Elephant Ear Question

[lesa]

Exciting news! One of my elephant ears has sent up a sprout! Now for the other 6....

 

[Smart Red]

Yeah!

Some plants are just slow starters. Rose of Sharon and hardy hibiscus are also slow. I'm still waiting for them to show new growth.

 

[canesisters]

STAND BACK!!! Tomorrow they'll be up to your shoulders.

 

[annageckos]

I don't know if they are edible or not, but taro is a food made from the root, so if elephant ears are edible it would not be the leaves you eat.

I grew a black elephant ear plant once. I don't remember the leaves having sharp anything. Of course, I didn't put them on my tongue.

The leaves aren't sharp, they have oxalic acid in them. Both the leaves and the tubers. Taro has these too, they have to been cooked before being eaten.

 

[journey11]

I've found the first little sprout of one! We've had only one 90-degree day so far, but I bet that woke them up.

Has anyone tried leaving them in the ground during the winter?

 

[thistlebloom]

I've found the first little sprout of one! We've had only one 90-degree day so far, but I bet that woke them up.

Has anyone tried leaving them in the ground during the winter?

I think unless you were in zone 9 or 10 they would freeze or rot. All I know is that it for sure definitely wouldn't work for me.

 

[canesisters]

I left them out the first year I had them (zone 7) and they got cold and rotted.
They're so simple to store though. I just shake off the dirt and leave them in a paper bag next to the (drafty) utility room door.

 

[so lucky]

@ninnymary, around here, elephant ear bulbs are only available in spring; don't know if it would be the same out there. If you are wanting a tropical look, a couple banana trees would be great, too. I had one a few years ago, actually a couple different times. They are fun and amazing, but you need room to store the "stump" indoors in cold weather around here. It might be something you could leave out, where you live. (no bananas were produced)

 

[ninnymary]

Thanks so lucky. I do have 2 banana plants in big pots on the deck. One I will keep, it's the reddish one. The other one is a replacement for one that froze a couple years ago. The replacement does not have the same beautiful markings that the old one did so I will be taking that one out. My husband is not crazy about them because the leaves do tear from the wind. In the evenings it get's alittle windy sometimes and there isn't anyway that I can do some type of windbreak.

Thistle, how big were the pots that you planted them in for your client? How often did you water them and did you fertilie them? Any special care that you gave them?

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

@ninnymary, the pots are large stone pots, probably 20" across and 15" deep. They were also planted with Persian Sheild and a few other annuals. I fed them pretty heavy with a bloom buster type fert that was high in phosphorous. They were watered about 4 or 5 times a week, depending on the temperature. No special care, but they were deer resistant which was a definite plus on this property!




(this is not my house, I just work there.)