How Often To Water Elephant Ear Bulbs

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A thorough guide on planting elephant ear bulbs and growing them in a pot

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Their huge tropical leaves make elephant ears an attractive, attention-grabbing plant to have around your home. Plant elephant ears in pots during the jump if you want to go on them alive year-round or use them as indoor houseplants. With the proper intendance, these plants tin can do only besides in large pots equally in the ground outside. You're certain to get some impressed "oohs" and "aahs" from your guests when they see your fully grown elephant ears!

1
Habiliment gardening gloves whenever yous handle elephant ear bulbs. Raw elephant ear bulbs incorporate oxalates, which tin can cause called-for irritation if they come in contact with sensitive skin or if they're swallowed. Protect your hands with gloves to prevent transferring any toxins to other areas and avoid touching your confront and eyes while y'all're planting your bulbs.^[1]
- Keep small children and pets away from the bulbs likewise. Once your elephant ears accept foliage, go along in mind that the raw leaves likewise comprise these same toxins.
2
Choose a pot that is at least sixteen in (41 cm) deep and eighteen in (46 cm) broad. Big pots allow yous to happily abound large elephant ears without repotting them for several years. They also agree more soil, and then it doesn't dry out out hands and the plants have the moist soil they like to live in.^[2]
- For Colocasia varieties of elephant ears, an 18 in (46 cm) broad pot is sufficient. For Alocasia varieties, get with something larger, such equally a 36 in (91 cm) broad pot.
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3
Select a pot that is made of a non-porous material. Use a container made of plastic, fiberglass, or glazed clay, so that it retains moisture well. Avoid pots made out of plain terra cotta, every bit this is a porous material.^[3]
- Elephant ears crave a lot of wet, so using a non-porous pot helps reduce h2o evaporation through the sides of the pot and helps keep your plants squeamish and hydrated.
four
Fill up the pot near 3/4 of the fashion with a lightweight commercial potting mix. Lightweight potting mixes are usually blends of peat moss, vermiculite, and sand. These types of commercial potting mixes are platonic for your pots because they provide a great balance between drainage and moisture retentivity.^[four]
- Commercial potting mixes sometimes take fertilizer and added nutrients mixed in, which is fine for elephant ears every bit well.
- Never utilise heavy soils, which contain more dirt, because they retain a lot of moisture and make information technology piece of cake to overwater your elephant ears.
five
Add about 2 in (5.1 cm) of organic compost or manure on meridian of the soil. Spread the compost or manure out in an fifty-fifty layer on elevation of the potting mix. This gives the plants more nutrition and aids with moisture retention in the soil.^[v]
- Either homemade or store-bought compost is fine for your elephant ears.
half-dozen
Bury a bulb root-side-down 8 in (20 cm) deep in the soil. Dig a hole about eight in (xx cm) deep in the middle of the pot. Identify the bulb in the pigsty with the flat root end pointing down and cover it with soil, packing it down lightly.^[6]
- Don't plant more than one seedling per pot. Elephant ears need about 6 ft (ane.8 k) between them to conform for their large spread.

one
Place the pot in an area where it volition get full to partial sun. Full to partial dominicus ways from 3-6 hours of sunlight per day or more. Cull either an outdoor spot or somewhere inside where the institute will go enough sun, like next to a sunny window.^[vii]
- If you have an elephant ear in a spot where it receives a lot of directly sunlight and you lot ever notice that its leaves are looking bleached or brown, movement it to a place where it doesn't get as much sunlight to give information technology a break from the harsh rays.
2
Water the plants plenty to keep them moist, simply non soggy. Feel the soil in the containers daily to brand sure it is still moist and water your elephant ears whenever the soil starts to dry out. Never let the soil dry out completely between waterings.^[viii]
- Elephant ears are fast growers, which is why they like to always take water available in the soil. They get stressed out if the soil dries out and end growing well.
3
Feed your elephant ears in one case a month with a balanced fertilizer. Use a 10-x-x or a 20-twenty-20 fertilizer because these contain equal parts of the essential nutrients. Apply the fertilizer to the soil according to the package'due south instructions to satisfy the ambition of your elephant ears.^[9]
- A 10-ten-10 fertilizer contains 10% each of nitrogen, phosphate. and potash. A 20-xx-20 fertilizer contains 20% each of nitrogen, phosphate, and potash.
iv
Cutting off dead leaf and stop watering for 8-10 weeks in the autumn. Elephant ears become dormant at the end of the growing season, when temperatures starting time to drop in the fall. Clip all the dead foliage off with garden shears when this happens and stop watering the plants.^[ten]
- If you alive somewhere without 4 seasons and your elephant ears don't get dormant because the temperatures don't drop down enough, ignore the remaining steps and keep watering and feeding the plants as normal to keep them happy and green year-round.
- Apply this time to repot or dig up and divide the bulbs to propagate them if the plants are becoming too large for your pots.
5
Bring any outdoor elephant ears inside before the start frost. Put them in a cool, dry spot. This prevents them from dying off because of the freezing temperatures.^[11]
- If all your plants are already indoors, there'southward no need to move them. Their regular spot is just fine.
6
Water your elephant ears 1-2 times a month until bound. Afterward allowing your plants to become dormant for 8-10 weeks in the fall, start watering them occasionally to proceed the soil moist. Don't water and so much that the soil is soggy.^[12]
- There's no need to fertilize in the winter, either. Once bound comes to town, go ahead and commencement your regular watering and fertilizing routine over over again.

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Tin can I propagate elephant ear?

Mark Leahy is a Plant Specialist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is the Co-Possessor of Bella Fiora, a custom design floral studio, and SF Plants, a establish shop and nursery. Mark specializes in floral artistry and indoor plants including floral arrangements, terrace planters, office plantscapes, and living walls. Mark and his business concern partner accept been featured in Vogue, The Knot, Today'southward Bride, Wedding ceremony Wire, Mod Luxury, San Francisco Bride Magazine, San Francisco Fall Antique Show, Black Bride, Best of the Bay Area A-List, and Borrowed & Blue.

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Expert Respond

Yes! Cutting off a stem at a 45-caste bending and dip the finish in rooting powder. And so, put the stem in water and look for roots to form before transferring information technology to the soil.

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If yous live in a dry hot climate, elephant ears exercise better in partial sun. If you live in a cooler climate, they do better in total sun.^[13]
There are different varieties of elephant ear plants that practise better with more or less water and sun, so read upwardly on the specific multifariousness y'all're planting to familiarize yourself with its needs.^[14]
Elephant ears can abound upwards to 9 ft (2.vii chiliad) tall and spread out quite a bit, and then brand certain at that place's plenty of room to grow wherever you decide to put your potted elephant ears!^[15]

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Elephant ear plants are toxic if eaten. Go on pets and pocket-sized children away from them to avoid accidents.^[xvi]
Wear gloves when you lot're handling elephant ear bulbs and avoid touching your eyes and face while you're planting them.^[17]