Elephant Ear plants are pretty easy to grow from bulb. It’s medium maintenance plant when in a pot and low maintenance when in ground outdoors. The bulbs are often referred to as Taro and are sold in many exotic grocery stores as an edible root.
(If you plan to eat this plant please do your research first. I have never consumed this plant and am not suggesting that you do)
How to Grow Elephant Ear Plants
Is there anything prettier than seeing those big heart shaped leaves in the garden? When there’s a slight breeze they move back n forth as if shaking their heads.
I’ve been growing Elephant Ear Plants for over 5 years and I think everyone should add them to their gardens
I purchased new bigger bulbs this year and saved my bulbs from last year. I used regular potting soil to start them in pots indoors. I typically start my bulbs in february so that I can get a jump on the garden season.
If you live in a cold garden zone then the earlier you start your bulbs the bigger your plants will be when you can put them in the garden.
To learn how to grow Elephant Ear Plants as Houseplants read this post!
After they are potted I give them a full watering where the water comes out of the bottom of the pot. Then I water them when the soil is half dry.
I water this way to make sure my bulbs do not rot. Keeping wet soil around your bulbs can quickly rot and kill them so be careful with your watering frequency
Tips
Once it is past my frost free date I move my plants to a shaded part of the garden until they acclimate to the outdoor conditions. Usually a week in the shade is enough time. Once my plants are acclimated It’s time to start planting. I plant a lot of elephant ear plants in ground and some get planted in my outdoor planters.
Planted in ground or in a pot I make sure I keep the soil moist but not soggy. So for my plants in pots I water every other day and in ground I water every 2-3 days unless there’s rain.
I don’t fertilize the Elephant Ear plants in ground except at planting but I do however fertilize my potted Elephant Ears weekly with fish emulsion.
Got Elephant Ear questions? Let me know!
Happy Gardening!
Ciearra
