When to Plant Elephant Ear?
Elephant ears' spectacularly large leaves make a bold landscape feature. Though essentially a tropical plant, elephant ears do well in temperate climates in partial shade and well-drained soil. You can leave the bulbs in the ground from year to year once they are established as far north as USDA hardiness zones 8 and 9. Farther north where the ground freezes in winter, the bulbs must be dug up in fall, stored and replanted in spring. Elephant ears, however, tolerate full sun and humid weather in the north. Does this Spark an idea?
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Storing Bulbs
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If you are pulling up last year's elephant ear bulbs to store them for the winter, keep them in a place where they will not freeze, like a garage attached to the house or an underground cellar or basement. Pull up the bulbs after the leaves turn yellow and die back. Trim the dried leaves from the bulb. Dry them out for two to three days before you store the bulbs in an insulated container completely covered with soil plus 2 to 3 inches of mulch. Water it lightly every two months to keep the soil from drying out.
Starting Early
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The plants can be started in pots indoors eight weeks before the last estimated frost date. Use a rich organic potting soil and plant them 2 to 3 inches deep, blunt end down. Set them outside a few hours a day beginning one week before planting them outdoors.
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Planting
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Elephant ears are planted in the spring after the soil is warm and all danger of frost is past. Plant the bulbs blunt ends down in fertile, humus-rich soil that is moist to wet and slightly acidic. Plant 2 to 3 inches deep. Mulch around them to hold water and nutrients close to the plants. Start plants that were started indoors at the same time. Plant the bulbs 2 inches under the top of the soil.
Care
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Feed elephant ears with a 20-20-20 fertilizer. If the plants don't put on lush, quick growth, they are either too cold, too dry or need more nitrogen. Over-watering is not a problem. Elephant ears can learn to grow in a pond if the moisture level is increased a little at a time.
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