Find out how to Develop Elephant Ears

Elephant Ears (additionally know as Colocasias, Alocasias, or Xanthosoma) are heat climate crops with giant outsized heart-shaped leaves that resemble the ears of an elephant. Whereas the styles of crops are native to totally different components of the world (South America, Central America, Asia, Africa, and Australia), they’re identified to be easy-to-grow crops that thrive in hotter climates. However they can be utilized as annuals, that are dug as much as winter indoors till it’s heat once more in cooler areas.

Elephant Ears are additionally identified for his or her fast-growing foliage and the skill to achieve a mature measurement in only one rising season, making them a very good choose for fast summer time greenery or as a point of interest in a flower mattress. Somewhat than conventional bulbs, Elephant Ears develop from corms (additionally referred to as “tubers”), that are a swollen underground stem that resembles a bulb they usually develop over time as they’re planted time and again.

Associated: Study to Take care of Pilea Vegetation, Calathea, Fiddle Leaf Figs, Jade Vegetation, Golden Pothos, Snake Vegetation, Rubber Timber, Spider Vegetation, Christmas Cactus, Poinsettia, Peace Lilies, Dieffenbachia, Hoya Vegetation, Cash Timber, and String of Pearls Vegetation.

Can Elephant Ear crops keep exterior within the winter?

You’ll need to verify the chilly hardiness zones for the number of plant that you simply purchase as it may well differ from one plant to the following. Some winter exterior in areas as chilly as zone 6 whereas others can solely tolerate a zone 9 winter.

How typically ought to I water Elephant Ears?

Elephant Ears are excessive water crops and the extra water you give them, the extra they’ll develop! Whereas the bulk want to have moist (not soggy) soil, some varieties may even be put right into a pot that’s submerged in water and grown as a marsh or pond plant. Throughout summer time, potted crops will must be watered every day (and even a number of occasions a day) to keep away from the soil drying out.

How a lot daylight do Elephant Ears want?

Most varieties need full solar to partial shade, however there are some like Black Magic that want a good shadier state of affairs. If the local weather is extraordinarily scorching, an space that gives some afternoon shade is preferable. Vegetation with darker leaves want extra gentle to maintain their shade, however the sunnier the spot, the extra you’ll must water the plant to maintain up with its moisture necessities.

If you’re preserving your plant indoors as a houseplant, you’ll need to discover a sunny window the place it can obtain a number of shiny, oblique gentle. Keep away from direct daylight on a houseplant as that may trigger leaf burn.

Ought to I fertilize my Elephant Ears?

Like a number of different giant tropical crops, Elephant Ears do effectively with heavy feeding, so that you can provide them a very good normal function fertilizer not less than as soon as a month.

Temperature and Humidity for Elephant Ears

As they’re largely tropical crops, Elephant Ears want daytime temperatures round 70°F and don’t prefer to go under 60°F at night time. Most crops can’t deal with a winter under USDA zones 8 or 9, except for varieties just like the Colocasia esculenta Pink China that may survive cooler climates like zone 6.

These crops thrive in excessive humidity, so they’ll wrestle outside in a hot-yet-dry local weather. You should use a humidifier close to an Elephant Ear houseplant or mist the plant typically.

Planting Elephant Ears

Verify the number of Elephant Ear you’ve got for spacing earlier than planting as they will develop between 2-6′ large. You’ll need to wait to plant till nighttime temperatures are constantly between 50-60°F. Plant corms 4-6″ deep (bigger corms are planted on the deeper facet) in effectively draining soil.

If rising in a container, plant the Elephant Ear in effectively draining soil in a big container with drainage holes. Use a mixture of potting combine (add vermiculite or perlite to assist the soil correctly drain if not already included in your combine) and a heavy dose of natural matter for vitamins (issues like plant roots, leaves, mulch and animal manures). 

Repotting Elephant Ears

You possibly can repot a potted Elephant Ear that’s outgrown its container by dividing the plant, separating any new corms from the principle bulb, and repotting the divided plant and new corms in recent soil.

Pruning Elephant Ears

Through the summer time rising season, you possibly can minimize off any brown leaves on indoor or out of doors crops on the base of the plant to make manner for brand spanking new development.

If you’re leaving your Elephant Ears exterior all yr lengthy, you’ll need to minimize them again to organize them for winter. After the primary frost, it is best to minimize the plant stalks right down to about 2-3″ off the bottom and the plant will regrow throughout the subsequent heat season.

Overwintering

Earlier than the primary frost, in zones 3-7, crops must be dug up and introduced inside. You possibly can both prune again the stems and dig the corm as much as retailer in a cool, dry place over the winter (like a basement or storage so long as it’s not freezing in there). Lay the freshly dug corm out to air dry for per week to stop root rot, then wrap in paper and retailer in a cardboard field.

To create a houseplant over the winter, you possibly can depart a few leaves intact and plant the Elephant Ear in a container till the climate warms up once more. If you happen to selected the houseplant route, you’ll need to “harden” the crops within the spring by transferring them to a lined porch for just a few days to acclimate to the outside earlier than planting within the floor.

Propagating and Dividing Elephant Ears

While you dig up your corm on the finish of a season, you’ll see that there are smaller corms beginning to offshoot from the principle bulb. Sporting gloves to guard from the sap, merely break off the smaller corms (or minimize off with a sterile knife), permit the minimize areas to dry and heal, after which wrap them in paper to retailer along with your essential corms over the winter. Plant the small corms within the spring to supply extra crops.

Forms of Elephant Ears

The selection of Elephant Ear varieties is quite a few, however the most well-liked ones come from the Alocasia, Colocasia, and Xanthosoma genus: 

Alocasia

• Polly: A smaller cultivar, this plant showcases ruffled leaves with white veins.
• Zebrina: A standout species with zebra-striped stems.

Colocasia

• Espresso Cups: This hybrid plant boasts a novel leaf form because the foliage folds upwards to type a cup form. 
• Black Magic: This selection has purple-black leaves and is among the hottest black leaf cultivars.
• Thailand Big: One of many largest varieties, these leaves can develop as much as 4′ large by 5′ lengthy.
• Illustris: Extraordinarily darkish inexperienced matte leaves are the hallmark of this plant. Vibrant inexperienced veins accent the leaves, and, quite than corms, the crops unfold by underground runners.

Xanthosoma

• Lime Zinger: These giant chartreuse to lime-green leaves have arrow-shaped leaves. It grows 2 to 4′ tall and as much as 3′ large.
• X. lindenii: This selection showcases a fantastic silvery and white leaf.

Diagnosing widespread issues

• Pests: Aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites are the principle pests for Elephant Ears. If an an infection happens, apply a horticultural cleaning soap to the leaves to deal with the pests.
• Fungal leaf blight: A extra widespread problem for Elephant Ears, if you happen to see lesions that ooze a purple or yellow fluid, you’ll need to take away the affected stalks and leaves earlier than it spreads to the remainder of the plant.
• Yellow leaves: This is usually a signal that the plant is getting both an excessive amount of or too little daylight, that you’re overwatering or under-watering, or that you’re over fertilizing or below fertilizing. Tweak your water and feeding first to see if that helps after which take into account altering its location if the yellowing continues. Yellow leaves can even seem when the plant is solely beginning to go dormant for the season.
• Drooping leaves: Leaves can droop in the event that they change into too heavy (you need to use a stake if wanted) or as a result of you might want to alter their water, meals, or gentle degree. Temperature can even trigger the leaves to droop if it turns into too chilly.
• Wilted leaves: Typically, wilting leaves are as a result of too little gentle or water. Strive watering extra typically and transfer to a much less sunnier spot if that doesn’t do the trick.
• Stunted leaves: Leaves that keep smaller or develop in deformed often point out that you simply want extra meals, gentle, or water.