learn more about how to take care of an elephant ear plant. This will help avoid overcrowding. Over-watered elephant ear plants will have stunted growth, but their leaves won't turn yellow. This simple but thorough tutorial was very helpful! $24.95. Plants . It's a fairly simple process: In these Hardiness Zones, your Elephant Ears can stay in the ground but should be covered to protect them throughout the winter months. 'Thailand Giant' is the largest variety of Elephant Ear, creating a giant, light-green canopy of gently-ribbed leaves in the summer garden. This plant often produces a clump of plants in a smaller space rather than running rampant. Even though elephant ears are tropical plants, it is possible to over-water them. Try again! The stem of an elephant ear plant is smooth, not thorny, so it won't stab you. Lauren has worked for Aurora, Colorado managing the Water-Wise Garden at Aurora Municipal Center for the Water Conservation Department. Do elephant ear plants need sun or shade? Reinforce with chicken wire or simply create a mound. I am growing them in pots and they are, "I wasn't sure if I needed to plant the complete tuber underground. In fact, these plants are commonly grown for their large, tropical-looking foliage, which is reminiscent of elephant ears. There’s a better option out there! These plants come in a variety of colors and sizes. It takes a, "Currently it is mid-winter in our northern Utah area, zone 4 - 5. Support wikiHow by Your choice. Sit them outside or bring them indoors. ", "That elephant ears can grow indoors also helped.". It can be a house plant in the winter and summer with some time spent outside in warm weather, helping to prolong its life. Approved. They like to get around 3-6 hours of sun exposure per day. ", depth of planting. Not exactly! 'Thailand Giant' is the largest variety of Elephant Ear, creating a giant, light-green canopy of gently-ribbed leaves in the summer garden. If you can’t tell which end is the bottom, lay the bulb on its side in the hole. Happy Gardening! Excellent in a containers, this plant is a great choice for lending a dark backdrop to your favorite bright blooms. 'Black Magic' creates a striking look in partial shade, with purple-black leaves that appear velvety from a distance. Water the bulb thoroughly when you plant it, and wait 1-3 weeks for the plant to sprout. Most, however, are not harmful to your plants. Please share in the comments below or on our Facebook Page. Support wikiHow by But too much sun is a problem because it dries out the soil, not because it yellows the leaves. ", southern-facing beds this spring. Click on another answer to find the right one... {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/80\/Grow-Elephant-Ear-Plants-Step-8.jpg\/v4-460px-Grow-Elephant-Ear-Plants-Step-8.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/80\/Grow-Elephant-Ear-Plants-Step-8.jpg\/aid19529-v4-728px-Grow-Elephant-Ear-Plants-Step-8.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":308,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":487,"licensing":"