When and How to Plant Elephant Ears in Zone 7

Avoid soaking the soil.

Elephant ears, taro, tropical potato or Colocasia esculenta -- whatever the name -- these plants are showstoppers in the landscape. Grown from bulbs, elephant ears grow and thrive as perennials within the warm climate of USDA hardiness zones 8 through 11, producing heart-shaped leaves between 2 and 3 feet wide. If you live in zone 7, elephant ears are not out of reach. Simply plant elephant ears as annuals in the spring and dig them up in the late fall.

Things You'll Need

• Tiller
• Soil amendment
• Garden hose
• Lawn mower or hedge clippers
• Spade
• Paper bag

Instructions

1. Prepare the soil before planting the elephant ears bulbs. Loosen the soil with a tiller and check the pH with a soil test kit. Elephant ears plants require soil with a pH between 5.5 and 7.0. If your zone 7 soil is not within this range, you will need to amend it.

2. Modify the broken soil with an agricultural lime amendment if the pH is below 5.5. If the soil within the planting pot is above 7.0, mix peat moss in with the soil to naturally lower the pH. The package label on the amendment will provide allocation amounts and application instructions.

3. Set the bulbs in the ground, pointed end facing up, after the threat of frost is over in zone 7 -- between March 30 and April 30. Cover each bulb with soil, leaving the very tip of the bulb sticking out of the soil. The average planting depth for elephant ears is approximately twice its length. Space each bulb 24 inches from the next.

4. Water the bulbs immediately after burying them in the soil. Elephant ears planted in zone 7 require watering whenever the top 1 inch of soil dries out. One inch of supplemental watering per week with a garden hose is usually necessary during the growing season, unless your region is especially rainy.

5. Fertilize elephant ears once foliage begins to appear. Once-a-month feedings with a water-soluble fertilizer will increase vigor. Apply the fertilizer according to label instructions.

6. Allow the elephant ears to die back on their own in the fall. The oversized leaves will turn from green to gold to brown. Once they turn brown, cut the foliage to ground level with a mower or pair of hedge clippers.

7. Dig-up the bulbs after the first frost of zone 7, which is usually between September 30 and October 30. Use a spade to pop the bulbs out of the ground. Dust the soil from the bulbs and place them in a paper bag. Store the bag in a dark basement, root cellar or potting shed until the following spring.

Tips & Warnings

• Replant the bulbs once again in the spring.

• Although elephant ears can tolerate soaked soil, it can increase the likelihood of rot. Keep the soil moist, not soaked. If the weather is especially rainy, test the soil before each watering. Press your finger into the soil. If the soil feels damp 1 inch down, supplemental watering is not yet necessary.

References

• Floridata; Colocasia Esculenta; Steve Christman; November 2008
• Emily Compost: Colocasia Esculenta

Resources

• The United States National Arboretum: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map
• Avant-Gardening: United States Frost Zone Map