Elephant Ears (additionally know as Colocasias, Alocasias, or Xanthosoma) are heat climate vegetation with giant outsized heart-shaped leaves that resemble the ears of an elephant. Whereas the styles of vegetation are native to totally different elements of the world (South America, Central America, Asia, Africa, and Australia), they’re identified to be easy-to-grow vegetation 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 means to succeed in a mature dimension in only one rising season, making them a very good decide for fast summer time greenery or as a focus in a flower mattress. Somewhat than conventional bulbs, Elephant Ears develop from corms (additionally known as “tubers”), that are a swollen underground stem that resembles a bulb and so they develop over time as they’re planted again and again.
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Incessantly Requested Questions
Are Elephant Ears poisonous to pets or people?
Sure, Elephant Ears are poisonous to each pets and people, so care must be taken to put them out of attain of youngsters or pets which may be tempted to nibble on them. It’s additionally a good suggestion to put on lengthy sleeves and gloves when pruning the vegetation because it accommodates a compound that may irritate pores and skin with direct contact.
Can Elephant Ear vegetation 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 could possibly differ from one plant to the subsequent. 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 vegetation and the extra water you give them, the extra they are going to 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 vegetation will should be watered day by 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 sizzling, an space that gives some afternoon shade is preferable. Crops with darker leaves want extra gentle to maintain their shade, however the sunnier the spot, the extra you’ll should water the plant to maintain up with its moisture necessities.
In case you are maintaining your plant indoors as a houseplant, you’ll need to discover a sunny window the place it should obtain plenty 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 plenty of different giant tropical vegetation, Elephant Ears do nicely with heavy feeding, so that you may give them a very good normal function fertilizer a minimum of as soon as a month.
Temperature and Humidity for Elephant Ears
As they’re largely tropical vegetation, Elephant Ears want daytime temperatures round 70°F and don’t prefer to go under 60°F at night time. Most vegetation can’t deal with a winter under USDA zones 8 or 9, aside from varieties just like the Colocasia esculenta Pink China that may survive cooler climates like zone 6.
These vegetation thrive in excessive humidity, so they are going to wrestle outdoor in a hot-yet-dry local weather. You need to use a humidifier close to an Elephant Ear houseplant or mist the plant typically.
Planting Elephant Ears
Test the number of Elephant Ear you may have for spacing earlier than planting as they will develop between 2-6′ extensive. 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 aspect) in nicely draining soil.
If rising in a container, plant the Elephant Ear in nicely draining soil in a big container with drainage holes. Use a mix 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 contemporary soil.
Pruning Elephant Ears
Throughout the summer time rising season, you may minimize off any brown leaves on indoor or out of doors vegetation on the base of the plant to make manner for brand new progress.
In case you are leaving your Elephant Ears exterior all 12 months lengthy, you’ll need to minimize them again to organize them for winter. After the primary frost, it’s best to minimize the plant stalks all the way down to about 2-3″ off the bottom and the plant will regrow in the course of the subsequent heat season.
TIP: It’s a good suggestion to put on lengthy sleeves and gloves when pruning an Elephant Ear because it accommodates a compound that may irritate pores and skin with direct contact.
Overwintering
Earlier than the primary frost, in zones 3-7, vegetation 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 forestall root rot, then wrap in paper and retailer in a cardboard field.
To create a houseplant over the winter, you may depart a few leaves intact and plant the Elephant Ear in a container till the climate warms up once more. Should you selected the houseplant route, you’ll need to “harden” the vegetation within the spring by shifting them to a coated porch for a number of days to acclimate to the outside earlier than planting within the floor.
Propagating and Dividing Elephant Ears
Once 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. Carrying 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 principal corms over the winter. Plant the small corms within the spring to supply extra vegetation.
Forms of Elephant Ears
The selection of Elephant Ear varieties is quite a few, however the preferred 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 without doubt one of the hottest black leaf cultivars.
- Thailand Large: One of many largest varieties, these leaves can develop as much as 4′ extensive by 5′ lengthy.
- Illustris: Extraordinarily darkish inexperienced matte leaves are the hallmark of this plant. Shiny inexperienced veins accent the leaves, and, somewhat than corms, the vegetation 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′ extensive.
- 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 situation for Elephant Ears, in the event you 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 could be 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 underneath 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 also can seem when the plant is solely beginning to go dormant for the season.
- Drooping leaves: Leaves can droop in the event that they turn into too heavy (you should use a stake if wanted) or as a result of you might want to alter their water, meals, or gentle stage. Temperature also can trigger the leaves to droop if it turns into too chilly.
- Wilted leaves: Usually, wilting leaves are attributable to 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 normally point out that you simply want extra meals, gentle, or water.
Incessantly Requested Questions
Is Elephant Ear the identical as Taro?
Colocasia esculenta is the species of Elephant Ear that Taro comes from. The corms of the plant are harvested and used equally to potatoes for meals after being peeled and cooked.
