How to Care for Giant Elephant Ears in Winter

Alocasia and Colocasia bulbs produce huge Elephant Ear plants.

The approach of fall and winter brings another round of routine garden maintenance. Elephant ears, popular for their massive, colorful foliage, require a little more maintenance than most perennial garden plants. These foliage plants, hardy for zones 8-11, grow from tubers. These tubers cannot withstand freezing winter temperatures. With a little extra care, you can keep your elephant ears safe from freezing temperatures and prepare them for the growing season to come.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Container
• Peat moss, vermiculite or sawdust

Instructions

1. Watch for signs that your elephant ears are going dormant. As temperatures cool, your elephant ears will start to wilt or become brown. At this stage, your plant is ready for winterizing. You can allow the plant to remain outdoors, but try not to expose it to frost. If your elephant ears become damaged by frost, immediately cut the stems back to 6 inches in height and prepare to move the tubers.

2. Dig up your elephant ears. Elephant ear tubers can be easily dug up with a shovel, and are typically found 6 inches to a foot below the soil surface. Be careful not to damage the tuber when you dig. Once you have removed the tubers from the ground, remove the excess soil.

3. Transplant or prepare your tubers for storage. Elephant ear tubers can over-winter one of two ways. The first is to transplant the tuber to a container, and over-winter it indoors as a houseplant. If your plant is too large, or has already suffered frost damage, the tuber needs to be stored. To store your tuber, cut the stems back to 6 inches, rinse away any excess soil and allow the tuber to air dry at 60 degrees for about three weeks. During this time, do not allow the tuber to have direct sunlight. Pack the tubers in a medium such as vermiculite, saw dust or peat moss. Store the tubers away from direct sunlight in an area that is about 50 degrees for the duration of the winter.

4. Maintain your tubers during the winter. If you have put your plants into pots, make sure you water them frequently. Elephant ears thrive on plenty of water, but avoid standing water in the pot. For tubers, check the tubers very couple of weeks for shrinkage or rot. If your tubers appear shriveled, moisten the medium a bit. Tubers with significant amounts of rot should be discarded. You can remove very small amounts of rot.

Tips & Warnings

• Immediately discard any tubers that show significant rot during storage. This rot can spread quickly and damage other tubers.

References

• Clemson Cooperative Extension: Elephant Ear 'Illustris' or 'Black Magic'
• Winterize Elephant Ears
• Extension.org: Overwintering Elephant Ear (Alocasia)