Elephant Ears (Colocasia esculenta)
Tropical Beauties for Any Garden
Sunday February 25, 2007
Looking for a bold plant to add drama to your garden? Well the name Elephant Ear’s should give you a clue what to expect with this plant. The leaves, which resemble an elephant’s ear, can easily reach 2-3 feet across; the size of elephant ears. Of course it’s also called taro, which probably makes your think about roots. Yes, the edible tuber is the source of taro. It’s also how non-tropical gardeners can keep their Elephant Ear plants year after year. Just dig and store like any other tender bulb-type plant. I grow mine right in my water garden. That’s my little piece of the tropics. About’s Landscaping Guide gives us the key to growing these giants and making Elephant Ears work in your garden design.
Comments
ARE THESE PLANTS POISONOUS TO DOGS(PETS)
Not that I’m aware of. Here are 2 good sites for checking on plants that aren’t good to have around dogs.
Dogpack.com and Cornell: Poisonous Plants Affecting Pets.
I have several large Elephant Ear bulbs, but I am never sure on how deep to plant them. One of them is about 12″ high, how deep are you supposed to plant them?
The tuber only needs to be about 2-3″ deep. If yours is already growing, you can put it in the ground at the same depth it is in the pot.
They need space to move down and out, so if you want to grown them in a pot, it should be at least 18 -20 inches wide and deep. The real problem with growing them in pots is that they get top heavy. The ones I grow in my water garden have bricks in the bottom of the pots, to anchor them.
when planting for your water garden, do you use a basket and dirt or a regular pot? Please elaborate.
I pot them up with soil. I get them started in March and put them out when the water warms up, usually late April / May.
One year I over-wintered them as plants indoors, in a tub of water, but they were bothered by aphids the whole time. So I find it easier to store the tubers and repot them each spring.
I have elephant ears at the corner of my porch that my land lord planted good sun plenty of water, but every spring he cut’s the tops of them off about a 1/2 inch and they start to grow like crazy is this the right thing to do ? ty
It’s not necessary to cut them back, but the foliage can get pretty ratty over the winter and it won’t hurt the plants to let them start over. I cut mine the year I overwintered them indoors. And if it’s what he’s been doing and it works, it doesn’t need fixing.
HELLO CAN YOU POT ELAPHANT EARS IN POTS,AND MOVE THEM INDOOR FOR THE WINTER,I HAVE A LOT OF ROOM AND A HOLE LOT OF LIGHT,IF SO HOW BIG OF A POT SHOUD I USE,THANK YOU KATHY
I over wintered mine indoors one year. I used about a 5 gallon pot, because I needed that much space for the tuber. It did fine indoors, except it good a bad case of aphids. Since then, I’ve dug and stored the tuber.
I planted one about 5 weeks ago & nothing has shown above the ground yet.How long does it take and should
it be in the sun or shade?
I would think it should be up by now. Maybe you could gently scratch around and see how the tuber is doing.
They do best in full sun, but will tolerate a good amount of shade. They don’t like to dry out, but they need to be warm. Was the ground warm when you planted 5 weeks ago?
If you are concerned about your pets you might want to look at this list that says Elephant ears ARE poisonous
http://www.ttlntl.co.uk/2/Health/poisonplants.htm
WHY DOES THE LEAVES TURN BROWN? DO THEY HAVE A BLIGHT OR DO I NEED TO FEED THEM OR WHAT? THANKS JANET
If the brown started in spots and then spread, it could be a fungus disease. But it they are browning uniformly or getting crispy on the edges, it’s just water stress. Elephant Ears like a lot of water.
When do you harvest elephant ear bulbs in the fall. Is it after a frost or below a certain temperature? Help!!
Thank You
I wait until they’ve been touched by a frost, but whenever the leaves start to yellow and die – it’s time.
I found this to be very informative, thanks. Would they do well IN a pond, submerged like other water plants?
I’ve grown them in my water garden for several years now. I have to take them out in the winter. I either stick them in a tray of water downstairs, near the grow lights or just cut them back and store them in their pots until spring.
I don’t think they grow quite as large as they seem to when planted in moist soil, but they do well enough. They don’t need to be completely submerged. You can raise the pot up on bricks or something and just have the bottom of the pot in the water.
I have a couple of tubers that were propagated and I left them in water for over a year. Of course they have started to shoot up, so I put them in soil. Do I keep the soil moist? Also, my apartment is very dark (my living room faces the northwest) and I had them by the window and they seemed to be happy. I just moved them out on the porch, where I get indirect sunlight, is that ok? Or do I need to put them in direct sunlight? I just don’t want to kill them. (my name should be BlackThumb)
They like a lot of water, but the soil doesn’t have to be wet all the time. Since mine are in my water garden, they stay wet. But I’m told they grow larger if grow like a regular water loving plant and allowed to dry out between waterings. Not too dry for too long though.
As for indirect light, they prefer more direct light, but they should grow fine as long as the indirect light is several hours of the day. Again, the leaves probably won’t get as large as if the plant were in direct sun.
i have some elephant ears that are growing some cream colored flowers on them what are they i have never seen them before
I did what gardening said and my elephant ears have grown expontentially! They look so happy! Thank you!
If you let your elephant ears grow year round, they will indeed flower – Lucky you. Different varieties flower in different colors.
I have a couple of problems with my elephant ears. One, I have a few plants where the leaves have rolled/shriveled up from the outside edge in, not brown still green but crisp on the edges. This has happened in a day, left in the morning fine, came home not so. They’re planted in areas of partial sun/shade. I know they are supposed to like full sun (these are the avg green variety) but I’m not sure if that means ‘Texas’ Sun, soil is still damp but not excessively (if I dig my finger), so don’t think it’sfungus related. My other problem is brown, winged bugs hangin out on the stems, they’re not eating but leave brown spots behind. I’ve been spraying with ‘garden safe insecticide’ but doesn’t seem to deter them much.
Thanks for any advice.
Rita, I think the crispy curling is probably just some drought stress. They like full sun if they get lots of water.
I’m not sure what the brown bugs are. Elephant ears don’t usually get pest problems, especially outdoors. But if your plants are stressed, they will invite problems.
The insecticide won’t work unless you’re actually spraying the insects and not the plants. You might want to try something they can ingest, like neem.
I have several Elephant Ears that are growing great…actually huge. One is growing and the stalks are twisting towards the ground. Any suggestions as to why and should I trim the guy back to the ground?
My only guess would be the weight of the leaves is pulling the stem down. If you don’t like the way it looks, you could prune a few stems, but I don’t think you need to prune the whole plant.
I am having the same problem as Rita (line 25). Not the bugs, but the leaves. Do I need to prune these leaves and if so, where do I cut them? I just got this plant and have it potted. Thanks for the advice.
I’m stumped. I really don’t know of anything that curls and dries elephant ear leaves other than drought and stress. Unless you see a little bug in there. I would suspect if you just got the plant, that it’s simply adapting to its new home and has a little stress. New leaves should be better.
If it could be stress, I wouldn’t worry about cutting them off just yet. If there’s enough green exposed so that they can photosynthesize, it would be better to leave the curled leaves and let the plant gain some strength. Once they start to brown and flop, you can cut them off at the base of the plant. By then you should have new leaves.
I planted Elephant ears at the corner of the house we bought in Texas. At the time I didnt realize that the wind would whip them all the time and tear up the adult leaves so badly. My question is: Can I move them somewhere else in the yard where they are more protected and how and when can they be moved
Mary, Elephant Ears are usually transplanted in the spring. They tend to sulk for awhile when they’re disturbed, so waiting until they are revving up for a new season spares you a long period of ugly plants.
I should caution you that Elephant Ear’s are becoming invasive in parts of Texas, so you might consider planting in a container.
Live in NC.October and I dug up my ears and replanted them think they’ll do alright or am I gonna lose them?
Elephant ears are only hardy to about Zone 8, so it depends on where you are in NC. If they’ve over-wintered before, you should be fine transplanting them now. Just keep them watered, so the roots take hold. But if you live in the cooler parts of NC, Zone 6, you’d be better off storing the tubers for the winter.
can i grow elepant ears in my apt.?
You can grow elephant ears indoors, but they do best outside. It’s hard to give them as much humidity as they require when growing indoors, especially in the winter.
If you want to try, put them in bright, but indirect sunlight, keep the soil moist and feed at least once a month. They’re heavy feeders.
My question is why do the elephant ear plants release water like they are “bleeding”? Mine release water around the edges and I have little puddles where they drip off. I didnt figure you could really over water these things. I also have them in large pots inside my sunroom hoping to keep them growing all winter. Also….. whats the key to fastest growing?
The dripping is transpiration. It’s how plants get rid of excess water. It usually happens when it’s humid and there’s an excess of water in the air.
As far as getting them to grow faster, I wouldn’t push it, especially in the winter. All plants need a rest period. Just be sure they get lots of sun and regular food and water and they’ll grow as fast as they can.